| WHY DO YOU DO WHAT YOU DO? |
| “A life mission provides a purpose and impacts your life long before it does others.” |
I remember the day I realized I needed a mission in life that would bring meaning to my future.
In fact, it was a summer evening in 1991, and I was a backpacker, strolling the street of Calcutta, India, after over nine months of traveling the world.
That evening I saw something common in 1991; homeless people sleeping outside on the street.
In that case, the people were getting ready to spend their night under a bridge.
I thought, “These poor people mostly care about having the next meal and a shelter for the night. I am lucky, for I have both.
They don’t have the luxury of keeping themselves busy with anything else. I have the luxury of keeping myself busy with nothing of significance, but I decided to have and define my life mission!
Then and there, I knew I should strive to do something meaningful with my limited time on earth.”
But what is something meaningful? That I didn’t know.
A PURPOSE WITH MEANING
A couple of months later, after returning to Israel, I began studying agriculture at university, specializing in plant protection. During my vacations, I continue working on my Kibbutz farm.
The farm work helped me connect the pieces and articulate my life mission.
It took me some time, but by 1994 I could give myself some answers and direction for the future.
WHY do I do what I do?
To gain a sense of meaning in my life by doing something meaningful for others, with an impact that will leave a mark and create a legacy.
THE MISSION – To increase farmers’ income (at that time, I was a farmer myself) based on marketing the benefits and added value of healthy, environmentally conscious, and eco-friendly agriculture.
THE GOAL – To prove it is possible to grow and sell high-quality produce without spraying or dispersing chemicals to the environment.
Often I think about my WHY, which takes me back to that moment and seeing those people under the bridge. Unknowing, those unfortunate people helped me to find my purpose.
| You are the owner and the CEO of your life. You hire yourself every day you get up to work. Are you inspired to achieve something big? |
| FIRST STAGEBy 1994 I had it clear in my mind what I wanted to achieve, and I began working on realizing it.But where do I start?I was responsible for crop protection and other tasks in the Kibbutz orchards. Most orchards were sprayed with Conventional chemicals, while about 5% were Organic and sprayed with certified organic chemicals.If I want to market fresh fruits free of sprays, I need to start with a single pest since solving all problems/pests at once is impossible.To prove my point, I decided to begin with the number one group of pests, and the most painful for me – fruit flies, and more specifically, the Mediterranean Fruit Fly, Ceratitis capitata.If I can get rid of fruit flies without sprays, it should be evident that crop protection free of sprays is a possible way to control any pest. Ten years later, in 2004, I established as a founder a company called Biofeed. The mission was to accelerate the development, production, and commercialization of non-spray crop protection solutions.Today, Biofeed has probably the most extended list of non-spray solutions for fruit flies, which among others, include the TOP global fruit fly pests, Ceratitis capitata (#1 in global dispersal, and with which we began), and Bactrocera dorsalis (#1 in damage in Asia and Africa).Thanks to the advanced Freedome technological solution and the FFCTZ protocol, Biofeed reduced fruit fly sprays everywhere it worked (i.e., Israel, Africa, Asia, and Europe) by 99.9%, and the fruit fly infestation by 99% versus commercial treatment (i.e., sprays, traps, SIT, etc.). This is today’s reality, and to think it started with a dream while a million experts say, “Sprays are good, there is no need for “alternatives” and crop protection without sprays is impossible.”David Ben Gurion, Israel’s first Prime Minister, while living on Kibbutz Sde Boker, asked my family friend, Elisha Zurgil, to help grow vines for wine in the arid region of Israel.Elisha, who had just finished his agricultural studies, answered Ben Gurion, “The experts say it is impossible.” Ben Gurion’s immediately replied, “If the experts say it is impossible, replace the experts.” (Elisha Zurgil tells the story, in Hebrew with English translation) Today there are many vineyards in this region, producing outstanding tasty wines and winning many competitions.You see, Ben-Gurion, Israel’s first Prime Minister, thought that to achieve something, it is more important you believe you can do it than being an expert on the matter.Successful pioneers and entrepreneurs start by believing and having self-faith, then they do “The Impossible.” This is how “ordinary people” have done the Impossible endless times in Israel. And then Dreams come true! FROM A PERSONAL DREAM TO “DREAM VALLEY”By 2019 Biofeed technological solutions and protocols for controlling the main fruit flies of Africa and Asia were set and a field-proven fact.NOW it was time for the next big challenge; marketing the free-of-spray eco-friendly high-value produce (e.g., mangos) from non-developed economies to global premium markets.It was time to define and initiate a new program – the Dream Valley.With Dream Valley, I would carry my vision and mission to the next level –“To improve farmers’ livelihood by increasing quality production, free of bio and chemical hazards, grown in a safe, eco-friendly environment, to enable the consumers to enjoy better and healthier food and life.”In previous columns, I have already shared plenty about the Dream Valley program and platform. It is still in its infantry, but already it is easy to see the heights it would reach.Once again, I hear those experts say, “it is impossible.” But you know what Ben Gurion said about experts who say, “It is impossible.”And besides, I love doing the “impossible,” which gives life a new meaning. It excites me to know that if I work hard enough, I can improve the livelihood of hundreds of millions of farmers.Dream Valley’s goal is to help non-developed nations and their farmers follow the steps Israel took so they can have a successful agro-industry with a significant positive economic and social impact. |
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| DREAMS ARE ENDLESSI shared with you my WHY and dreams to deliver a message; make sure you have a dream and a mission you are passionate about fulfilling. If you are afraid of pursuing a dream because you may fail to achieve it, you are already losing.Life is not an experiment; we live and die once; don’t waste your days hiding from the world, being afraid of failing.On the contrary, make every day count by striving to complete your mission.FIND YOUR PASSION AND PURSUE IT.If, by chance, your passion has to do with -* Agriculture,* Helping non-developed economies and over 550 million farmers to follow the successful route of the Israeli Agricultural Model,* Helping grow healthier produce free of sprays,* Keeping our environment safe and sound,ANDTo do this based on a business-oriented approach. If you feel the above resonant with your mission, I would love to hear from you (+972-542523425 WhatsApp).Dream Valley’s team is now planning for the future, including activities in several countries, possibly Africa, Asia, and Latin America.We are open to investors, potential business partners, and “ordinary” people who feel connected to our mission and wish to take advantage of the opportunity of doing good. |
| TAKEAWAYS» WE LIVE EVERY DAY AND DIE ONCE – Find your passion and your dream, then pursue them with all your might.» YOU HAVE NOTHING TO LOSE – Don’t spend time thinking about what others would say or contemplating failure. Follow your passion and dreams.» DREAMS COME TRUE if you are persistent enough in their pursuit. |
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