Farming Hearts and Minds

The environment around you regardless of where you are is your field of influence. A field that includes the hearts and minds of other people that enter in, pass through and generally any one that you encounter through out your life. It is a field that you impact by your actions and words.

As a farmer plants seeds and tends to the field, you also have responsibility for the seeds you plant in the hearts and minds of others. You can tend to them over time and watch those people grow and move to greatness. Or you can ignore them and watch them wither. These interactions go on everyday both to you and by you.

You may be 'planting' seeds within the fields of your influence, but others are doing the same as you enter theirs. When two mindful farmers enter each others environment, a wonderful thing happens to both people. The metaphor for tending a field of influence can be difficult to follow in its concept, but the more you think about it, clarity will come to your understanding.

The basic premise for me when it comes to 'farming' your field of influence is this. Do not leave people where you find them. Help them, nurture them and bring them to a higher place. Leave them with hope and understanding that life has much to offer them.

The 'harvest' of a well tended field will yield much to you. Your life will be enriched for the experience and be more bountiful in its rewards. In all that you do, leave that which you enter better then when you found it. Leave the heart and mind of others in a better place.

Look At Life From A Different View

Everyone have a great day today and also tomorrow. I'll write again soon about how each of us has a field that we tend to. Where that field exists and how we sow into that field and take care of it. Of course it is a metaphor for life and how you can live it.

“If you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change.” - Wayne Dyer

Your Field

Recently I listened to a speaker talk about your sphere of influence. That area or impact that you can have on those that enter or pass through your life. Taken in its simplest form, as you go about life, your family, friends, co-workers, people at the store you shop in, where you buy your gas, church and everything you do.

During these moments of interaction when you speak, the way you conduct yourself and the way you respond is a chance to impact another life. If you think about it, everywhere you go you create a sphere of influence. As the saying goes, "wherever you go, there you are" and so is your ability to impact people.

What all of this means is that your influence and ability to impact people moves with you. In example, I will be leaving on a business trip to India in the near future. Many would say to me that I'll be out of my comfort zone, out of my environment. But my environment is all around me where ever I go. I carry my own environment and people I come across are coming into my field as it is called.

A field you may wonder? I'll talk more about that next time I write. Just know that as you move about in your daily life, that where ever you go, you can have impact on others. Try not to lose any opportunity to engage and create change.

Perception Or Reality

Perception isn't always reality in certain things. I had reason to wonder why a professional football team called the Detroit Lions were taking heat for playing on the American holiday of Thanksgiving. Many have said this team always loses and shouldn't play on this day for they are not a very good team.

So I thought to see if perception is the reality. In 68 games that Detroit has played on Thanskgiving Day, they have a won/loss record of 35 - 33. This includes losses in 1925 and 1926 when there was a Detroit team called the Detroit Panthers. Better then even in winning games isn't all that bad.

But it does show that our first impressions or what we perceive on the surface is not always correct. We need to look a bit deeper to find the truth and reality of what we see. This goes for things we hear, things we see and people we meet. Learn to find out more and see what the reality is beneath the perceived, you will grow richer inside for it.

Now the scores for you football purists - for others, Happy Thanksgiving and enjoy time with family and friends.

