Growing Flowers

1. Introduction.
   
   1. I once took a class to help me grow house plants.
      
   2. I learned many things, some the teacher did not teach!
      
2. Always start with a seed.
   
   1. The seed.
      
      1. Some seeds are tiny, but will grow into huge plants.
         
      2. Remember: "You can count the seeds in a sunflower, but you can't count the sunflowers in a seed."
         
   2. Desire.
      
      1. This is the starting point -- the "seed" -- for everything else.
         
      2. You can't predict where desire will lead -- how many "seeds" will come from it.
         
      3. Desire is not the same as "wishing." Desire is a consuming passion.
         
      4. In the 1960s, a survey found that people believed the best way to "get ahead" was to buy a franchise and be your own boss. A similar survey done in the early 1990s found that people believed the best way to "get ahead" was to win the lottery. We have become a nation of dreamers, not doers.
         
3. Add nutrient-rich soil
   
   1. The soil.
      
      1. A good soil contains fertilizer, loam, and other nutrients.
         
      2. If soil is poor, then the proper nutrients can be added.
         
   2. Knowledge.
      
      1. As you add knowledge to your life, the seed of desire can sprout and grow.
         
      2. Knowledge is not the same a schooling -- it is more akin to wisdom.
         
      3. Emerson said, "The years teach what the days never know."
         
4. Add water.
   
   1. The water.
      
      1. This is the most important ingredient.
         
      2. You can start a plant without a seed (by using cuttings).
         
      3. You can grow a plant without soil (hydroponics).
         
      4. You must have water.
         
   2. Belief.
      
      1. Without belief in yourself, no amount of desire or knowledge is sufficient.
         
      2. This poem describes the type of belief that is important:
         

         If you think you are beaten, you are, If you think you dare not, you don't. If you'd like to win, but you think you can't, It's almost certain you won't. If you think you'll lose, you've lost, For out in the world you'll find Success begins in a fellow's will -- It's all in a state of mind. If you think you are outclassed, you are; You've got to think high to rise; You've got to be sure of yourself and believe If you are going to gain the prize. Life's battles don't always go To the stronger or faster man; But soon or late the one who wins Is the man who thinks he can.

      3. Henry Ford said the same thing more clearly: "Think you can or think you can't, either way, you're right."

   V. Conclusion. -- Plant flowers if you will, but more importantly, plant success in your life.

This Document Last Modified on April 29, 1998.