As long as there remains earth, every living thing, seed, will be needed. There will always be seed time and harvest time. The seed is so little, yet it transforms the landscape of all of humanity.
A seed is the most powerful, profound entity on the planet. A single seed holds within it the potential for an entire forest, just as one idea, decision, act of kindness, and faith can transform a life. A small thing we say, do or act out can impact growth, legacy and future outcomes. The seed carries much potential but, on its own, is a dormant entity, lifeless, dull, unattractive and meaningless. If you are a gardener or love food, you will quickly realize that every need for human sustenance comes from the growth, sustainability, and maturation of a seed into its full purpose. A seed can manifest into a tree and then a forest; one seed can produce a harvest that produces grain to grow animals. The seed produces a pumpkin with many seeds that can multiply and turn into many more pumpkins. The journey of a seed is almost counterintuitive. You make a hole in the dirt and cover the seed with dirt, water the seed, nurture the seed, check in on the seed and leave it to eventually burst into the purpose of its existence. A tomato seed will produce tomatoes, and a pomegranate will produce pomegranates. Almost all seeds, unless they have been genetically altered, will produce after the DNA inside it. It is actually thrilling and miraculous to put seeds in the ground and watch them grow. From carrots to cucumbers and every herb and fruit, the cycle of life of the seed is profoundly powerful and we are all beneficiaries of the fact that someone took time to plant a seed so we can eat.
In our fast-paced lives, fast food and drive through and Uber Eats culture, we seldom take time to think about how things got on our plate; unless you are raised on a farm and follow and participate in the process, it has become increasingly difficult for us to connect and acknowledge the arduous process of a seed. Some people support farm-to-table, trying to be more intentional about what is set in front of us and being more intentional about how it got there. The idea that a seed has to be buried and filled with water and nutrients to not just break out of its shell but break ground and find its place in the sun is not far from how humans find meaning and purpose in the world. We are all like the seed full of potential and a rich abundance of ideas, creativity, wisdom, intellect, and ingenious ability to multiply, create, build, and discover. Recreate, duplicate and you get the idea. We were designed for so much more. Just like one seed can feed many families, one thought, idea, and perspective can change a person and community, good or bad.
I prefer looking at the potential of a good seed. We have bad seeds everywhere. Promoting the wrong ideas can wipe out people groups and produce wars and ethnic cleansing, as we have seen in Rwanda and in the time of Hitler and other parts of the world. One wrong seed can produce many wrong ideologies and create a world of distortion, abuse of power, and a social deconstruction of astronomical proportions. We see and feel the tension in the world today and the fallout with both young and old who struggle to find purpose, true fulfillment, passion, and meaning in what they do. Or somehow, there appears to be an illusion of who they are becoming and who they thought they were meant to be. So instead of breaking through or breaking out of the dirt and the mud, so to speak, they get stuck.
Drowned-out seeds may float, but they will not take root and grow. What could potentially drown out the seed? Seeds require a certain amount of moisture, oxygen, temperature and nutrients to flourish. Anything out of balance, for example, waterlogging or anoxic stress, can drown the seed, meaning it cannot breathe and begin its germination process. The water fills the air pockets in the soil, depriving the seed of oxygen. The result will then be seeds failing to sprout or will experience stunted or delayed growth. When seeds fail to produce, whether oversaturated or lacking attention, it can lead to reduced growth, the ecosystem is affected, and agriculture, biodiversity and the health of natural environments are compromised. We then have less than organic produce and high levels of fake growth hormones that have to be induced into seeds to cause them to multiply unnaturally, and we then have a hybrid version of forced-grown products that are not nutrient-dense. They look like but don’t taste like nor contain the original version of that seed was purposed for.
I firmly believe that everything that happens biologically has a spiritual and social connection. When we are not making the connection, we often feel lost, disoriented, unfulfilled and void of meaning or purpose. Let’s take the seed metaphor into the social context. Emerging new ideas need a supportive, nurturing environment and atmosphere to develop both personally and professionally. New perspectives, creative thoughts, and innovative ideas can be “drowned out” by negativity, dominant ideologies and resistance to change. This can prevent transformative ideas from taking root and flourishing in individuals, organizations, and companies. The perspectives of minorities can be overshadowed by the majority, and just like a seed overwhelmed by excessive water, we drown out the voices of “little insignificant people,” leading to their inability to grow, and what we have is more stereotypical thinking that lacks creativity and diversity and hinders a flourishing of innovation and takes the power away from the seed that could be the next best decision for you personally or the company. The “drowning out” effect is felt in the overload of information from books to screens to platforms and new and trendy norms, making it challenging to know what to absorb as truth and what lies to leave behind that do not serve our growth.
We are social media fatigued and miss the most valuable information intended for our growth. Being bombarded in this way disorients the seed of good ideas, chokes out true connection, distorts purpose, and, in fact, brings more self-doubt. In this rich digital age where artificial intelligence is taking over, unless you know the original branding and value of things, it is and will be even harder to differentiate between fake and real, true and false. Original and a copy. It is important, then, to evaluate the power of the seed in you and provide the right environment, support, guidance and collaboration to ensure the growth, multiplication, development and expansion of what you have. After all, knowledge is power. We don’t know what we don’t know. The wrong knowledge in the wrong hands or even the right knowledge in the wrong hands can produce failure, suffocation, setbacks, a lack of growth, power control, manipulation and abuse. If we are not growing, we are diminishing, or the seed within us remains dormant, not producing anything of substance. hence, we have a high percentage of people filling the void with addictions, work, overuse of digital devices, watching TV, and binging on junk ideas and junk food. We are fatigued, and the seed in us suffocated by external pressure and an overload of misinformation, and most times, we are sifting through what is real and what is not. Emotional fatigue of constant overwhelming information can lead to burnout and fatigue where individuals and groups become desensitized and disengaged.