Nov. 26, 1925 Rock Island Independents 6, DETROIT PANTHERS 3
Nov. 25, 1926 Los Angeles Buccaneers 9, DETROIT PANTHERS 6
Nov. 29, 1934 Chicago Bears 19, DETROIT LIONS 16
Nov. 28, 1935 DETROIT LIONS 14, Chicago Bears 2
Nov. 26, 1936 DETROIT LIONS 13, Chicago Bears 7
Nov. 25, 1937 Chicago Bears 13, DETROIT LIONS 0
Nov. 24, 1938 DETROIT LIONS 14, Chicago Bears 7
Nov. 22, 1945 Cleveland Rams 28, DETROIT LIONS 21
Nov. 28, 1946 Boston Yanks 34, DETROIT LIONS 10
Nov. 27, 1947 Chicago Bears 34, DETROIT LIONS 14
Nov. 25, 1948 Chicago Cardinals 28, DETROIT LIONS 14
Nov. 24, 1949 Chicago Bears 28, DETROIT LIONS 7
Nov. 23, 1950 DETROIT LIONS 49, New York Yanks 14
Nov. 22, 1951 DETROIT LIONS 52, Green Bay Packers 35
Nov. 27, 1952 DETROIT LIONS 48, Green Bay Packers 24
Nov. 26, 1953 DETROIT LIONS 34, Green Bay Packers 15
Nov. 25, 1954 DETROIT LIONS 28, Green Bay Packers 24
Nov. 24, 1955 DETROIT LIONS 24, Green Bay Packers 10
Nov. 22, 1956 Green Bay Packers 24, DETROIT LIONS 20
Nov. 28, 1957 DETROIT LIONS 18, Green Bay Packers 6
Nov. 27, 1958 DETROIT LIONS 24, Green Bay Packers 14
Nov. 26, 1959 Green Bay Packers 24, DETROIT LIONS 17
Nov. 24, 1960 DETROIT LIONS 23, Green Bay Packers 10
Nov. 23, 1961 Green Bay Packers 17, DETROIT LIONS 9
Nov. 22, 1962 DETROIT LIONS 26, Green Bay Packers 14
Nov. 28, 1963 DETROIT LIONS 13, Green Bay Packers 13
Nov. 26, 1964 Chicago Bears 27, DETROIT LIONS 24
Nov. 25, 1965 DETROIT LIONS 24, Baltimore Colts 24
Nov. 24, 1966 San Francisco 49ers 41, DETROIT LIONS 14
Nov. 23, 1967 Los Angeles Rams 31, DETROIT LIONS 7
Nov. 28, 1968 Philadelphia Eagles 12, DETROIT LIONS 0
Nov. 27, 1969 Minnesota Vikings 27, DETROIT LIONS 0
Nov. 26, 1970 DETROIT LIONS 28, Oakland Raiders 14
Nov. 25, 1971 DETROIT LIONS 32, Kansas City Chiefs 21
Nov. 23, 1972 DETROIT LIONS 37, New York Jets 20
Nov. 22, 1973 Washington Redskins 20, DETROIT LIONS 0
Nov. 28, 1974 Denver Broncos 31, DETROIT LIONS 27
Nov. 27, 1975 Los Angeles Rams 20, DETROIT LIONS 0
Nov. 25, 1976 DETROIT LIONS 27, Buffalo Bills 14
Nov. 24, 1977 Chicago Bears 31, DETROIT LIONS 14
Nov. 23, 1978 DETROIT LIONS 17, Denver Broncos 14
Nov. 22, 1979 DETROIT LIONS 20, Chicago Bears 0
Nov. 27, 1980 Chicago Bears 23, DETROIT LIONS 17 (OT)
Nov. 26, 1981 DETROIT LIONS 27, Kansas City Chiefs 10
Nov. 25, 1982 New York Giants 13, DETROIT LIONS 6
Nov. 24, 1983 DETROIT LIONS 45, Pittsburgh Steelers 3
Nov. 22, 1984 DETROIT LIONS 31, Green Bay Packers 28
Nov. 28, 1985 DETROIT LIONS 31, New York Jets 20
Nov. 27, 1986 Green Bay Packers 44, DETROIT LIONS 40
Nov. 26, 1987 Kansas City Chiefs 27, DETROIT LIONS 20
Nov. 24, 1988 Minnesota Vikings 23, DETROIT LIONS 0
Nov. 23, 1989 DETROIT LIONS 13, Cleveland Browns 10
Nov. 22, 1990 DETROIT LIONS 40, Denver Broncos 27
Nov. 28, 1991 DETROIT LIONS 16, Chicago Bears 6
Nov. 26, 1992 Houston Oilers 24, DETROIT LIONS 21
Nov. 25, 1993 Chicago Bears 10, DETROIT LIONS 6
Nov. 24, 1994 DETROIT LIONS 35, Buffalo Bills 21
Nov. 23, 1995 DETROIT LIONS 44, Minnesota Vikings 38
Nov. 28, 1996 Kansas City Chiefs 28, DETROIT LIONS 24
Nov. 27, 1997 DETROIT LIONS 55, Chicago Bears 20
Nov. 26, 1998 DETROIT LIONS 19, Pittsburgh Steelers 16 (OT)
Nov. 25, 1999 DETROIT LIONS 21, Chicago Bears 17
Nov. 23, 2000 DETROIT LIONS 34, New England Patriots 9
Nov. 22, 2001 Green Bay Packers 29, DETROIT LIONS 27
Nov. 28, 2002 New England Patriots 20, DETROIT LIONS 12
Nov. 27, 2003 DETROIT LIONS 22, Green Bay Packers 14
Nov. 25, 2004 Indianapolis Colts 41, DETROIT LIONS 9
Nov. 24, 2005 Atlanta Falcons 27, DETROIT LIONS 7