Yesterday, I watched Facing The Giants, a movie about how the coach of a losing high school football team motivated his players to the county championships. In the final scene, they were down 23 to 21, with 2 seconds left to play. To win, they had to kick a 52-yard field goal. The longest field goal the kicker had ever kicked was 39 yards, but the coach put him in anyway, telling him to do his best and leave the results to God. A skeptical assistant coach told the coach he was nuts. The head coach said, "I'm not nuts. I'm preparing for rain."
As a farmer prepares a field for rain, so we prepare our businesses for rain. But like the farmer, we never know for sure when it will rain. We know that it will eventually rain, but will it rain at the right time? Will it rain enough? Will it rain too much? Will it rain when our fields are ready, or will it rain too early or too late? We don't know, and that's why it's important to be prepared.
It will rain. But the rain will make a difference only if the field is prepared. Make sure your product photos are clear, your website is attractive, informative and easy to use, your products are top notch, your shipping routine works well. The field doesn't have to be fancy, but it does have to be ready.
I know you want to know whether the team won, but it doesn't really matter. What matters is that the coach and his players were ready for the rain. They did the best they could and that's all we should expect from them our ourselves. Win or lose, the lesson is still the same. Do your best and leave the results to God. Then either way, you're a winner.
