There is a lesson
story that has been shared many times.
It starts out with a farmer that needs help around his farm. He finally hires a helper that says in his
interview – “I can sleep through a storm”. Now the farmer must have smiled with a smirk to
himself with a thought of “how nice” and hired the farm helper.
Time moves along
and the farmer is satisfied with the routine work of the new farm helper.
Then one night
unexpectedly a strong windstorm blew through the farm. The farmer wakes up in a panic. He quickly goes to the farm helper, who is asleep, to have him help to secure the farm. The farm helper does not wake up. The farmer then madly
runs to the barn, the chicken coup and all of the structures on the farm to secure
them himself.
Yet when he goes
to the barn he finds the animals securely safe inside the barn. At every place the farmer would run he
found the building securely “hunkered down”.
The farmer then
realized what the farm helper had said when he applied for the job –
“I can
sleep through a storm.”
Now it is easy to
look at the traditional moral of the story – Be the Farm Helper and make sure
your family, home, business and self are prepared for the storms of life.
I want to
turn the story around and look at the farmer
Let the Good
Times Roll
This farmer had a
business where he could hire an employee.
He was busy managing the farm. He
trusted the employee to handle the day-to-day activities. The farmer had fallen into the pattern of “All
is Well” with the business. The good
times were rolling, and he was happy.
Suddenly a
Storm Arrives
Now the farmer is
tested. He awakes in a panic. He realizes that he had not been checking on
important facets of his business. He
rushes to his employee to find the employee was on his day off.
Panic
In a panic he
rushes to each of the critical areas of his business – the barns. He is sure he needs to get them prepared while
in the middle of the storm.
Unbelievable
Luck
What does he
find? Every part of the business [all of
the barns] are safely secured thanks to his farm helper.
Moral of the
Farmer’s Story – What If?
What if the
trusted employee had not secured the barns?
What if at every
part of the business the farmer found was in disarray?
Can the farmer say
- “I can Sleep through a Storm”?
The Hidden
Morale of the Story – Be Prepared Yourself Don't Depend on Others
As a business
owner or the family member of the home, which is a really a business as well,
do you know what really is prepared for a storm of life. It is easy to trust others are doing their
part but are you sure.
Questions –
Do you depend on
your employees to have the business prepared for a storm of life?
Do you depend on
your wife/husband or children to have the home prepared for a storm of life?
When operating a
business and/or operating a home it is important to know every facet is
secure YOURSELF. A team approach to preparedness
is important. The team needs to know
also what other team members are doing and if they have securely done their
job. All need to know they are prepared for a storm of life.
Then you
can say - “I can Sleep
Through a Storm”