When individuals suppress individual aspirations and personal growth and development, this leads to dissatisfaction and a lack of fulfillment in life and work. The seed is made for so much more. In these moments, drowning out your most precious asset, the seed that lies in you would be the most detrimental thing you can do for growing, thriving, overcoming and flourishing. This is when a good Life Coach near you comes in handy to be that thinking partner that sifts through the soil and brings oxygen back into your life so you can breathe and think your way through difficult circumstances, holding space for those hard-to-decipher decisions and directing you right back to the power within. This helps bring alignment to you mentally, emotionally, physically and spiritually, as well as relationally helping that seed find its way to grow and develop personally and professionally. When each person within an organization flourishes, the entire organization flourishes, and the momentum and vision of the group are realized in an efficient and life-giving way. Everyone benefits when everyone thrives.
The opposite is true when we are stalled by societal expectations and negative influences; it can waterboard the seed and stunt personal and professional development. We all have an innate value to feel significant, find purpose and direction and develop in the things we are naturally good at and perhaps not so good at that define our space in the world. While all these external factors cannot define who we truly are, they are necessary for our growth. It is said that we need people to heal, grow and thrive. The very thing we need is the very thing that can hurt us and this puts many in a double bind. How do we pull out from damaging, destructive patterns and relationships and find true passion, purpose, and calling?
The pumpkin is a great example of a seed that serves us in many ways. We eat pumpkin seeds, plant them, bake them, cook them, and roast them; it is used in soups, muffins, and pancakes, and so many people love a good pumpkin pie. It is used in skincare. It is a healthy food that contains beta carotene, which converts into vitamin A.; it has fibre that is great for digestion and potassium, which helps with muscle contraction and maintains healthy blood pressure. It is rich in antioxidants Vitamins A and C. These vital nutrients boost the immune system and aid in good digestion. So, we have so many uses and benefits out of one seed. It is hard to ignore. And the pumpkin lovers go yay, while the haters go yuck. And this is how the world goes around. The important thing to remember is the power every seed has to generate, multiply, and create incredible value.
The delicate beginnings of a seed, whether in thought or deed, have the potential to manifest great things. Ideas, voices, perspectives, goals and dreams require balanced, supportive environments to thrive. Think of all the good collaboration we can cultivate to be more inclusive, community-minded, innovative, creative and generally building a nurturing social landscape. Seeds come in all forms, shapes, and sizes, and they are absolutely irreplaceable entities needed for the survival of mankind. What if seeds never grow or produce in the natural? We would live in a wilderness, and a void, a famine, and the ecosystems would collapse and give way to a void, meaningless, unhealthy, and eventually, the decline of mankind. Nothing would thrive and flourish and prosper as intended.
We live in a fine balance, and the world demands something of the seed. We are all here because of Seed. The seed that was planted in our mother’s womb produced in us more seed to produce after our kind. Sometimes, that seed gets trampled on, covered over, forgotten, ‘drowned out,” and overshadowed by doubt, difficult circumstances, loss, and poor environments. Whatever has hindered your seed from taking root and breaking out and living your best life and purpose, and whatever has stopped your growth and hindered your progress, now is the time to really take a good, long look at the seed.
What is your seed producing for you? What is blocking your growth, personal development, and power from breaking barriers, overcoming obstacles, and finding new innovative pathways moving forward into your destiny? The power of one thought, word, decision, and step can create wars and cause devastation and destruction or bring life, health, healing, wholeness, and clarity. Think of all the words we speak and the devastation it can bring in one moment, and we have all had moments that we are not proud of. Slowing it down, paying attention to our thoughts, words, and all it creates in our world. We can be part of the problem or part of the solution. We can be part of the trauma and the drama, or we can bring healing and wholeness. We can tear down or build up. We can be destructive or constructive with our thoughts, words, ideas, and actions. Everything starts with a seed.
When we are young, we are exposed to things that help or destroy the seed’s potential. Some things are in your control, and others happen outside of your control, but in these times, you need to protect the purity of the seed within you to produce good things that will leave a mark in the world that will not be erased. The Power of the seed is that very power in you, and like we see in the world, it can heal to cause a riot or a revolution. You are that most precious, valuable seed that will make all the difference in your world, your work, your organization, and your contribution to the legacy you write for you, your children and a generation. Nurture the seed and figure out your true calling, passion and direction as you engage in transformational coaching and explore new exciting pathways to grow adventure and discover together with me the Power of The Seed! What are you doing to add value to the world? What good benefits do you want to produce for yourself, your family and your community? What does your seed need to grow, flourish, thrive, and bring forward everything the seed in you was designed to accomplish? The power lies in you it’s time to activate the power of the seed.
The Mustard seed, for example, is the smallest of all seeds, and yet it grows into a large tree. We can take life lessons from nature, how small, consistent actions and steps of faith have the potential to create meaningful change. How something seemingly insignificant can grow into a life-giving force. How you, too, can overcome life challenges and move towards unleashing your fullest potential. Let Go and Let the Seed take root and Grow and unleash the power in You!