WA Lied! You're A Farmer Not A Business Blogger!
I know what you're thinking; What the hell is "Eddy with a y" babbling about now?
Well let me break it down. We have a lot more in common with a farmer than you think. Now keep in mind I'm a city boy raised in The Bronx, New York. So with that said my analogy below may not be perfect. So my country folks, feel free to chime in. lol But I think everyone can understand the general message. So let's get into it.
Old McDonald Had A Farm...
A farmer has to invest a lot of upfront time, money and hard work to plant and maintain their farm. They plant seeds and initially you're not seeing a lot of return for your work. But they still have to water the seeds, fertilize the ground, keep weeds and pests away, etc. So with that said a lot of time and money is being spent upfront without seeing anything in return.
Depending on the type of crop it can take weeks or months before the seeds grow into plants and then even longer before they produce the fruits or vegetables. Once the crops are actually ready, then goes the work of actually harvesting it, etc. So this whole process can take weeks or months.
But the farmer is patient and understands that this is a long term effort that will pay off. They don't decide that they're going to give up because some weeds or insects popped up. They don't call it quits because there was some stormy weather. No, the farmer just continues to work on their crop and patiently waits for it to be ready. Because in the end they know that the farm will eventually produce if they continue to tend it.
They don't doubt the process because they've seen it work before via their own experience or other farmers.
Be The Farmer...
Your business is just like a farm and you need to be a farmer. You need to have the patience and work ethic of the farmer. For a farmer it may mean weeks or months. For you it could mean months or even a full year before you see any results. And then it may require even more months and years to see life changing results where you can harvest the fruit of your labor.
But until then you have to keep planting seeds (writing optimized articles), working through any weeds and rough weather that may come along (fear of writing, technical issues, doubts, laziness, insecurities, etc).
The worst thing you can do is just give up because all you're focused on is the dirt in front of you and not the harvest that is down the line. If farmers thought like that and gave up, we'd all starve. Fortunately they don't and we can all eat well because of their patience and hard work.
So why don't you stop staring at the dirt and starving your own dreams because you're being impatient and treating this like a job instead of a business. Be a farmer, remind yourself that you're planting seeds that will blossom later if you continue to work and not wait until you see results to do more.
Are You Built For This?
That said not all of us are built to be farmers. Some of us need to be 9-5er's where you work certain hours and get a pay check soon after. Some of us have immediate bills and don't have the luxury to be patient. Well my friends then this isn't for you and that's fine. You have to take your talents to places that meet these needs. But I suspect for many others it's because we're just impatient and have self doubts. This article is for you folks.
If you feel like you are being a farmer and aren't seeing results then I would encourage you to read my cheat sheet here. If you need inspiration from other farmers then read this, this, or this.
Hopefully this article gives you a better perspective. If it doesn't, then maybe this article will. But if it does, feel free to chime in below and more importantly share it with others. I know you run into fellow members that have a self-defeating mentality or doubts. Maybe this article will help encourage them. So spread the love if it helped you change your mentality. Someone right now needed to read this. Hopefully it's a turning point for you.
Take care ya'll
"Eddy with a y" is out of here.
"Mic drop here..." lol
Recent Comments
210
I really like that Analogy, thank you so much for sharing. I'm the 9-5 guy and do have immediate bills that need to be taken care of, but I don't want to be the 9-5 guy forever and so if it takes me 10 years to get everything here working the way I want it to for farming then so be it. I'm not giving up :)
Well that's the right attitude. I worked on my business while doing my 9-5 because I had bills to pay as well. But I never gave up working on my business.
That’s a great analogy Eddy! It’s similar to my post talking about whether you’re willing to work for FREE: Are You Willing to Work for FREE? (The Secret to Success in Anything!)
Hey Eddy,
Excellent as always! What a great analogy...it is very true we are planting seeds that in time will grow with our continued efforts.
Posts we write on our sites or even blogs here that people might find helpful even years later will continue to grow into wonderful things...either new friends or maybe even sales depending on what we're focusing on, and hopefully, even a bit of both!
Thanks for sharing and reminding us all to keep planting those seeds!
