Don't seek. Just do.

This is an old piece of Zen Buddhist wisdom, and it ties directly into mindfulness:

Don’t seek. Just do.

I struggle with this. I'm constantly seeking — clarity, certainty, the “right” answer — and in doing so, I delay action. I put off “doing” because I don’t want to make the wrong choice. Somewhere in my head, a voice whispers that if I make a mistake, people won’t like me anymore. It’s nonsense, of course. I've made plenty of mistakes. And still, I’m loved.

When I’m overwhelmed, this simple phrase anchors me: Don’t seek answers. Just do the next right thing.

Don't seek. Just do.

A mentor once told me, “Pull up your socks and clean out your cupboards.” She didn’t mean it metaphorically. She meant it literally. Go into your kitchen. Pull everything out. Get rid of the expired, the unused, the “someday” items that only collect dust.

Like the green superfood powder. I want to be the kind of person who stirs it into her matcha every morning. I picture her. She seems very well. That Lisa really has her life together; she is healthy and thriving and might even be on her way to the gym. But the truth is, this Lisa finds the idea repugnant. I just want to enjoy my matcha and sugar free creamer without the superfood powder. And yet I keep the powder, hoping that maybe one morning I’ll wake up and want to use it.

This is the trap of seeking.

And it’s the trap I see so many small businesses fall into — waiting for the right moment, the perfect product, the magical marketing strategy. I’ve worked in this world for over 20 years, and I’ve talked with hundreds of business owners. I know how hard it is. I know how much they care. I know that the thing they’re doing — the thing they’ve poured themselves into — matters.

And I believe with my whole heart that Prairie Goods can help.

Because here’s the truth: if we don’t show up in people’s scrolling feed, we don’t exist. If we don’t claim some space between Amazon ads and TikTok influencers, local doesn’t stand a chance. If I can't find the lipstick I want locally at 11p online, I'll order it on Amazon because my brain chemistry has been changed over the years, and I need instant gratification.

I live in a town of 1,500 people. And I can say with certainty that yes, my needs could be met locally. But local business owners are fighting an uphill battle. They have to be online. They have to be on social. They have to shout louder than ever just to remind people they exist.

And, as the meme says: Ain’t nobody got time for that.

But Prairie Goods does.

That’s the goal: to give makers, dreamers, and doers a fair shot at being seen. To build something that honors their work and gives them a foothold in a world that’s moving fast and forgetting what matters. To remind our community day in and day out that there are dreamers getting things done, and when you support them you support a thriving rural community.

No more waiting for the right moment. This is something I believe in regardless of whether it is perfect right now.

Don't seek. Just do.

Learn more about Prairie Goods.