February is “Plant the Seeds of Greatness” month, a campaign designed to encourage people to “remove barriers and make a change in your life for the better.” Change can be in the areas of personal development, family life, business or community.
Seeds of Greatness is authored by Denis Waitley. He explains that planting the seeds of greatness is based on the belief that the power of the mind can overcome virtually any obstacle. Waitley, his mother and brother were abandoned by his father when he was nine years old and his brother was only two. His youth was spent struggling but fortunately, Waitley had a loving grandmother who lived 20 miles away. He would bicycle to her house every weekend.
Waitley’s grandmother taught him to look beyond his circumstances to become the person he was meant to be. She taught him how to plant a garden. He says, “I was amazed that the tiny seeds we were burying in the ground would become something we would later harvest and eat.” His grandmother told him that they were planting seeds of greatness. Many years later, Seeds of Greatness would become a New York Times best-seller.
When Waitley entered the Naval Academy after high school, he became a nuclear weapons pilot and electrical engineer. Through this experience, he learned to understand “target seeking and reaching goals” that he “could not see in advance due to the darkness” in front of him. He left the Navy and became a financial public relations representative, but his dream was to become a writer and public speaker.
Opportunity presented itself when Waitley approached a scientist working on the beachfront property of the Salk Institute for Biological Studies. Waitley was just being his friendly, talkative self, not knowing who he was chatting up. Before the conversation ended, Dr. Jonas Salk, inventor of the polio vaccine, had offered Waitley the job of fundraiser for the institute. Salk was introverted and intuited through their chat that Waitley was a natural speaker, perfect for fundraising. Although the pay was not high, Waitley was able to meet remarkable people through Dr. Salk.
Waitley says, “I learned that if you are not doing what your passion is, you are putting it on layaway. One might work at something simply to receive a paycheck, but any free time should be used in pursuit of one’s ultimate goal.”
As a result of this insight, he gave 500 speeches for free, recorded each one and analyzed his own strengths and weaknesses in delivery. The planting of these seeds, in the form of speeches, led to meeting the renowned Earl Nightingale, the first person to sell a recorded speech and nicknamed the “father of motivational speaking.” Nightingale and his partner eventually ended up recording and marketing one of Waitley’s speeches, entitled The Psychology of Winning. It became the No. 1 best-selling program in personal growth of all time in 1978.
One thing led to another, all because Waitley continued to plant seeds of greatness. He says, “Remember, most successful people don’t enjoy success until later in life. Determine your gifts, focus on them and be you. Chase your passion and not your pension, and make certain you hang around optimists.”
As a LifePharm IBO, how are you planting seeds of greatness? Are you on Auto-Delivery and regularly consuming the products so you can create more endorsements? Are you making calls, sending emails and connecting with friends, family and acquaintances? Are you asking for referrals? Plant some seeds: you never know who will turn into your next best leg.