Best wishes :) ~Sherry
I didn't look at it this way, but your are right on all points, nice comparison Eddy, even funny LOL
As always, great article, you have talent in putting it up clearly and understandable.
Have a great day, oh and if you are going to reap some of what you seeded, get me some delicious Dragonfruit on your way back...
Stefan :))
Hey Eddy, that is why I write plant, water and believe on my website, I've done it for quite awhile now.
I got that from Tyler Perry. He kind of said it like it is. You can't control the elements around us, all we can do is plant the seed water what we do by keep on keeping on and believe, have some faith. Okay, I'm not quoting his exact words, Lol.
Tyler Perry also said that the only people that went to his plays when he started was his family, if he didn't believe in what he was doing, we would all have missed out on some good movies.
That is how people should really feel in regards to what they are doing. People will miss out on their information when they post their articles online. It's value that someone can obtain through a simple search online.
So I guess I'll say it one more time,
Plant, Water, and Believe, Lol
Great article, amen to that!
E-I-E-I-O, thanks Eddy! Cool the way you just put it out there! Nice post!
And on his farm he had a duck
E-I-E-I-O
With a quack quack here
And a quack quack there
Here a quack, there a quack
Everywhere a quack quack
Old MacDonald had a farm
PEOPLE ARE GOING TO START THINKING I AM - QUACKERS AGAIN!
Thanks Eddy I will be singing this all day!
Take care
Wayne
Eddie,
Indeed, it is hard to figure our or see other ways around than moving on - just do it no matter how hard it may be. Your posts has injected so much inspiration for many needed folks even including myself. To further what you may help me, please look into your PM which deliver my cry for help if possible.
Much appreciated,
James
I enjoyed reading your article and you hit the nail on the head. I need to be more patient with the business and it will produce for me. I am a newbie and just starting out in the business. I am learning and trial by error things are slowly coming together for me. I just don't want to fail. I need to work at home because I have a disabled husband. So failure is not an option for me. Best wishes in your business endeavors.
Mary
You can only fail if you give up. But you will run into obstacles and mistakes. You can't be afraid of making those mistakes because that's how you lose forward.
You are absolutely right. I am not giving up by no means and I am not going to fail by any means either. Thank you for your words I greatly appreciate very much.
Mary
Excellent analogy and thanks for the great post -- another great from Eddy with a "y" -- !!
I'm a 9 to 5er but I'm working toward this so that eventually maybe I could work part-time and run my site part-time -- or dare I dream big and hope to run this full time?
Wondering if you know of any other full-timers working on this transition?
You're welcome Amy. I've made that transition and it took time. You want to make sure your business can support your expenses for several years. Then you should also save up at least 6 months of your expenses before you finally make the jump. You want to just have a nice cushion either way. But it can be done.
Agreed — that’s why I’m thinking that a more realistic goal might be to work part-time and count on this for the other part-time...!
You can do either. For me eventually my business income had surpassed my 9-5 by many times over and was doing it a few years. So I felt comfortable leaving it. So you have options either way. Do what's best for you.
Resonating, but what does "y" or "a y" really mean? Please explain it and I mean it - truly, not for fun or sarcastic, because English is my third language.
Like you, I admire Eddie for being a wonderful writer, who has drawn many readers than most WA members around. Why? He could tell the real live events which we all can relate to in our daily life.
Keep in touch for more mutual support...; all the best to health and success...
James
Thank you, James.
Eddy spells his name: E-D-D-Y, so he calls himself “Eddy with a Y” because most of the time, Eddie is spelled with an “ie” at the end. That’s all....!
Thanks Amy. It's happened like 3 times in the comments so far. lol
My name is literally spelled right near my picture. lol
Thanks for such a teaching note to help me break the darkness of ignorance. Much appreciated,
James
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Wow! I'm so proud if I'll be a farmer, very well said Eddy! you are truly an expert! I just started my day in the office while checking the experimental website I just finished yesterday and you just made my day by having to read this... may the "big guy" bless u. You nail it bro! :)
I'm glad this resonated with you Deo. Be sure to share it with others.
yup! I just did! I hope I could be helpful with them by sharing it even though I'm just new here and still have lots to work on. Thanks again! :D
Sounds good. Thanks