Take a Break, You Earned It

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Take a Break, You Earned It

Define 'Earned'

The black bits at my kids' school are universally hated by all of the parents. These little rubber pellets have been used around the school's playground for years as a means to cushion the children's falls as they run around and play with other kids.

Unfortunately, it is essentially a bad version of dirt. Kids bury themselves in the black bits or make snow angels. It is very common to come home with a child's face looking like they spent the day working in a coal mine. The bits have ruined many clothes and always turn shoes immediately black. If those shoes aren't emptied before making it to the house, we will be picking up black bits for weeks on end as they get trampled through our residence.

Finally, someone did something about it. A group of a few parents (me not included) raised money and gathered volunteers to have the black bits removed and then replaced with wood chips. I can't tell you how happy my family is for this, and we're glad to sign up for the cause.

The dreaded 'black bits'

Take a Break, You Earned It

The project is quite simple. Use a shovel (in my instance, I used a corn shovel, thank you very much, Grandpa Don, for teaching me how to properly use one of these things) to move the debris away from poles and out from under all slides and walkways. Then a skid loader will come to scoop it up, dump it into the semi, and haul it away. That was the project for the day.

I signed up for the removal team and only had three hours to help with the project, so shovel away I did for a few hours. A volunteer at one point said to me,

"Grant, come have a donut. You earned it."

I laughed and told him that I only had a few hours to work and I would be there in a bit.

In truth, this comment really caught me off guard. I felt at that point I had earned nothing. Yes, the donuts had arrived and were available, but we had a lot of work to do, and the manpower was quickly evaporating away.

I didn't feel the job or my work would be done until the project was finished. There wasn't time for a 15 minutes break, we had serious work to do. I felt like the expectations around the job were too low. The bar was too low for what was expected of me personally during my time there.

Now, I didn't say this to anyone, and I understand that it was completely socially acceptable for the individual to say this to me. But I wasn't done, and I had earned nothing, much less a donut that I didn't have an interest in and would prefer to avoid if possible.

Ultra Endurance

I think this is why I like running long distances so much. When you sign up for a 50K race, you have to finish. At least in my mind, you do. It doesn't matter if you hurt or if there are troubles along the way. Once you cross the start line, you need to make it to the finish line. A job half done means that nothing has been earned. You don't stop in the middle for a donut. You stop when the job is done.

Being surrounded by individuals that tell you that you've done enough or who lower your expectations for yourself isn't where I want to be. I want to keep that bar raised as high as possible, knowing that my expectations of myself will always greatly outstrip anyone else's expectations for me.

Funny enough, the same individual came to me about 40 minutes later and asked how I was still going, stating he wasn't in as good of shape as me. My health is extremely important, and I take pride in being able to go, go, go, go, go for as long as needed.

Again, this is where the long-distance running, cardio, and constant training pay dividends. I ran 5 miles, scooped for 2 1/2 hours in high humidity with sweat dripping from the bill of my hat, and wasn't tired when I was done.

Take care of yourself. Make sure that you have the energy to be there for those around you and keep the bar raised high. Remember, the only one who has earned it finished the job, dying on the cross for our sins.

Fake It Until You Make It

This little saying I hear quite often, but frankly, it drives me crazy. It didn't used to bother me until I read a book (I don't remember which book) that was critical of the statement:

Fake it until you make it.

Why would you fake anything? From my stance, a better way to phrase is a similar but stronger approach is to:

Own it until you know it.

Don't fake anything, and don't fool yourself into thinking that you know something that you don't. This is where mistakes can happen.

Take ownership of the fact that you don't know what you're doing, but you're here to figure it out. Almost every problem in life can be figured out. You just don't have the answers today. Take ownership of it to either learn it yourself or work through someone else to find the answers.

Often, finding someone else who has already been through it will save you years of mistakes and greatly speed up the process.

This is why I share my land-buying knowledge with you. It's my hope that I can help you cut corners, buy ground faster, get it for cheaper, and finance it smarter. I know how to buy farm ground. I know how to grow an operation, so don't fake growing your operation until you make it, that approach leads to mistakes.

Buy ground now (link)

Take ownership, learn the steps you need to learn to move forward, and then do it.

Make it a great day.

Grant