In the Bible, we read that the fruit of the Spirit is “love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.”  (Gal 5:22-23).  Whether you are a Christian or not, I believe we can all agree that these are the products of a life well lived.  Let’s look at that list again.  Above all, love, of your fellow man.  Joy, true happiness.  Peace, not war, hate or violence. Forbearance, tolerance.  Kindness, shown toward those who cannot fend for themselves. Goodness, toward all. Faithfulness, which is a belief in yourself, in each other and in a higher purpose.  Gentleness instead of hostility. Finally, use self-control over your words and actions.

Christian author Larry Osborne recently said that “Life is about the fruit, not the watering schedule”.  I love that idea.  Too often we get wrapped up in the how, when and what we are doing, instead of thinking about what types of fruits we are producing.

Fruits are the “why” of our lives. To borrow from Simon Sinek, it’s why we exist. If you are a leader, it’s why you are in that role.  If you own a business, it’s the real purpose of your organization. Therefore, every business leader should know their why, the fruits of their efforts.

Unfortunately, many entrepreneurs and business leaders don’t understand this.  They think they exist to make widgets. Whatever their widget is, their purpose is to build it faster, better or cheaper. But in their mind, they really just exist to produce their widget. As a result, they never think about their fruit.

Finding your why is about discovering your fruits

I had an experience like this several years ago. I worked with a company that installed audio/video equipment.  I asked some of the team what their purpose was. They said it was to install equipment to meet their customer’s needs. They did not see themselves in anything more than a transactional role.  They were essentially no different than the clerk at Walmart taking your payment at checkout.  Therefore, we worked through this exercise and explored what their true purpose was.  At the end of the day, they realized their purpose was to help people communicate more effectively.  Isn’t that cool?  They realized that they weren’t just pulling cable and mounting projectors, but enhancing the lives of those they serve by improving their ability to communicate with each other.  That’s rich!  That’s their why!  Now that is a fruit-producing attitude.

Read more about my why.

Pulling cable, mounting projectors, making widgets…  that’s watering schedule stuff.  That’s the means to the end.  Yes, you have to water to produce the fruit.  But there are many ways to water.  There are many ways you can walk through this life and accomplish your goals and dreams.  But the important thing is to stay focused on your dreams.

Do you find yourself too engrossed in the watering schedule and losing track of the fruit producing aspect of why you do what you do?  I love to help people like you get back on track. Consequently, I became a business coach to help business leaders like you (my fruit). We’ll assess your career and business and get you on the path to producing fruit.  Check out my business coaching website for more info and free stuff.