We live in a culture that emphasizes external things - like physical beauty, job titles, and advertising. But, reality is what is INSIDE. One of creation's greatest mysteries is the seed. When you hold an apple seed in your hand, you're not only holding an apple seed, you're holding an apple tree, and future generations of apple trees. They are all resident in that seed.

The most essential parts of your existence are Within you. They exist in seed form. So, a lot of life is a matter of planting the right seeds within the soil of the existence. A seed can't create anything unless it's within the SOIL. Your soil is your daily existence - the events you attend, the books you read, the work you do, the individuals you invest time with, and also the habits of the heart. This is your life and your soil.

By planting the correct seeds in your soil, you will find yourself entering an nearly agricultural rhythm. When a seed falls into the soil, it takes on a life of its own. That seed requires more than. It is like a woman pregnant. The growing existence inside her womb takes more than. It calls the shots. Her whole existence - her health, her moods, her activities, everything - flexes to accommodate this growing life.

It's the same way with other seeds. For example, if you read Norman Vincent Peale's classic book "The Power of Positive Thinking," it will plant the seed of a positive attitude down deep in your life. And, you know what? That attitude takes over. Every time a negative thought comes to your mind, that positive attitude growing inside you will emit a small beep in your mind. You'll suddenly realize, "Uh oh. I need to be careful. I reject that negative thought. I gotta take care of this baby of positive thinking growing inside me."

You have the energy to destroy the seeds developing up in you. You can destroy them. For example, a watermelon seed has enormous energy. But, should you douse the ground with gasoline or other toxic substance, that watermelon seed will die. It'll never create fruit. Oliver Wendell Holmes said, "What lies in front of us is a little thing when compared with what inside us." So, it's critically essential for leaders to invest much more time on what's inside, than on the externals. We should always be cautious to maintain internal integrity.

"What lies in front of us is a little point compared to what lies inside us." -- Holmes