Thursday Thoughts... Fat Cells

At Parcel Ag, our team spends our days working toward two goals:

1. Help farmers make more revenue

2. Help farmers reduce costs

Both are simple to say, and hard to do, because both require change. And as most of us know, change rarely comes without discomfort.

A section of our Parcel manifesto puts it this way:

“We believe waste isn’t inevitable. It’s a design flaw we’re here to eliminate.”

(Read the full manifesto here: www.parcel.ag/manifesto)

Reducing waste sounds great on paper. It’s efficient. Logical. Strategic. But the truth is, not everyone loves it, because sometimes that waste is working really well for someone else.

When you eliminate inefficiencies, it often affects other businesses, vendors, or processes that have grown dependent on those inefficiencies to make their margin. That’s when the pushback shows up.

My friend and colleague Randy Jessee and I were recently working through one of these waste issues, and we started talking about the cost of introducing a new system.

We’ve both seen this pattern over time: The more effective the solution, the stronger the resistance from those not ready for change.

Sometimes it’s subtle… pretending the issue isn’t real. Sometimes it’s personal… questioning the people behind the solution.

Either way, it usually means you’re on to something.

As we were counting the cost of a change we’re making, we landed on a metaphor around another waist that stuck:

Wastes are like fat cells. They build up over time. And getting rid of them takes intentional discomfort.

You don’t lose them overnight. You don’t burn them off without effort. And if you’ve grown used to carrying them around, your body, or your business, might fight back when you try to cut them out.

But just like extra weight slows you down physically, waste slows down everything else: decision-making, profitability, momentum, and even morale.

And once you do the hard work to shed it? You don’t want to go back.

Just like shedding weight, reducing waste means change. And change means disruption. New habits. New systems. New mindsets. That’s uncomfortable, personally and professionally.

But here’s the truth: If it never gets uncomfortable, it’s probably not changing much.

As you probably deduced, this isn’t just about business. This is about your world.

• What part of your day feels heavier than it should?

• What process or routine have you kept around just because it’s familiar?

• What relationships, roles, or rhythms need a reset?

In Proverbs 14:23 it says: “All hard work brings a profit, but mere talk leads only to poverty”.

That’s a reminder that plans without follow-through waste opportunity. Efficiency comes from doing, not just discussing.

Whether it’s your health, your habits, or your household, you’ll never regret the time you spend doing the work!

That Leads Me to This Week’s Challenge…

Where have you grown comfortable with waste?

Maybe it’s in your schedule. Your spending. Your screen time. Or maybe it’s in your business, how you work, who you work with, what you’ve come to accept as “normal.”

This week, find one “fat cell” that needs to go.

It might not feel good at first. It might ruffle a few feathers. But if it clears the way for something better, it’s worth it.

I’m thankful you took the time to read this, for choosing to work, and for being part of what makes this world better.

If this week’s Thursday Thoughts challenged you, or made you think about a change you’ve been putting off, I’d love to hear about it.