The act of preparing the field.

In previous posts I have  discussed the difference between being a farmer and a fisherman. The gist is that a farmer must have more resources and time than a fisherman.

To quote myself (one must really have a large ego to use themselves as a reference. ;-p )

From: are-you-a-farmer

• The farmer needs land (office), seed (money), and provisions until the season bears fruit. The fisherman just needs his net (tools) and skill.
• The farmer’s time to produce is measured in seasons (months). The Fisherman’s time is measured in tides (hours).
• The farmer is bound to the land he toils (employer, or project). The fisherman is bound to the fish (the work and the people). If the fish move, so does the fisherman.

I have generally done well as a fisherman, but what if we have motivation to change? A new or growing  family, a new home purchase, a sick family member or your own health challenges can all be catalysts to settle or at least slow down.

So how do we change our methods and even harder still, mentality, from one to the other. Better yet, can these cycles be merged? Can we do or be both and how does that affect our productivity and lives over all?

I have been challenged with this myself and I have a few thoughts that have come from my struggle to merge them. I would like to get your feedback as well.

As Entrepreneurs we are challenged to build lasting enterprises. Personally, all of my ideas start from the fisherman’s perspective. I find a need in a specific industry and I will move in with a service or product.

examples:

• E-Home Inspection™ – electronic reporting and document generation for home and building inspectors.
• MorTrax™ – electronic document generation and digital conversation tracking for the financial industry to solve legal compliance challenges.
• BetterBeSafe™ – solution for landlords that enabled them to track their rentals, advertisement campaigns and tenant applications.

I have many more but the examples here are enough to prove a point. That point is this, I own the IP for these things and in the Fisherman mentality, I have built and used these tools for a specific purpose. since I am not planting seeds with these products, they sit in a toolbox or worse yet, they are ignored ideas.

I am, personally,  trying to cope with the difference between trying to do all things and letting God have control. I have faith that He provides all things. I believe that as a son of the most High King, I will be successful in all things if it is in His will. That being said, what is my responsibility to do?

How do I turn these products or services into a continuous revenue stream? That requires a different mentality. I must learn to be more like the farmer. I must learn to plant the seeds that produce crops for seasons if not for years. So where do I begin? How do I learn and begin to change?  The first and best example is usually scripture.

There is an observation about the farmer mentality that struck me the other day. James 5:7 – Therefore brothers, be patient… …see how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth and is patient with it until it receives both the early and late rains. This passage is talking about the characteristics of  a believers life, specifically about awaiting the day of the Lord’s return. However, it is the observation of the farmer that strikes me. As a fisherman, I am not used to patience in awaiting the fruits of  labor. I am used to pulling in the catch and then reaping the rewards. The first lesson is then patience.

I believe that it is not my job to focus on HOW God provides opportunity or even WHY.  Thinking about those things can put a person in “analysis paralysis” and kill your creativity (and productivity) for an eternity. It has been my experience that we must  prepare ourselves for opportunities by working hard to hone our talents, and maintain that we are capable because He has provided us with the ability and talent we need to accomplish all things. Opportunity will then be opened to us either from inspiration (new ideas, methods etc.) or the opening of doors (new offers, ventures, and paths to further ourselves). The observation here is not to think about His reasons or timing but to expect all things in FAITH.

I will continue this topic soon. Until then, I thank all of you for reading and for your comments.

Thank you for reading and for comments…
– Be Yourself, Be Well, and Be Loved,

Gary Cartagena is a dedicated husband and father.
He is Founder and consultant for Tek Management,
Founder of the Men’s Leadership site: CalebStrong.org,
Co-Founder of the online Bible study app: BibleCounts

View Gary Cartagena’s profile

This work is licensed under a
Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 License.

© 2008-2021: All content on this and other pages within the TekMan family of domains are the specific intellectual property of the owner of the site, Tek Management and/or TheStrongFoundation.org.
Content may be reused or reproduced according to the licensing restrictions without the specific permission of the owner or a reference to the source as per the licensing restrictions found at the link above.
Opinions of the authors may be generated from content obtained from other sources and such content is referenced as appropriate.