You Have to Plant the Seed, Before it Will Grow:

---

When we moved out into the country 17 years ago, the area around our house did not have one single tree around it; it was nothing but a wheat field. The wind and the dirt, from miles around, hit the house with nothing to break it, and I sometimes wondered if the house would blow away. The inside of the house required a thorough dusting every day.

Trees do more than just provide a break from the wind; they provide privacy. I remember people driving by and being able to see our every move, whether we were sitting on the front porch or at the dining room table, watching TV, or if the kids were playing in the yard. We felt that we were on full display for the whole world.

So, shortly after moving there, I started planting and transplanting trees to break the wind and to give us some privacy. At the time, the trees were so small, and my actions seemed so insignificant. I figured we would be old and dead before those tiny trees could ever grow to a size sufficient to serve their purpose.

Recently, I have been enjoying the cooler weather while drinking coffee on the front porch and watching the horses and cows graze in the cool breeze. During one such morning, as I was sitting on the porch, I heard the distant sound of a vehicle approaching. I looked to see who it was and realized I could no longer see the vehicles driving down the road. More importantly, I realized the drivers could no longer see me on the front porch!

I had been so distracted by the day-to-day grind of life that I hadn’t even noticed how much the trees had grown. We now have the privacy that we had craved and that at one time seemed too far in the distance. It suddenly dawned on me that I hadn't felt the house shake in the wind for a long time.

So here’s the point–glaringly obvious as it may be–that I want you to take from this: Had I never planted the trees, they never would have grown. My act of nurturing those tiny trees around our house all those years ago is the only way I was able to have that revelation on my porch. Perhaps if I hadn’t, the wind would have blown the house down by now. 

I remember a legal client chatting with me about whether or not it was a good time to sow his wheat. He said, “One thing is certain—it won’t grow unless it is in the ground.”

Now, this article isn’t really about trees or wheat. It’s about planting the proverbial seed of something we want in the future. If we don’t, it is a certainty that, unless by some act of God, the dream, hope, or aspiration will never come to be.

Whether you want to change your career, get in shape, or start a new business, remember that it may take a while, but the first step is to plant the seed.