It’s alright if things never turn out the way you expect it too

It’s perfectly natural for all of us to nurse a dreamy picture in our heads BEFORE we commit ourselves to a life changing event. Doesn’t matter what it is – a career change, home renovation, moving to a new country, starting a new job, getting hitched with that special person, starting an enterprise, raising kids or just baking a cake.

But let’s face it….it never ever turns out 100%. Most of the time it’s 70%. Or maybe 50%……and at times it can even be less than 50%. But that doesn’t mean that it’s all bad. It just means that perfect picture of how things are going to turn out in our head wasn’t a very realistic expectation….that all it means.

Some people just can’t come to terms with that idea of not being able to score a perfect 10. They see anything less as a sure sign of failure. As a consequence they fall into the gyre of beating themselves up with endless regrets of I should have done this or that till they finally end up exhausted only to throw in the towel.

But life is never like that I reckon. Never.

There is nothing wrong with getting it right 50%….it’s not a big deal….it’s not a problem. That just how things really are. The problem as I see it – is not that there are problems. The problem is thinking that when one encounters problems it’s a problem.

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‘2014 has been an especially hard year for me. It’s one of those years where it’s not unusual for me to suddenly stop everything that I am doing in the field only to ask, ‘why did I even get into farming in the first place?’ It’s tough when all that mother nature seems to do is to throw out curve balls all the time. So many twist and turns and endless intrigues that it’s almost impossible to call the right shots.

In the beginning of the year I was convinced the specter of a prolonged drought was in the cards. After all when super conservative weather boffins start using terms like ‘monster’ El Niño – what am I supposed to think. So I spent a lot of time, resources and money preparing for the worse. As it turned out nothing happened!

All in all, I made 7 right calls out of 10 I reckon for 2014 – 70%. But it’s all relative. In 2013, I called a perfect 10 out of 10. Nonetheless 70% is not a bad innings. Not at all. I can live with that.

As for all the hard work that went into preparing for the epic no show El Niño. I wouldn’t say it was all completely wasted. Granted. It may all look like a great disquisition on nothingness. But when one dedicates time and effort to understand a thing from the inside out – it’s never wasted. At least the effort endures. I can for example tell you things about this weather phenomenon that you probably know so little about – could probably even give a stand up lecture in some tin pot school of meteorology on the subject without coming across as an idiot – can probably even walk around any plantation and tell the landowner this or that needs to be done here and there if they want to get to the other side safely.

My point is that’s really how life is – it never turns out 100% like the movies. It’s either 60% or 70%. Your nose is either too lumpy, stubby or just plain flat….your eyes slitty or shifty….our bodies either too short, fat or just pear shaped. But either way, we make the best out of what we have. We all dedicate ourselves to be the very best that we can.

As for that no show El Niño – well one day she will curl her hands like a cat and come my way like a siaow charbor. If it’s not this year….it may well be the next. But one thing is for sure, when that day comes I will be 100% ready.

Nothing is ever wasted in the land of never been able to get that perfect 10!’