Finding Joy Beyond the Hustle
Sometimes the hardest work isn’t in the field or at the desk. It’s figuring out how to live well while running a business and managing life’s demands. This week in the Mastermind, Jonathon asked our members a simple but challenging question: What truly brings you joy? Not what makes money or looks impressive, but what lights you up, makes you feel alive, and reminds you why you do all of this.
Why This Matters
In agriculture, it’s easy to get caught up in the next crop, the next loan, the next season. The work never really stops, and sometimes it’s easy to lose sight of why we’re doing it in the first place. This week, we wanted to take a deeper look at that “why.” What’s it all for?
For Jonathon and Holly, that question was the beginning of Empire Ag. They didn’t start it just because they wanted to build a business; they started it because they wanted to build a life that made sense for their family. They wanted the freedom to show up for their kids, to be there for the cheer competitions, pep rallies, and award assemblies without having to ask for time off. And they wanted to create a community where producers didn’t have to feel so alone, where people could find real support and connection through the ups and downs of this industry.
Their story reminds us that joy doesn’t always come from work. It comes from the little moments — being present for family, building meaningful relationships, and finding purpose in ways that matter most to you.
A Reflection Exercise
This week, our some of our Mastermind members shared their answers, and it was powerful to see the variety of what brings people joy: time with family, working with their hands, coaching kids, quiet mornings on the land, or a well-earned laugh at the end of a long day.
We encouraged them, and now we encourage you, to take a moment and reflect on your own answers. Think about what brings you joy outside of work. Not your paycheck, not the size of your operation, not material things. What makes your heart full? What reminds you that life is bigger than the daily grind?
Why It’s Worth Your Attention
Taking time to recognize joy isn’t selfish; it’s essential. It fuels your energy, strengthens your relationships, and even helps you handle the hard parts of life and business. When we know what we value and what lights us up, we can design our lives and our operations in a way that supports both success and happiness.
Too often, we push joy to the back burner, thinking it’s something we’ll get to “once things slow down.” But in agriculture, things rarely do. There’s always another season, another project, another fire to put out. That’s why it’s so important to create space for joy now, right in the middle of the busy. Because those moments, whether it’s laughing with your kids in the truck, watching a sunset over the pasture, or sitting down for supper after a long day, are the ones that remind us why we do all of this in the first place.
Start Small
You don’t need a grand plan. Pick one thing this week that brings you joy and lean into it. Call it your “pep rally moment,” like Holly would say. Celebrate it, savor it, and remember why you do what you do, so when the next stress hits, you’ve got something meaningful to come back to.
Joy doesn’t have to be big or planned out. It can be something as simple as taking a slow drive through the fields, sitting on the porch with your spouse after dark, or laughing with your kids at the kitchen table. Those moments might seem small, but they’re what fill you back up. They remind you that life isn’t just about keeping things running, it’s about being present for the parts that make it all worthwhile.
