What Are You Producing?

Where you are at in life is a direct result from choices that you have made. If you are financially secure, it is because you focused on a goal that you believed you needed to achieve, and you allowed nothing to stop you from attaining your goal. If you take great pride in the way your body looks, it is because you have worked diligently to be where you are. You created a vision of what or how you wanted your life to look and you did not stop until you were there. Some of us are still heading toward where we want to be. Some of us are still figuring it out. Some of us are still climbing our mountain, allowing it to become bigger with every step we take because we have a mentality of more (while often focusing on the lack).

How quickly is the raise you just obtained not enough? As we begin to earn more our cost of living increases. How often do we not even see an increase? We get a raise, buy a nicer car or home or things (that we believe increase happiness) and our savings in the bank is still 0. Or even worse, we buy that nicer home, give our children better things, buy our spouses that gift that sparkles more than the last, all while our spiritual or emotional bank is 0.

There is a scripture that says, “They will know you by your fruits.” What fruit, to you, means more than any other? We typically excel in one or two areas in our lives while other areas suffer. And the areas that we are doing well are the ones we show off. These areas are the ones we take pride in. These are the areas in which we compete and compare with one another. These are the areas that we pretend are our only areas, because they are the only ones we display. We pay little or no attention to the areas of need. But we are aware of these areas, aren’t we? We just don’t speak of them, and we absolutely don’t let anyone see what we believe to be our deficit. We develop a pride in who we are because of our things and we believe this to be our identity. We begin to believe we are who we associate with, we are what we drive, we are the home we live in, we are the job title we have worked so hard to obtain, and we are our bank account. What happens when a goal gets in the way? What happens when our drive for achievement replaces our desire for fulfillment? We get burned out, fatigued, lost, stuck, feel as if the grass is greener elsewhere, and we doubt ourselves, our strengths and our abilities.

Again, I ask, what are you producing? Are you producing numbers? Income? Results for a company that would replace you if you dropped dead in a week. Which of your fruits are you nurturing and in what ways? Are they fruits that bring you fulfillment or are they fruits that are nice to look at and tell people about? Are they things to show off or things to behold? You pass on what you produce to the ones who care about you the most. When your time is said and done, and all the words have been written in your book, what will be left? What impact will you have contributed to the eyes that look into yours? Do these eyes look into yours, or do these eyes look for yours? I’ve spoken with many people who have been given all the stuff imaginable- cars, homes, money, material things, vacations, name brands etceteras- all things able to have been produced through the outcome of money, wealth, and hard work. The common theme in things that are “missing” from these people are connections. Connections typically suffer when we are what we do for a living.

I remember a Monday morning, tired, over-worked, short-staffed, in which I attempted to insert my house key into my office. I initially laughed, until what I was doing sank in. As I thought about it, questions started entering my mind. Was I spending more time at work, producing results and income, than I was at home producing a connection? Was I simply providing things for my family to look at, play with, touch, eat and eventually throw away? What was the impact I was leaving? If I left the world now, what would my children remember of me? What would there be for them to hear about my contribution to my family, loved ones, people with whom I worked? What would they be told about what I believe in and what evidence is there to support? Is there an abundance, or is there a lack? If I left the world today, what fruit would I leave to sustain my children and my family?

I remember speaking with a lady who was given all material things imaginable. I can still recall the way she stated, “My father gave me everything I ever asked him for. But all I ever wanted was a hug.” The freest of gifts was the one withheld. The father in this story was doing what he believed to be the best option- providing financial support so that his family could enjoy a life of comfort. He had a goal as a child to be rich. And his goal was achieved. His goal required time away from his wife, and time away from his three children. It required hard work, long hours and he stated he didn’t take a vacation for 16 years. He worked seven days a week. He missed dance recitals and football games. He missed important events in his children’s lives. He missed building a connection with little eyes that looked for his. He was not only producing wealth; he was producing an impact.

In what ways are you producing your impact? Do not simply look for evidence you can see. Look for the unseen and the unspoken.

A woman throws a stone into a still pond and it creates ripples. The stone sinks to the bottom and is no longer able to be viewed. The ripples bring movement to a stick floating stagnantly atop the water. They cause reeds to move that are planted near the edge of the pond. The grass lining the small body of water is now dampened by the woman’s stone, by her action. The water now makes room for the stone’s presence. The stick will slowly lose momentum and remain stuck in the pond. It will eventually fail to remember the movement recently produced. The reeds have no option of relocating or doing more than they have been given to do- it appears as though they are impacted minimally, if at all. The grass will dry and forget about the stone and its ripples. But the pond is forever changed. It has been added to. It has been impacted.

Who are you in the story? What is your role? Are you possibly an unseen character? Perhaps you are a tree watching others impact those around you, believing you are not able, overlooking your own beauty and contribution. Or maybe you are the wind, gently touching everything in a subtle, noticeable way, while often going without recognition. Are you the bird flying overhead, looking down on everyone in this story, keeping your distance for fear of pain, rejection or failure? You are whatever role you choose to be. An impact, like the stone in this story, is relative. You may not notice the addition or influence you have on the pond (which is symbolic for any external thing that you have the ability to enhance). We do not always see the fruits that are produced from the seeds that we plant. But know this, everything that we do plants a seed. Every word that we speak. Every hand that we offer. Every look that we give. All of the love that we provide, and all of the love that we withhold. All seeds.

What we produce is a direct result of what we plant. So, pay attention to your seeds. They are thrown out in every single thing that we do.