Recently, my hubby and I had the privilege of hearing Billy Cordasco talk about the legacy of the Babbitt Ranch in Arizona. He spoke of generations that have poured into the ranch and now, as a large family, they utilize a board of directors. But it didn’t start out that way.
The founding Babbitt took a ship to America at 12 or 13 years old – basically on his own, but welcomed by another family that was traveling. Cordasco talked about what was needed for that young man to come from another country to create something viable in the United States – courage, hard work, hope, a dream, a never-give-up attitude – and then he suggested that as current ranchers and/or landowners, it’s important that we adopt a first-generation mindset.
My heart leapt. Obviously, I hadn’t sailed to America recently or encountered the path that the young Babbitt man endured. However, I was confronted with my long-standing wish that we’d had generations of legacy behind us. As my hubby and I have worked to build a herd and ranch over the years, we’ve encountered a very common theme: “But you weren’t born here. We don’t know your grandparents. Where is your legacy?”
I’m choosing to believe that no one meant ill by these statements, but they felt very limiting. Land leases were quickly snatched by those whose names were known. Truly, I can’t blame them. How do you trust someone new? We’d built a portfolio and a business plan, but if the guy with the known last name wanted land, that’s what he got. Again, understandable, unless that generational rancher was a poor steward. Then, it was hard to understand.
And when we don’t understand something, it’s easy to create a belief system in our heads that may or may not be accurate.
Ironically, I’d been studying about limiting beliefs regarding faith. Limiting beliefs are statements we carry in our hearts and minds that are either lies or that hold some truth, but aren’t the full truth, so therefore limit what we believe can happen. For example, in years past, I’ve believed that God would do good things for others and was not shocked at all when they came to fruition. However, I found it very difficult to believe in good things for myself. I believe God is good, yes. But sometimes after disappointments, it’s hard to believe He’s good to you. Therefore, I would only half-hope for things, and without meaning to, collected evidence that God would not come through.
My limiting belief was: Good things happen, but they don’t happen to me. Is this true? Absolutely not. I’ve been blessed abundantly. But there were some things I’d really worked for decades to achieve that didn’t happen, and I created a false narrative.
These beliefs limit what is possible in the future because they run like a background virus in our brains, impacting our thoughts and actions. While I was working hard to achieve certain points in my career, the background virus said they weren’t possible.
These limiting beliefs can impact ranchers, especially those starting from scratch. Outside of extreme wealth, it’s difficult to find land and purchase cattle. Then, when your name isn’t known, it impacts how you are perceived and how you perceive others – and what you think they are thinking about you. Our biggest problems with our thoughts are often what we think other people are thinking!
Phew! That’s a lot of thinking.
The good news is that once we recognize a limiting belief, we can replace it with truth. We can ask forgiveness where needed and change our thoughts to something else. Therefore, my belief that God wouldn’t give me good things was replaced with, “God can only give good things, and He will use every hard thing that happens. Nothing is wasted.”
It takes time to confront old thought patterns and replace them. It’s a bit of a battle, but it’s worth it. So when it was suggested by someone from a successful multigenerational ranch that we could all benefit from first-generation mindsets, I was blown away because I felt a fresh value to the tenacity we’ve carried.
What is a first-generation mindset? It’s the overwhelming willingness to do something, the character to follow through and the gumption to start, even if you’re afraid. It sees uncertainty and speaks purpose instead. It holds on to purpose for dear life, and it’s accompanied by quality and drive – just like someone who had to start over in a new country.
Do we always have those characteristics? Nope. Like I said, at one point, I dragged around limiting beliefs that reduced possibilities. But we can aspire to that mindset. And we can carry the gumption needed to carry on for generations. Both are necessary. Whether we are first generation, fifth generation or descended from someone who started ranching directly off the Mayflower, we all need the unwavering determination to set goals, make plans and see them through. We need the tenacity to see a dream and push for it against obstacles. It’s imperative for our daily lives, but even more so for the generations that will come after us. They need to see us working toward something worthwhile that will last for generations to come, while also knowing how to keep a first-generation mindset for themselves.
We applaud the legacy of multigenerational ranches. That ought to be celebrated. And we relish the opportunity to continually be first-generation-minded.
