{"id":740,"date":"2022-07-12T14:07:42","date_gmt":"2022-07-12T19:07:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/agrilife.org\/sheepandgoat\/?p=740"},"modified":"2022-07-12T14:07:42","modified_gmt":"2022-07-12T19:07:42","slug":"reids-ram-blings-july-2022","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/agrilife.org\/sheepandgoat\/2022\/07\/12\/reids-ram-blings-july-2022\/","title":{"rendered":"Reid’s Ram-blings: July 2022"},"content":{"rendered":"

Sharpen the Saw<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

The United States is the greatest country in the World, and we owe more than we will ever realize to those that built it with their bare hands. It is easy to look back on the generations that came before us and draw inspiration in our own lives about working hard and \u201cembracing the grind\u201d to be successful in life.<\/p>\n

This mindset serves the agriculture community very well, but an unfortunate reality of modern times is that it is easier than ever for those that always saying yes to new projects and plans to become over committed and bogged down. Technology that was designed to make our lives more efficient at multi tasking is a double edge sword. Sometimes we don\u2019t realize that really the most efficient thing for us to do is take a step back, breathe a bit, and think about what it is we are actually \u201cgrinding\u201d at and if that is truly leading to progress in our ranch.<\/p>\n

I am reminded of one of the best professional development activities that I have had the privilege to take part in.\u00a0 It was a week long program called \u201c7 Habits of Highly Effective People\u201d which was based on the Stephen Covey book.\u00a0 We had to disconnect from work obligations the entire week, which I was very reluctant to agree to at the time.<\/p>\n

During the training, there was an example of a someone sawing wood.\u00a0 They were working expecptionally hard to keep up with workload and it wasn\u2019t going well.\u00a0 This person was doing what a lot of ranchers do when times get tough; working harder and longer hours. Then, another person comes by and asks the man if he would like help to sharpen the say; and he said \u201cNo. I am way too busy for that.\u201d\u00a0 While, it may seem obvious to someone from the outside looking in, we can all get caught up in daily chores and don\u2019t take time to sharpen our own saw.<\/p>\n

I encourage you to break away from the ranch this summer and engage in some sheep and goat professional development opportunities.<\/p>\n