Today is one of my favorite days of the year. It’s the first official day of spring. After a long and severe winter with record snow amounts coupled with very cold temperatures, my fellow Minnesotans and I are more than ready for a reprieve.
So it was exciting to find a fresh bouquet of daffodils at the local market. I also took advantage of the 50ish degree temps to be outside on our property. We have Sedum and Hosta plants, both transplant gifts from friends and family. Both are amazingly low maintenance perennials, the first requiring some sun; the second some shade. They have been trampled by our dog, Ted and overall neglected. Yet, they continue to blossom each spring.
It reminded me of one of my favorite quotes:
Bloom where you are planted.”
Each of us can excel and flourish where we are or where we fit in. We can just be good at what we do. Two people discovered this lesson for themselves in very different scenarios:
- The first was a story I heard a number of years ago. A wealthy corporate executive from Wisconsin had acquired a small fortune, and loved what he did. But he had felt an internal tugging of obligation to help those less fortunate than he. Unannounced, he set off for Calcutta, India, to see if he could help Mother Teresa in her missionary work. Upon meeting her, he asked how he could help. To his surprise, she sent him home. She said that he should go back to his work; that he should just be the best executive he could be, so that Wisconsin would never see the poorest of the poor with whom Mother Teresa was working. And so he did. He also founded and directed three charities in his hometown.
- My client, Paula, also experienced a related epiphany. A new college graduate and entry-level administrative assistant, she was impatient to move up the corporate ladder quickly. She was anxious to make six figures. She also wanted to be doing important work, and was frustrated with the mundane tasks she was assigned to. Still living at home with her parents, she declared to them one day that she was going to quit her job. They told her that it was good to start from the bottom and work her way up. Her father said that it was often more gutsy to persevere in a current situation; it would build character. Six years later, she told me that it was a valuable lesson; and had been a strong foundation for her success. At that point, she had risen to the role of Call Center Manager, which she loved.
We are all free to express and explore our gifts and talents. We are only limited by our imagination. Sometimes, it’s good to think about where our roots are firmly planted, and grow our branches from there.
What choices have you made at defining moments of your career? What stories do you have to share?
