Once upon a time there was a farmer and his wife who wanted to grow the biggest watermelons in their town. Now they knew how to grow things successfully. Their garden was a good one and adequately fed them. They even grew watermelons, but their watermelons were of average size.
Their desire to succeed at growing the biggest watermelons began one night over dinner when the farmer said to his wife, “Wouldn’t it be great to grow the biggest watermelons in town?”
“Yes,” she replied, “but I don’t know how to grow big watermelons. Do you?”
“No,” he answered. “I guess we’re going to have to have to find out.”
That night, the farmer got online and searched the internet for any information he could find on growing the biggest watermelons. He discovered many things about watermelons that he didn’t know and he got the names of farmers from other towns that had won prizes at the county fair for their watermelons. The next day, the couple went to the town library and did yet more research. The day after that, they talked with some of the farmers that had won prizes at the fair.
When it came time to plant the seeds the farmer and his wife were excited. They were positive they had all the information they needed to succeed in growing the biggest watermelons anyone in town had ever seen. However, when it came time for harvest their watermelons, though much bigger than usual, were not the biggest.
“I don’t understand what we did wrong,” said the farmer.
“I don’t understand either,” said his wife. “We planted the seeds where the conditions were perfect, we fertilized and cared for them exactly like we were supposed to. We’ll have to try again next year. Maybe we’ll have to learn more and do a little experimenting to end up with the biggest watermelons.”
“Maybe we should just bag the whole idea,” said the discouraged farmer. “Our watermelons are big enough.”
“Yeah, they are, but they’re not the biggest. We need to keep trying,” said his wife.
After harvest, the farmer and his wife learned more about soils, fertilizers and watermelons. The next year when it was time to plant, they were again sure their watermelons were going to be the biggest, but even though they were bigger than the year before, they still weren’t the biggest.
Once again the farmer wanted to give up, but his wife reminded him that the melons were bigger than the year before. She knew they had to keep trying as long as each year was more successful than the previous year.
Every year for five years in a row the farmer and his wife tried. As word spread around town about this farmer and his wife who were trying to grow the biggest watermelons, the townspeople would visit the farm at harvest time and shake their heads sadly at the farmer’s failure. However, the farmer and his wife refused to give up. They kept expanding their knowledge and experimenting and little by little each year their melons kept growing a little bigger.
During the growing season in the sixth year, the farmer noticed one melon that stood out from the rest. It was bigger than all the other melons in the field. Every day, the farmer and his wife would go out to check on the field and particularly that one melon that was bigger than the rest and every day they grew more excited. Maybe this was going to be the year their dream of growing the biggest watermelon would be realized.
When it came harvest time and the townspeople showed up to check out the farmer’s melons, they were awed by that one enormous watermelon. That is, all but one old guy who said, “I knew a guy that grew a bigger melon than that,” he said. “It was some years ago, but you can check the old newspapers and I’m sure you’ll find the report. It was big news back then.”
That night over dinner, the farmer’s wife, thinking that the farmer would be discouraged, said, “You know, our watermelon is the biggest in town this year and that was our goal. Maybe we should be satisfied.”
The farmer smiled. “I can’t believe you’re saying that after every year prodding me to keep going. I think that we should keep going so some old codger can’t come along and announce that we failed to have the biggest watermelon in town. Let’s go for a record.”
The very next day, the farmer and his wife went into town to search newspaper archives. How big was that record melon? What was the record they needed to beat? As it happened, that record melon wasn’t much bigger than the one they had grown that year. It was only 6 ounces heavier and an inch or so bigger in diameter.
The following planting season, the farmer and his wife planted all the seed they had harvested from their prize melon. As usual, they carefully tended their field and inspected it every day until it was time for harvest.
This year the townspeople didn’t visit the farm thinking that the farmer and his wife had already achieved their goal of having the biggest watermelon in town. The couple had not shared with them that the new goal was to break the record and have the biggest watermelon in the history of the town.
Before the couple began harvesting their field of enormous watermelons, they visited the biggest of them first. Each melon was weighed and measured until they found it; the prize they dreamed about, the one record beating melon. They carefully loaded the melon into their truck and drove to town where the melon was again weighed and measured. When the word spread, a reporter from the local newspaper showed up and took a picture of the melon and interviewed the couple.
“This is an amazing watermelon,” said the reporter. “How did you do it?”
The farmer and his wife exchanged knowing glances and smiled. “It was easy.” said the farmer. “It just took time, patience and knowledge.”
“Yeah,” said the farmer’s wife, “anyone can do it. They just can’t ever give up.”
“You gonna’ enter your watermelon in the fair?” asked one of the townspeople.
The farmer looked at his wife and smiled. “Yeah, but it won’t be this melon. This one isn’t quite big enough. Next year maybe,” he said
Whether in business or your personal life, success will contain the same elements as this story. There will always be a price to pay if you want to realize your dreams. You may need to acquire the necessary knowledge (how much knowledge will depend on your dream). You will need to devote the necessary time and effort. And you must never give up.
The big question for you is this: Are you willing to pay the price to realize your dreams? If you don’t know the answer to this question, I suggest you sit down and write down the areas in your life in which you want to be successful. Next, look at the price you’ll need to pay to achieve that success and the rewards you’ll gain. Then honestly answer the question. Am I willing to pay the price?
If you’re willing to pay the price, you will reap the rewards. You will succeed.
Be sure and read the post “Why We Fail”
Now tell us how you’ve succeeded in achieving one of your dreams.
