The Lumen Project

There was a farmer who grew excellent quality corn. Every year he won the award for the best grown corn.

One year a newspaper reporter interviewed him and learned something interesting about how he grew it. The reporter discovered that the farmer shared his seed corn with his neighbors.

“How can you afford to share your best seed corn with your neighbors when they are entering corn in competition with yours each year?” the reporter asked.

“Why sir,” said the farmer, “Didn’t you know? The wind picks up pollen from the ripening corn and swirls it from field to field.

If my neighbors grow inferior corn, cross-pollination will steadily degrade the quality of my corn.

If I am to grow good corn, I must help my neighbors grow good corn.”

So is with our lives... Those who want to live meaningfully and well must help enrich the lives of others, for the value of a life is measured by the lives it touches.

And those who choose to be happy must help others find happiness, for the welfare of each is bound up with the welfare of all.

This sheep dog is covered in his own blood after fighting off wolves protecting his flock, while one of the sheep gently comforts him.

The dog is willing to die for his sheep, and the gesture of the sheep comforting him is all he needs to remain.

The lesson here (for those in the back of the room):

Never take someone for granted who is willing to fight for you or stand by you in your time of need.

Appreciate their efforts, and show them that you are grateful.

See, the sheep recognize that if old boy feels neglected after his efforts and decides it’s time to move on… they’re screwed the next time the big bad wolf comes a knocking.

Remember, it doesn’t take much to make someone feel “seen”, wanted or loved.

A random wink.
A quick smile.
A “good morning/afternoon/night.”
A heart felt “thank you.”

All of these take literally 3 seconds to do.

And for us sheep dogs, recognize that no response is a powerful response in itself.

Some recognize this.

The rest, well they eventually get eaten by wolves.

Do these 5 things after 8 PM and your life will never be the same:

1. REFLECT
2. DISCONNECT
3. PLAN TOMORROW
4. BREATHE
5. READ
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REFLECT - Answer these 3 simple questions:

1. What happened today that I'm grateful for?
2. Which actions moved me towards my goals?
3. Are there any changes I can make to do better tomorrow?

I love these questions because they strike a balance between gratitude and self-improvement.

DISCONNECT - Imagine trying to park a car that's going 70MPH.

That's basically what you're doing when you hammer your brain with work and TikTok videos until the moment you fall asleep.

Leave your phone in the other room.
Let the car slow down.

PLAN FOR TOMORROW - A productive day starts the night before.

The simple act of writing down your 3 biggest to-do list items can create massive momentum for the day ahead as you already know what needs to be done right from the get-go.

BREATHE - You take between 20-30K breaths per day.

Might as well make some of them count.

Try the 4-7-8 technique. Breathe in through your nose for 4 seconds, hold it in for 7 seconds, and then breathe out slowly over 8 seconds.

This is one of the best ways to kill stress (among other benefits) before going to bed.

READ - Reading is the best way I've found to to slow down my mind before bed.

If non-fiction books are too stimulating, try fiction.

This can take some getting used to, but it's one of the best habits you can build.

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