Episode 47 - When Things Don't Go As Planned

by Erica Leniczek October 11, 2022

So, you're on the farm and trying to get through that never ending proverbial "to-do list." You know things keep piling up, animals are sick, something started on fire, shit. is. hitting. the fan. And today, you feel like throwing in the towel.

I feel like I say these words and give you the rundown of this type of story a lot, and that's because I do. I think part of the thing with doing what I do and working with farmers is that this stuff always happens. Murphy's Law never seems to be on your side and the fact of the matter is that I don't think that farmers have "bad luck," because I don't believe in luck. I think that, the thing is, there are so many factors in agriculture that more things can go wrong. It's just basic bell curve and statistical analysis... if you have more things, you have more things that can have something go wrong with them. And, in farming, now, you need a lot of things to make it work.

So what can you do when things don't go your way?

Well... here are 3 simple tips.

1. Focus on what you can control IN THAT MOMENT - it might not always be easy to see what you can control, but usually, regardless of what is happening, you can control your breath. Maybe you can control your emotional response to something. Maybe you can prepare in advance. Maybe you remind yourself that there are few factors in agriculture that you truly can control.

2. Acknowledge that the thing that is happening simply *sucks* - some days you might just get the "glass ball" things done and go have a you day or go and do something else that gets you a little bit of relief.

3. Use that grumpy emotional energy to get shit done and fuel your fire - emotions are just energy in motion telling you to pay attention to something because your body is giving you information. Take that information and take a moment to reflect.. what do you need to change? your insurance policy? where you keep your hay? how many hours you work? where you winter your cattle? The thing going wrong is just information for you to reflect on. It would be far more productive for you to give yourself the time for the aforementioned #2 (acknowledging how much it sucks) then picking yourself up and taking that information in as something to do differently, than it would be to spend all of your time in #2.

Remember - you have already survived 100% of your hardest days, you can survive this one too.

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