No Such Thing as a ‘Small Fish’

I listen to podcasts. Mostly agriculture related, and one I’ve enjoyed is one which showcases women in agriculture.

Since we’re currently waiting out a break down, and the weather is preventing much outside work, I’ve been able to use the time to catch up on my listening while I putter around the house while also playing catch up on much needed cleaning, laundry, dishes…you know how it goes. Its great to to use this time to listen to other people’s stories and actually be able to think and pay full attention to their conversations. It not only takes my mind off of the tedious task at hand, it also prevents it from worrying about the thousand other things I can’t get done due to the aforementioned breakdown and weather.

As I listen to the back and forth of the interviewer and their guest, there are three points that often stick in my thoughts.

1 – “I can’t believe the amount of passion this person has and how freely they can share it”

2 – “I’m such a small fish compared to this person”

3 – “STOP COMPARING – THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS SMALL FISH! You are a part of this community, how amazing is that?!”

Answer – SO AMAZINGLY AMAZING (too many amazings? No such thing!)

I draw so much inspiration from many different people, but women in agriculture are definitely at the top of the list. Why? Because we have the same shoes, the same hats, but they’re all at different stages of wear. We’ve walked the same path, weathered the same storms, but never the stepped the same steps or got soaked in the same downpour. So much the same, yet not at all comparable.

I listen to their words and sometimes hear my own voice, reliving a story in my own life or knowing that could be me in the not so distant future. I can hear the emotion as they recount the lessons they’ve learned and I often wonder “do they know they are also teaching them at the same time?”

And again the thought “I’m so small fish” flickers through my head.

We all think it at one point or another. Discounting what we bring to the world when we should be embracing it, because here’s the thing – We all have something to offer each other. Words of advice, a shoulder to lean on, someone to laugh with. And whats “small fish” about that?

When we get to partake in conversations, whether one on one, or a panel or a professional interview, we’re participating in something bigger and contributing in a way that only we, as a person, can. There is nothing “small fish” about that.

The biggest lesson I take from listening to these interviews, and one I hope we all learn to do at some stage no matter what we do in our lives -whether it’s farming, family business, and don’t get me started on motherhood – is STOP COMPARING.

What makes us different is what makes us what makes us special. We aren’t comparable, even though we have commonalities. We all offer something unique, even though we have the similar values. We all fit in somewhere, even if its not where we think we should. We all have something to learn. We are all individual.

 

Small fish live in big ponds and come together to create a force to be reckoned with.

Stop comparing, and embrace what makes you,

You.