Tuesday, May 5, 2009

Just Grab It!

I recently had the opportunity to hear Craig and Patsy Kent share their experiences of serving as missionaries in a rural farming community of Kenya for the past 7 years. They shared a story of how they were providing training and coaching to the chicken farmers of the area. Many of the farmers were loosing up to 50% of their flock each year. Their tradition was to allow the chickens to roam free thereby allowing the chickens to be subject to all types of harm. At first, Craig and Patsy simply shared with the farmers the need to house their livestock and to treat them for disease. These suggestions would significantly increase the farmer's potential earnings. But, no one came forward for help. It was not their tradition and many believed illness and tragedy occurred due to superstition. So, Craig and Patsy created a chicken coop for their own farm and treated their chickens for disease. Over time, the farmers noticed the Kent's were having great fortune with their livestock. The farmers began to change.

Why is it we have such a hard time letting go- even when the data and facts show it's the best path forward? Like it or not, change is difficult for most of us especially in areas where we have a depth of experience and history. If you're personally going through change, set a personal goal to "grab on" to the future. Celebrate incremental wins.. and take every opportunity to share your success. Other's will see your courage and model your behavior. Then, share your success story and the benefits of change again and again... Encourage others to follow! Success is yours. Have the courage to let go and "just grab it'!

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