Reaping Your Harvest

I love this time of year. The leaves change color. The smell of cinnamon is everywhere. Pumpkin and sweet potato pies are available at your fingertips. It’s harvest time. It’s reaping season. Everything you sowed all year, you can reap that harvest. The question is, “what have you sown?” Have you sown discord or love? Have you sown chaos or order? What does your harvest look like? Is it bountiful and plenty? Tis the season to reap your harvest.

ROI

ROI measures the amount of return on an investment, relative to the investment’s cost. To calculate ROI, the benefit (or return) of an investment is divided by the cost of the investment. The result is expressed as a percentage or a ratio.

"So, what's in it for me?" Most people want to know if they give you something how it will benefit them. ROI is easy to calculate when you are talking about tangible investments. What about time? What about emotions? What about expectations? When we invest in people, we don't always see immediate results. We don't always reap the benefits of everything we sow into people's lives. It's ok. Life has a funny way of bringing things full circle. Continue to live. Continue to grow. Continue to sow.

Habits

A habit is a behavioral pattern acquired by repetition. It is your morning routine, and your nightly rituals. We all have something we do consistently, good or bad. Some of us are gym rats, while others of us are couch potatoes. Some of us are avid Starbucks drinkers, while others can't live out their Coke. My father-in-law does a self assessment every couple of years based on The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Steven R. Covey.  Even in his retirement, he wants to make sure he is being effective. I can admit that I have a lot of bad habits, and I am making a genuine effort to be more deliberate and effective with my thoughts, resources, and actions. What do you habitually do? Do these habits help or hinder you? Are your habits effective? Below are The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People and The 8th Habit which helps you transition from effectiveness to greatness:

Habit 1: Be Proactive
Habit 2: Begin with the End in Mind
Habit 3: Put First Things First
Habit 4: Think Win/Win
Habit 5: Seek First to Understand, Then to Be Understood
Habit 6: Synergize
Habit 7: Sharpen the Saw

The 8th Habit: Find your voice and inspire others to find theirs

“Sow a thought, reap an action; sow an action, reap a habit; sow a habit, reap a character; sow a character, reap a destiny.”- Steven R. Covey