Spring is here.\u00a0 It\u2019s brighter later.\u00a0 It\u2019s getting warmer.\u00a0 It\u2019s a time for growing things.\u00a0 While planning our Summer harvest, let\u2019s consider 10 Laws for Planting Seeds of Personal and Professional Growth.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
1) Am I Growing?\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Am I growing personally?\u00a0 Professionally? \u00a0Am I growing mentally?\u00a0 Spiritually?\u00a0 Do successful people ever stop growing?\u00a0 If I stop growing, especially in a competitive environment, I guarantee myself defeat at the hands of another who\u2019s out-grown me.\u00a0 If I stop taking care of myself, investing in myself mentally, physically, and spiritually, I eventually break down and problems begin to compound.\u00a0 I should always be growing \u2013 seeking progress, not perfection.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n 2) Everything in the World Begins with a Seed.<\/strong><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Ideas and dreams start with a seed (a thought).\u00a0 Huge buildings, for example, start as a thought in the mind of an architect.\u00a0 Everything that grows on this earth begins as a seed.\u00a0 It\u2019s the design of life itself.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n 3)<\/strong> Whatever I Plant is What I Harvest.<\/strong><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Apple seeds produce apple trees.\u00a0 Orange trees produce orange trees.\u00a0 I won\u2019t try to fool myself \u2013 I reap what I sow.\u00a0 Dishonest people get rich for a moment, whereas trustworthy folks harvest a reward that lasts.\u00a0 To be who I want to be, and do what I want to do, what seeds will I plant today?<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n 4) A Seed Has No Power if not Planted.<\/strong><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n If a seed is not planted, it will not grow.\u00a0 Most people would rather gripe and complain than plant seeds for growth.\u00a0 We all know highly skilled people who never achieved their potential because they didn\u2019t put forth the effort.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n 5)<\/strong> Every Seed has Exponential Potential.<\/strong><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n I harvest much more than what I plant.\u00a0 A corn seed grows into a plant that produces several stalks of corn, which can produce hundreds of additional corn plants.\u00a0 Grandparents with a few children can have over a dozen grandchildren.\u00a0 What I start with seems small, perhaps even insignificant, but I\u2019ll end up with much more.\u00a0 In terms of love and kindness, we get back ten-fold what we give.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n 6)<\/strong> If I Want More, I Plant More.<\/strong><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n If I sow sparingly, I\u2019ll receive sparingly.\u00a0 If I plant more, I\u2019ll receive more.\u00a0 If it\u2019s working, do it more!\u00a0 If it\u2019s not working, do it less!\u00a0 Am I making the same mistakes repeatedly?\u00a0 Do I even set aside enough time before and after meetings to take an inventory of what I\u2019m doing well, and where I can improve?\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n 7)<\/strong> I\u2019m Not the Only One Planting Seeds in My Life.<\/strong><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Who, or what, am I allowing to plant seeds in my life?\u00a0 Internet trolls?\u00a0 Family and Friends? The sage wisdom of an elder mentor or collective conscious of a group forum?\u00a0\u00a0 Do I want the kind of fruit that will grow from the seeds being planted?\u00a0 Are these thoughts and messages positive, or negative? Do they express love and forgiveness, or anger and resentment?\u00a0 In terms of ideas, perspectives, habits, relationships, it\u2019s up to me to stop the bad and start the good.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n 8)<\/strong> If I Wait for Perfect Weather, I\u2019ll Never Plant Seeds.<\/strong><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Perfectionism paralyzes potential.\u00a0 Am I often afraid of change?\u00a0 Can I imagine a farmer buying a bunch of seed, then being afraid to plant it?\u00a0 To embrace change, I must be prepared to fail.\u00a0 I must learn to fail to win.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n 9)<\/strong> I Harvest in a Different Season Than I Plant.<\/strong><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Growth in life is slow and gradual and happens in stages.\u00a0 First, the plant sprouts through, then the tender stalk appears.\u00a0 Then the stalk puts on buds, and finally the full head of grain or fruit appears.\u00a0 When it\u2019s ready and ripe, typically a full season after the original seed was planted, it\u2019s time to harvest.\u00a0 What do my calendar blocks say about my upcoming harvest?\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n 10)<\/strong> While Waiting for Harvest, I\u2019ll be Patient and Not Give Up.<\/strong><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n A seed is planted underground.\u00a0 Then, during both the day and the night, whether I am awake or asleep, the seed is growing silently.\u00a0 I cannot see how it\u2019s growing because it\u2019s hidden under the ground \u2013 but in the darkness, the soil is helping the seed grow.\u00a0 I often can\u2019t see the seeds growing in my life, and my growth often requires dark, difficult times.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n