Law of the Seed

Got this story from William:

Law of the Seed

Take a look at an apple tree. There might be five hundred apples on the tree and each apple has ten seeds. That's a lot of seeds!

We might ask, "Why would you need so many seeds to grow just a few more apple trees?"

Nature has something to teach us here.

It's telling us: “Not all seeds grow. In life, most seeds never grow”.

So if you really want to make something happen, you had better try more than once.

This might mean: You'll attend twenty interviews to get one job. You'll interview forty people to find one good employee. And you might meet a hundred acquaintances just to find one special friend.

When we understand the "Law of the Seed", we don't get so disappointed. We stop feeling like victims. We learn how to deal with things that happen to us.

Laws of nature are not things to take personally. We just need to understand them - and work with them.

IN A NUTSHELL Successful people fail more often. But they plant more seeds.

When things are beyond your control, here's something that you must NOT DO so as to avoid misery in your life:
- You must not decide how you think the world SHOULD be.
- You must not make rules for how everyone SHOULD behave.
- Then, when the world doesn't obey your rules, you get angry!
- That's what miserable people do!

On the other hand, let's say you expect that:
-Friends SHOULD return favours.
-People SHOULD appreciate you.
-Planes SHOULD arrive on time.
-Everyone SHOULD be honest.
- Your husband or best friend SHOULD remember your birthday.

These expectations may sound reasonable. But often, these things won'thappen!
So you end up frustrated and disappointed.

There's a better strategy: Demand less, and instead, have preferences!

For things that are beyond your control, tell yourself:
"I would prefer this, but if that happens, it’s OK too!"

This is really a change in mindset. It is a shift in attitude, and it gives you more peace of mind ...
You prefer that people are polite ... but when they are rude, it doesn't ruin your day. You prefer sunshine ... but if it rains, it is ok too!
To become happier, we either need to: a) Change the world, or  b) Change our thinking. It is easier to change our Thinking!

IN A NUTSHELLIt is not the problem that is the issue, but rather it is your attitude attending to the problem that is the problem. It's not what happens to you that determines your happiness. It's how you think about what happens to you!

I'm really feeling this law right now. Since I started working at FTV three years and six months ago, I've been planting lots and lots of seeds. And during this time, I've been doing the rain dance, praying and chanting that the seeds grow, so to speak. And now, some of them are starting to sprout. This reminds me of one scene in Totoro, where Totoro appears and teaches the two sisters how to *correctly* do the rain dance, and they put all their heart into doing it, and pop! pop! POP! things start to grow. (This clip is Totoro is in Swedish, but the language does not matter, as long as you watch it with the heart of a child. Fast forward to 7'30'')

最近對這個"Law of the Seed"特別有感受。
三年六個月前來到民視工作，
一直都在種種籽，跳祈雨舞、念經，
希望種籽快快長大，好像龍貓裡面一幕。
(快轉到7'30'')



Maybe with all those seeds, some will grow into interesting and wonderful possibilities. Maybe some will grow into trees with money as its leaves, or earrings, or shoes or bags or pretty dresses. I'll keep dreaming. And planting seeds. I just emailed an exec at HK Disneyland who says he knows the head of Star TV, and also Corona's media friend in China. We'll see.

或許這麼多種籽當中，
會有各式各樣的樹長出來，
搖錢樹、皮包樹、高跟鞋樹、
飛機票樹、漂亮衣服樹...
我繼續做我的夢，繼續種我的種籽。
今天email一位香港Disneyland的高層，
之前訪問他的時候，他說可以介紹
Star TV的頭頭給我，也email了
Corona在大陸做媒體的朋友。
看看囉。