Thought Seeds

Gardeners use seeds, soil, water, a few basic tools and weed and pest management to grow vegetable, flower and ornamental gardens. As the gardener’s interest grows, the tools become more sophisticated. They add nutrients, plant support and various terrains. They learn when to prune, harvest, transplant and manage various plants. They learn which plants grow well when planted next to each other. The gardener may experiment with grafting two plants or alter conditions to grow non-native plants. Hydroponics allows for growing plants without soil. There’s always more to learn.

As gardening becomes more complex, one thing remains constant. The plant that grows is a result of the seed that’s sown – always. When you plant a corn seed, you get corn. When you plant radish seeds, you get radishes. Yet, when it comes to the results we get in our business and in our life, there’s a tendency to forget that it all started with a thought seed.

Let’s step back for a moment to consider a premise. Everything is created twice. First it’s a thought, then it becomes form. You know this, but do you know the power of this? Before you say, “yes,” let’s take a look.

The shirt or blouse you’re wearing was first a thought. Someone designed it. A pattern was created to cut fabric into a particular shape, and it was assembled to become a shirt (or blouse). The timer on your stove was first a thought. The key you put in your car’s ignition was a thought before it was a key. The seed thought of a shirt and the seed thought of a key, when followed through with appropriate actions, becomes a shirt and a key. Almost everyone immediately understands this.

Let’s turn our attention to the workplace. One business owner might say, “We just don’t have the market for good employees,” and they’ll offer proof. “I hired three different employees, but not one really engaged. It was a disaster.” It’s easy to go to outer conditions to explain why something didn’t work. Yet in the same town and in the same industry, there’s a business owner who successfully hires and trains employees. Why is that? Could it be that the thought seeds of one business owner are different than the other?

Uncovering the thought seeds facilitates changes at the source – where a new thought is formed. When applied and followed by right actions, that new thought generates a new outcome. It’s as predictable as a gardener harvesting the plant of a seed they sowed. Rarely are we trained to uncover our thought seeds and alter them to create our desired outcome. Often we apply our efforts to the causes and not the source. This leads to unnecessary effort and often, unwanted results.

A beginning gardener and a master gardener both understand the importance of selecting the seed of the plant they wish to harvest. So it is with the thought seeds we use to create our business and our life. You and I often use habitual thought without thinking. Through study, applied action and reflection, we gain greater understanding and the ability to tap deeper resources in our minds. This leads to growth. Selecting the seed and the soil are first steps. As in growing a garden, there’s always more to learn. You learned the five senses to help understand the physical world; you can learn the six mental faculties to tap your inner genius.

Gain a greater understanding of the thought seeds you use and how to nurture them to more easily create the results you want in your business and in your life.

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