Episode #236 Produce Where You're Planted

🎙️ Produce Where You’re Planted (Podcast Mini-Talk – 5 minutes) Let me ask you something: Have you ever killed a houseplant? If you’re like most people I speak to, you probably have. When I ask this in group settings, about 90% of the room raises their hand. So I always ask the follow-up: Why? And the answers come flying in: “Too much water.” “Not enough sunlight.” “I forgot about it.” “I wasn’t consistent.” Or my favorite… “I didn’t talk to it.” Houseplants are surprisingly high-maintenance. I’ve been a serial houseplant killer myself. But now let me flip it on you. Have you ever heard of the difference between sweet corn and field corn? If you’re not from the Midwest, maybe not. Here’s the deal: Sweet corn? That’s the stuff you eat off the cob at a BBQ. But get this—only 1% of corn grown in the U.S. is sweet corn. The other 99% is something called field corn—and it’s a workhorse. It feeds livestock. Fuels your car. Turns into syrups, oils, and starches. Field corn isn’t picky. It doesn’t need perfect weather. It grows in rough soil, tough conditions, and with very little praise. It just produces. Year after year. Thirteen billion bushels. $23.5 billion in economic impact. And it keeps going—even when it’s dry, dark, or difficult. So let me ask you a gut-check question: 👉 Are you a houseplant… or are you field corn? Houseplants need ideal conditions to thrive. They need compliments. Consistency. The right environment. But field corn? Field corn wakes up and produces no matter the weather. No excuses. No special treatment. Just grit. We all love encouragement. I do too. Mark Twain once said, “I can live for two months on a good compliment.” And it’s true—praise feels good. But if your purpose is rooted in vision, not validation, you’ll go farther. A clear, strong vision allows you to produce where you’re planted—even when things aren’t perfect. So here’s your challenge: 🎯 What’s one area of your life where you’ve been waiting for ideal conditions? Waiting for approval… recognition… a “perfect” time? Instead of waiting—produce anyway. Today. Where you are. With what you have. You don’t need a greenhouse. You need grit, vision, and the willingness to show up—every single day. 🗣️ I’d love to hear from you: What’s one way you can produce this week, right where you are? Drop me a DM or tag me with your “field corn moment.” Let’s build a movement of people who grow, regardless of circumstance. You don’t need perfect conditions to be great. You just need Pure. Unadulterated. Guts.