This summer, mowing has been anything but simple. Every time I fire up the mower, it feels like I’m stepping into a new challenge. What should’ve been routine has turned into a series of “adventures” I didn’t ask for, each one costing me time, money, and a good amount of frustration. It started with the barn windows—two of them shattered during separate mowing sessions. Then came the rock that cracked the back windshield of the car. Not a cheap fix. Another day, I managed to lodge a golf ball size rock into the side of the RV, and to top it all off, I’ve taken out the bottom strand of the fence line—three different times! Each incident forced me to stop, repair, and try again. And of course, just this week, I found an old hay net in the horse pasture (mowing high weeds) that tangle up not only in the blade, but also the back wheel axel, which led to an hour-long struggle just to get the mower functional again (deck removal and all). With each of these setbacks, it would’ve been easy to throw in the towel, walk away, and blame the equipment, the terrain, or even the bad luck of mowing a space that’s transitioning from clay / construction zone around the barn to a grassy area. But time has taught me (and a wonderful book I’ll share below) that’s not how to handle things. Here’s the secret I’ve learned: Perseverance. Let me explain. Where many people might quit, I keep going. Where others might point fingers at bad luck or faulty tools, I look inward and take responsibility for the mess (I should have taken better care of the tools or purchased more reliable ones). I’ve realized that this mindset is what separates success from failure—not just on the farm, but in life. A lot of this comes from a book I read years ago, but recently re-read, and now was it’s time. The book, Extreme Ownership (Link Here) by Jocko Willink. He’s a former Navy Seal who teaches an idea that is simple but powerful: take complete ownership of every situation, even when things go wrong. On the farm, I could easily blame the land, the equipment, or the weather, but instead, I ask myself what I can do better next time. Not leave hay netting to get run over? Check the weather forecast and plan accordingly? Point my mower deck away from the barn knowing this area has a lot of rocks? This approach has helped me keep pushing forward, even when the repairs seem endless. For example, after the third time I broke the fence line, I didn’t just patch it up and move on. I raised the fence lines a couple inches allowing the fence to ride above the deck. Extreme Ownership teaches that by taking full responsibility for everything within your control, you stop blaming circumstances and start focusing on solutions. On the farm, when things go wrong, I use this mindset to keep moving forward, and it’s a lesson that can benefit anyone facing unexpected challenges by helping them take charge and create positive outcomes. So, while these past few months have been full of unexpected challenges, they’ve also been a reminder that persistence pays off and owning MY mistakes leads to solutions. Plans will get derailed, things will break, but how we respond to those challenges defines the outcome. Thanks for following. I’ll leave you with the immortal words of the great philosopher, Joe Dirt. See ya next week!
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I’ll Bet You’ve Been Here Before (and the Secret I’ve Learned to Deal With It)
