The Law of the Harvest

One of the most important attitudes of a successful person is a firm belief in the Law of the Harvest.  That is, the more you plant, the more bountiful the harvest.  If you work, you will win.  And setbacks actually pave the way to your future success.

In the world of business, it means that if we simply serve enough people, profits will come.  Once we have a fixed belief in this fact, we can quit focusing on sales and commissions and direct our attention to service and activity, which are the foundational principles for business success.

In his classic book on selling, trainer Frank Bettger said, “After all, this business of selling narrows down to one thing — just one thing…seeing the people! Show me any man of ordinary ability, who will go out and earnestly tell his story to four or five people every day, and I will show you a man who just can’t help making good.”  Success in selling doesn’t mean you make a sale every time you talk with someone.  It means that you share your offer with so many qualified people that a good percentage of them will want to own your product.  The more seeds you plant, the more bountiful the harvest.

This is true in every area of our lives.  Most of our failures are nothing more than stepping stones to success—as long as we keep trying.  The tragedy is when people give up and quit, often just before things would have turned around.  Too many of us quit watering the garden, because we can’t see the shoots coming up.  The trick is to keep learning, and keep improving, and most of all, keep trying.

In 1974, Hank Aaron broke Babe Ruth’s all-time home run record with 715 home runs. But he also had 1,262 career strike-outs.  In other words, he went through the humiliation of striking out almost twice as many times as he hit a home run.  Even champions fail most of the time on the road to success.  The difference for Hank Aaron was –he kept on swinging!!

Success Tip:  Remember, each “no” just takes you that much closer to the next “yes.”  Each failure moves you toward the next triumph.  As surely as sunshine ultimately follows rain, and planting brings on the harvest, so your actions of today are building your bright future.  Each setback paves the road to your future success.  Believe in the Law of the Harvest and never give up.