3 Ways Ideas Are Like Seeds
Ideas are interesting. Some people have loads of them, and others may feel bad that they don't have more. Whichever category you fit in, ideas are like seeds. Here are 3 reasons why.
1) Ideas hold within them the DNA of something bigger. Just like you can't have a plant without a seed, you can't have a next without an idea.
A next chapter, a next plan, a next vacation, a next project, a next relationship, a next job... and the list could, of course, go on and on.
2) Ideas need to be chosen. Seeds can sit dormant for years. My grandfather had many packets of seeds in his garage ready for his garden, but only the ones chosen to be planted got the opportunity.
3) Ideas need to be tended to thrive. Seeds don't grow until they are planted and cared for. Seeds need soil, moisture, and sunlight. Ideas need a place to grow (soil), continued investment and care (moisture), and the right conditions (sunlight). (Seeds also grow best without weeds, but that's a blog for another day...)
There are lots of "seeds" in my life that may, or may not, get the opportunity to grow. Here are some of the dormant seeds in the garage of my mind currently. I have a growing number of books I would love to write. I'd love to set up a recurring family reunion with all of our children and their families. I'm considering some new carpet. Camp Grandpa - a week with Eric and I (maybe even a cruise) with two grandchildren at a time when they get to be a certain age.
Here are some seeds/ideas I am planting and tending right now. I'm in a beta with a leadership coaching system called Vision Implementation Planner boards; it provides a safe space for leaders to look circumspectly at categories of their personal and professional lives. I'm well into writing the Pendulum book (this was a dormant seed for over a decade). I'm working with a thriving church in Connecticut helping them manage their growth and prepare for more. (Hello, my Legacy friends!)
Next in the cue for me is likely a Pendulum Podcast! It's kind of scary as it is unfamiliar to me, but also kind of exciting as I venture into a new arena.
Maybe you have a lot of ideas, and you need to discern which one should be planted next.
Maybe you are someone who lives in the moment more, and you are less sure about ideas you could tend.
Either way, our lives are meant to be a journey, and God always has a next for us. As growing followers of Jesus, we must walk where He wants us to walk.
For some, this will be a next with a forward focus, but for others, it could mean healing from a hurt, release from a burden, resolution in a relationship, or any number of healthy life outcomes.
Our prayer is that you will find the traction you need to keep moving forward whatever your next is!
[Traction helps both types of people. So do our coaches and our coach training!]