Connecting The Dots of Healthcare

My friend John has a great garden. This summer he’s had a bumper crop of corn and squash and generously shared them with my family. But what is really remarkable about his “garden,” (it’s way bigger than 99% of most “gardens,” to me its more like a small farm), is that he plants it with the aid of horses and a plow.

Camden, is in the heart of horse country in South Carolina. Home to the National Steeplechase Museum and both the Carolina and Colonial Cup Races. In the winter, Camden trains horses that run on northern tracks in the summer months. So we’ve got plenty of horses to go around. John grew up on a working farm, and now as a hobby, plants this huge garden, and uses an old fashioned plow behind big working horses.

He told me the secret to success with a horse and a plow.

“Don’t look behind you to make sure you’re plowing straight. As soon as you look over your shoulder, you’ll go crooked.”

Isn’t that the way it is about life and business as well?

When we take our eye off the goals in front of us, when we second guess ourselves and look back to say “If only!” we start plowing crooked. We might not be plowing the straightest rows despite looking forward, but when we look backwards we will plow even less straight.

Hindsight is a great teacher, but we should only look backwards when we come to the end of the furrow, before turning back and trying again, when we have the luxury of self-inspection when we are momentarily not actively doing our job.

John also told me if you plow with horses, there’s also another really good reason to keep your eyes toward the front. You’ll avoid stepping into horse… exhaust!