Seeds of Greatness

"You were designed for accomplishment, engineered for success and endowed with the seeds of greatness." - Zig Ziglar

With Memorial Day now behind us, we've unofficially entered into summer. Any other year that would feel different, as i'm fairly certain it's now the Friaturday, the 33rd of Apmajun... it's all just blending together. The undeniable change over the last few weeks has been the trees are now providing shade, the grass is having to be cut weekly and all the perennials have come back to life in reds and yellows and purples.

This time of year, I can be found in my garden, sometimes pulling weeds, sometimes watering and sometimes just standing and watching the plants as if that will encourage them to grow faster or produce more fruit. While the latter is probably not scientific fact, the one thing I do know is... the opposite is true. Those little plants, stretching their leaves higher each day, absorbing the water and turning greener, beginning to produce flowers that will ultimately turn into fruits and vegetables... those little green miracles... encourage ME to grow.

All seeds need 3 things: 1.) Moisture 2.) Oxygen 3.) The right Temperature

Without this, a seed will remain dormant and possibly even become infertile... but at the same time, if the conditions are right... that same seed grows into a strong plant and produces flowers/fruit/vegetable/fragrance.

I think we're all a lot like those little seeds, we are all poised for growth, ready to sprout (mentally, physically, spiritually, emotionally, socially, relationally, professionally or financially) under the right conditions, and just like those seeds we need 3 things to start that process:

The next 3 points are excerpts from John Maxwell's "Laws of Growth"

1) Intentionality: Growth Doesn’t Just Happen

Seldom do we lack access to information that can help us grow, but rarely do we apply the resources at our disposal. Put simply, knowing isn’t the same as growing. Old age may happen automatically, but growth doesn’t necessarily come with experience.

To grow to our potential, we have to discard the mistaken beliefs that prevent us from moving forward. Two such beliefs are 1) that failure is fatal and 2) that we don’t have time right now to pursue a growth plan. For starters, failing doesn’t mean that someone is a failure. Mistakes are an inescapable part of life, and failures often teach us lessons that we could never learn otherwise. Indeed, failures are steppingstones to success. With respect to time, the longer we intend to do something without taking action, the greater the odds that we will never do it. Time is the one resource we cannot recapture once it’s lost; there’s no way to make up for months and years of neglecting personal development.

2) Awareness: You Must Know Yourself to Grow Yourself

Personal growth isn’t a one-size-fits-all strategy for self-improvement. For personal growth to be beneficial, and not a waste of energy, it must be suited to your unique strengths and particular temperament. Not everyone shares the same learning style: what works for one person may be completely inappropriate for another. In addition, personal growth requires you to identify your purpose in life. Unless you’re clear where you’re headed, you won’t know which ways to grow. On the other hand, once you have a definite vision in mind, you can begin to develop the specific set of skills needed to accomplish it.

3) Consistency: Motivation Gets You Going, Discipline Keeps You Growing

Anyone who has successfully lost weight through regular exercise can tell you that there were days when they didn’t feel like going to the gym. All of the excitement about getting in shape dissipates at 5:00 am when the alarm clock rudely reminds you to get out of bed for a morning workout. To develop the discipline to keep growing, we must constantly remind ourselves why personal development means so much to us. For example, I desire to be physically fit because I want to have fun with my grand-kids, enjoy life with my wife, and continue training leaders. Remembering my passion and purpose allows me to stay disciplined in those activities I do not enjoy (like running on a treadmill!).

As I began to think about plant growth, I googled "fun facts about plants". Clicking through I discovered one that seems particularly appropriate:

"Even if a seed is planted upside down, the seedling always grows right-way up. How? Plants can actually sense gravity! (Gravity is what makes us fall back down to earth when we jump.) Inside the soil, the roots of the seedling grow towards gravity, while the stem grows away from it. This makes the roots go down and the stem come up. Once it's out, the stem also senses light, and grows towards the light. That's why, if you shine a light sideways at a plant, it starts growing sideways!"

If I'm honest, the last couple of months I've felt like a seed planted upside down. Some days good, some days not so good, some days not knowing which way is up or down. The good news is, just like a seed planted upside down (assuming moisture, oxygen and the right temperature), that seed ultimately pushes though the soil to experience growth... and so do we if we have Intentionality, Awareness and Consistency in our lives.

Intentionality is the Moisture, nourishing our vision, our dreams, our goals. Intentionality is so powerful because it keeps us on track and it keeps us moving in the right direction... upward and onward.

Awareness is our Oxygen, it refreshes us and keeps things uniquely in perspective. Like a plant needs oxygen to convert into CO2 and then reverse the process, we need Awareness to guide our intentionality.

Consistency is our perfect Temperature. As the right temperature is critical to plant growth, our consistency should remain perfect... not too hot, not too cold, never up and down. Consistency is quite possible the most important... because too "up" and we gain a false sense of growth, but too "down" and we believe that growth will never happen. Just like a plant that is too hot or cold... being too up or down means we will never develop into what we can be.

So, as Zig Ziglar said, "You were designed for accomplishment, engineered for success and endowed with seeds of greatness", remember this the next time you look at a garden or plant a seed. They are miracles. They overcome all the odds to triumph over the elements... and if they can do it, how much more greatness do we have within us?!