Cultivating the Seeds of Greatness that Are Inside of You
Today is the Day to Start
Wherever you are in life you can do more. You can be more. You can do a little better. You can even do a lot more. You don’t want to do more because you are greedy. You don’t want to do a lot more because you want to outdo your neighbors, your co-workers, or a family member. You want to do more and be better because you were born with the seeds of greatness inside of you. You need to do more and be better because your community and the world need more great people like you. You were given these seeds of greatness to bless lives and influence people. Why playing small when you are born to be great?
I have a granddaughter who lives close to me with her parents. I love to watch her stepping her small feet into big adult shoes. The bigger the shoes are, the more excited she gets. She is only 15 months old. She puts one foot at a time and tries to walk in these big shoes. There are times she needs someone to lean on. She does not care that the shoes are too big. She is excited and find great joy in trying them. As I continue to watch her, I develop a greater appreciation for the opportunities to step into the big shoes of my life, knowing that I am here to grow, not to shrink.
She knows very well that her feet are small. But she also knows that they are growing. She wants them to grow because she lives in a growth environment. She knows one day her feet will get bigger and she might as well step into that growing mode.
Some of you may be thinking that that the growing years and moments are behind you. Some may be thinking that the seeds of greatness inside are too dormant. There is no way that they can be given life again. Let me assure you this is not true. I learned that fact from my mother. She was a woman who enjoyed life and embraced every growth opportunity. She was 90 years old when she was telling me and showing the work she was doing in her home in Haiti. She lived in a small village. She was beautifying her home including her yard.
Just this week, I met a Haitian lady in Atlanta while visiting some relatives. She is approaching 90. If she did not tell me her age, I would have thought she was probably in her early eighties or late seventies. She is a vibrant person with a great mental capacity. Conversing with her was a treat and an uplifting experience for me. She is a happy person. She is very content. She is also a driven lady.
Her husband passed away many years ago. She did not talk about loneliness. She did not complain about getting old. She shared how she is growing every day and improving her environment. She is very healthy. She takes good care of herself. She enjoys life and embraces every moment of it.
Some of you may think that the environment you are in may not be conducive to your growth. While this may be partially true, you can still be intentional about your growth. Nelson Mandela was in jail for almost 30 years. He did not stop growing. He continued to grow in four major areas of his life.
Spiritually: He took some times to meditate. You don’t need much space to do that. If there is a breathing room, there is enough room for meditation.
Intellectually: He asked that books and newspapers be brought to his cell.
Emotionally: He forgave his captors and found ways to serve them. He treated them with respect. He grew a little garden in the prison yard and shared the vegetables with the guards so they could take them to their families.
Physically: He jumped up and down so he could stay physically fit. The prison cells were extremely small and did not offer much space above his head.
Like a seed that begins the germination process from below the surface of the earth, all intentional growth starts from the inside out.
I invite you to contemplate these 2 questions. What is growth to you? What is success? No one can answer these questions for you. If growth means having something you don’t have, what will happen after you get that thing? If success means getting a promotion in your job, or gaining some material possessions, or reaching a certain amount in your saving account, what will success be after you achieve these goals? Do you define success by climbing the corporate ladder (little ladder or a giant one)? If you do, what will success be after arriving at the very last step of the ladder? For every climb, there is a ‘sommet’.
There is no end to growth. There is no end to challenges and failures in this life. We are sent here with a growth plan that includes successes, failures, headaches, trials, and setbacks. This growth plan has a vertical ax and a horizontal one. These axes are infinite. The vertical ax points toward heaven in one direction and toward earth in the other direction. The horizontal ax rotates around us and always points toward our fellowmen.
You cannot dwell on yesterday for it is gone. Whatever happened in the past – great successes or major setbacks—happened to teach you a lesson. A lesson that you can use today to help you grow. A lesson that prepares and propels you for tomorrow. For tomorrow to come, you must endure and embrace today. There is only today. Today is the day to start being more intentional about your personal and professional growth plan. What are you doing today about your personal growth plan?
