When my kids were younger and they’d come off the bus, my first question would always be, “Tell me three positives about your day.” Their responses varied from “We had pizza for lunch,” to “I got to sit by so-and-so on the bus” to “We got to watch a movie in class.” I wasn’t concerned about the specifics of these wins; my goal was to train their minds to see the good in every day. If I had asked them what went wrong, they’d probably have overwhelmed me with an endless list of grievances.
The same principle applies to adults, especially those in high-stress professions like farming. It’s so easy to focus on the negatives: a busted gate, a forgotten task, or poor time management. The list seems endless. However, when we ask ourselves what went right, it becomes challenging to pinpoint those positive moments unless we make a conscious effort to celebrate them.
Finding Joy in the Everyday
I’m not just talking about significant, life-changing wins either; those are easier to acknowledge. Yet, in farming and many other fields, those big wins don’t happen every day, every week, or even every month. It’s crucial to make a big deal out of every win, no matter the size. Throw a pizza party, provide tokens of appreciation, like gift cards, or simply brag a bit. These celebrations help remind us why we do what we do, especially when it feels like everything is going against us.
Recently, at our farm we experienced a significant win when we started chopping corn. Our insurance appraiser came to assess the crop, and while we suspected it was good, we were blown away when he announced our average—275 bushels per acre. I cried right then and there because it was a monumental win for us.
I follow up by sharing, we’ve had tough years where river-bottom corn was flooded out and we had to rely on insurance money. Some years, rain didn’t come, and yields barely reached half of what we got this year. Many years fell somewhere in between.
The Importance of Celebration
So, we celebrated this extraordinary crop under the hot sun with cold beverages and laughter as we reminisced about the past. We recalled the times when the kids were learning how to drive tractors and listened to the old-timers’ stories, which were probably more fiction than fact, but still enjoyable, nonetheless. We stayed up late and simply enjoyed each other’s company.
It sounds simple, but often we are conditioned to focus on what went wrong rather than what went right.
Changing the Perspective
The week after our celebration, I started asking my husband about his wins every day. Though he chuckled, knowing what I was trying to do, he joined in. Once you train your mind to see the good, it’s like switching from black and white to technicolor. Suddenly, you find yourself smiling more while feeding calves as you see your future standing right in front of you. A successful herd health check becomes a reason to tell all your employees. Moving cows from the barn to the parlor and spotting an excellent 2-year-old cow becomes a photo opportunity to share with the crew. The lights come on for all the right reasons, and you start building a positive culture that makes owning and working on your farm incredibly fulfilling.
So, I highly suggest giving it a try—start celebrating your wins, big or small. What have been some of your wins this year?
