The Attributes Compound When We Keep Sowing

I need to be completely transparent here: sharing each individual adversity through this process of challenging you to make the best of your bad situations has been one of the  most awkward things I’ve ever done. I’ve said repeatedly that I know mine pale in comparison to what I’ve seen so many others experience. Even more than that, though, I’d so much rather keep the past in the past and push toward the impact Cindy and I are working to make for each client we serve. Still yet, the ones I’ve lived through are what I have to work with - the same goes for you - but focusing only on what lies ahead often means we completely miss the seeds hidden within those adversities as well as the greater benefit we could pull from those seeds. Reflection has to happen, whether we’re naturally wired for it or not.

When we’re willing to discipline ourselves to invest in reflection, to identify then nurture those seeds, we create a starting point for developing each of the leadership attributes we’ve worked through to this point. The earlier we establish that habit, the more we stand to gain as those attributes compound - especially when we continue sowing into the relationships we build along the way. Even then, though, I’m not suggesting we sow blindly or indefinitely in places where those seeds stand no chance whatsoever of growing.

Early on, even the most minor adversity can seem insurmountable. Bold early stands forge traits; later seasons and more significant adversities are where we prove whether those traits became embedded into our character. Uncertainty and disappointment become a competitive advantage only if we continue sowing along the way, and only if we continue strengthening each of those leadership attributes.

All eleven that Napoleon Hill outlined in Think and Grow Rich have been instrumental for me over the years, and I’d bet you can say the same if you look back over your journey through the lens we’ve developed here. But since starting our business in 2015, and especially since moving into it full time in late 2017, the habit of doing more than we were paid for and earning cooperation from the people we interact with have proven to be as critical as anything else we’ve done.

Make no mistake, maintaining a pleasing personality, increasing my own practice of sympathy and understanding, and assuming full responsibility have played key roles as well. Thankfully, the effort I’ve put into building each has made each of the others stronger. Had we slipped into a spirit of bitterness at any point along the way that compounding would have stalled (and possibly collapsed completely), sacrificing much or all of the harvest we’ve pulled - and continue to pull - from each seed. As those leadership attributes continue to compound over time, the influence we earn outlines any individual crisis. We’ll look at that in more detail next. Before that, think about a recent decision you were faced with. Where did extra effort, cooperation, or a pleasing approach lag? Plan one strengthening action you can take right away, and think about how you can base that action on a more established habit you’ve created through one of your previous adversities.