Staying Connected In A Rural Setting

The inspiration to write about being social came in two forms. One, through my own ideas, even though it isn't a strong suite of mine. Secondly, through my cousin who also isn't strong in this area. It is something we talk about together frequently, and recognize as very important for those in the agriculture community, but we are living examples that it is much easier said than done. I want to talk about why this topic is important and how you can help yourself in this area of agriculture. This is a good reminder for myself, that really I have no excuse.

Ranching For More Than Yourself

First and foremost, the agriculture lifestyle is a God given gift to those of us who get to be involved in it. Not everyone is cut out to be in agriculture and that is a good thing. God has allowed us to live a lifestyle we absolutely love. This often includes living farther away from others, interacting less with others on a daily basis and our focus not really being on other people. This is all understandable when you're taking care of lots of animals, and your focus is on them and your business. But in all of this, we tend to forget my first point. Simply that God has allowed this for us. For my family, as believers, we desire to steward these gifts well. God's heart is for his people whom he loves. This means that we as followers of Christ should also have a heart first and foremost for God and His people. It isn't hard to see that in the agriculture lifestyle their is a certain feeling of comradery and community, even though we are typically not as involved with each other socially. This is unique, and gives us the platform to be able to encourage each other spiritually. God created humans for community, our focus therefore should be towards others. Additionally, we have a beautiful life in agriculture that we have the opportunity to share with those who don't.

People Are Support

Ranching (and agriculture in general) is very rewarding. However, it can be equally draining at times. With all the successes and failures come a roller coaster of emotions that can be trying. Purposely surrounding yourself with people who are going to be able to lift you up and encourage you in the downtimes is irreplaceable. Having those support people to celebrate with in your success is equally important. As I stated previously, when our focus is so inward on ourselves, we can't see outside of that. This important factor is what can lead to things like depression, hopelessness and burnout. Having people to talk with, be open with and lean on helps all of this. If we don't allow this in our lives, it is really just worse off for us. Additionally, how can someone know how to support us if we are constantly feigning perfection. That habit isn't realistic for the longevity of your health and your business.

People Are Education

Lets face it, we are all learning, everyday. We should be! It is good for our brains, our moral, and our operations. Pride cannot be something we let get in the way of learning new things, improving ourselves and our operations. Having a good circle of friends, old and young, allows for a wealth of potential knowledge and opportunities. If you take any sort of management business course in college, they will talk about having diversity in teams and how it is helpful to have a team of people with varying expertise. Look at your ranching operation as a team effort. If it's just you, your operation can only be as successful as your knowledge extends. When you add others opinions and advice, you have options you can try. When you get advice from older people, with various expertise, you have years of experience to learn from. It is never a bad idea to listen to advice of another person. It doesn't mean you have to implement everything, but it grows your base of knowledge.

How To Implement Connection

This is the part that is easier said than done. We have discussed why it is important to stay connected to one another, so you have no excuse (me neither). The amount of commitment you put into this will effect what you get out of it. My first tip is, to go to church. Honestly, something so simple can be life changing. My husband and I go to a fantastic church that has established the importance of community and supporting one another. While not all churches do this well, you can also be the start of a good movement in your own church. Seek others out, to encourage and to be involved in their lives. In American culture, we usually don't ask others to do this for us, but we need it. Secondly, I would recommend allowing yourself to be involved locally. What I mean by this is that often our small towns and communities have events. Keep an eye out for one, and support your local community by going. Invite a friend or two to help make it more comfortable, but be willing to go outside your comfort zone. Community events, and networking through the opportunities already available to you are great ways to meet new people and make friends. Going further with social connection requires more work and commitment on your part. You can set aside time to go to town and have coffee with someone, or take a day to help a neighbor with a project. Things like that require a lot of effort on your part, especially if you live far from town. However, in my opinion, you will have projects your whole life, and projects don't fulfill you. Social interaction, encouragement and involvement is what is good for us. Personally, I don't think you can use an excuse of being an introvert vs. an extrovert to get out of any of this. Having a healthy focus is what matters. You can balance your social interactions and still have a correct focus.

I want to conclude with this awesome quote by Hellen Keller that says "Alone we can do so little, together we can do so much." This is spot on. We need community, we people and we need connection. It's a fundamentally healthy idea that we in the American culture tend to dismiss. I would challenge readers to not let being connected to others, become a negative idea. Slightly changing your focus can change your life.