The Seed That’s Always There

I’ve often heard the phrase, “Life is tough. It’s even tougher if you’re stupid.” As harsh as that may be, here’s some context: I could share dozens of difficult situations I fought through in my teens and early twenties, most of which were self-induced, that could have provided me with far more value had I been willing to search for the complete lesson. Even when I learned a little bit of what not to do, I won’t pretend that I pulled as much as I should have - at least not at the time. Bad situations are only leadership’s best teacher when the student is ready and willing to learn. Early on, I was that unwilling student far too often.

Having asked you to consider (and jot down) a bad situation you’ve dealt with that still stings, let’s revisit that briefly now. Simply thinking about it doesn’t teach us much. In many cases, that just upsets our apple cart all over again! In his 1937 book, Think and Grow Rich, Napoleon Hill shared a powerful quote I’ve heard referenced hundreds (possibly thousands) of times over the last thirty years, “Every adversity, every failure, every heartache carries with it the seed of an equal or greater benefit.” I can’t think of a single time where I’ve heard that from a motivational speaker and didn’t feel at least some better about whatever nonsense I was fighting through at the time. Unfortunately, that warm & fuzzy feeling didn’t last much longer than their talk.

As powerful as Hill’s statement is, I’ve rarely heard anyone provide his full context. He referenced that throughout Think and Grow Rich, then went on to explain that while the seed exists, that does not equate to automatically receiving the equal or greater benefit. Knowing that there is a seed is certainly better than not knowing. But seeds are small and can easily be missed. And even if we find it, magic doesn’t just happen on its own. Jack’s beanstalk didn’t come out of nowhere… Seeds are hidden in the dirt of failure; most people miss them because they quit, blame, or coast. Success comes from actively finding, planting, and nurturing them through reflection, persistence, and action.

Now, think back to the bad situation you jotted down. Were you able to pull a lesson from it right away? If not, do it now. Lessons from even the best teachers rarely slap us in the face. All too often, we miss them the first time around and we’re forced to repeat that lesson again - and sometimes again. I can say with complete transparency that I’m still finding the seeds from adversities I struggled through years ago. We’ll take a quick look at what we absolutely must do to have any hope of realizing that equal or greater benefit next. Until then, reflect on your bad situation to uncover every possible seed that could be hidden in it.