Pay Close Attention to Your Goal

When driving, or even walking down a path, it is likely that our thoughts are on the far-yonder, and the flowers along the way are easily overlooked, or a reminder that it is allergy time!   Of course, you have to stop your journey in order to pay close attention to the flowers. And, that is just the point of the distraction!  In life, we are often too busy, or in too much of a hurry to actually take the time and the effort to examine the details. It is in paying attention to the details that our goals are achieved. 

In this picture of the road, you can see the vision of you want: the mountain top that is far away!  You can also see part of the pathway for getting there.  You may have been dreaming about and envisioning your goal for a long time. 

WHAT IS THE PICTURE IN YOUR MIND?

You may have a picture in your mind about the way the top of that mountain looks! It has some very cold snow on it, from the top you can see for miles all around you!  You can see also that there trees are different and you hear the sound of the wind.  You might be anticipating the feeling of excitement about getting to the top of that mountain, where you can even taste the crisp cold air and see for miles.  This envisioning with all your senses is very important as you set out your goals.  You must have a vision of where you want to be, or you cannot get there!   It’s like being at the edge of your driveway and forgetting where you were headed:  to the office or to the grocery store.  Without the image in your head you cannot turn left or right! 

You may have even laid out some milestones on a map to help you see how far you have come.  Since this could be a life goal, work goal, or education goal, the mountain is actually a metaphor, so the map in this case would not be a regular map, but it might be a list of things that you have to do.  This is where the flowers along the way play an important role.  I have  a wooden paperweight on my bookcase that provides a suggestion for those of us who are in a hurry and so excited we forget to take the time to experience where we are and what we might learn from out current situation.  The saying is:  “Don’t hurry!  Don’t worry!  Stop, and smell the flowers.”  So what does this really mean?  For me, smelling the flowers, especially these pretty yellow ones brings about sneezing and eye watering!   There must be another message!  So let’s take a look at the flowers, close up! 

FLOWERS KNOW WHAT IT TAKES TO ACHIEVE THEIR GOAL

Notice where the flowers have put themselves!  They are right along the pathway where everyone can find them!  Look at the intricacy of what actually makes up this flower!  It has a very long stem that brings water to the plant, and especially to the flower and helps also with photosynthesis. The petals are many and they are evenly distributed with each petal looking slightly different from another.  The black center is where the action takes place.  Bees and butterflies are attracted to the flowers, sit upon the petals and gather nectar from the plan while at the same time picking up the pollen and flying off to another flower to share the pollen.  What an amazing design.  What can we learn from this beautiful little sunflower (probably a weed in someone’s book)? 

WHAT WE CAN LEARN FROM THE FLOWERS

Here are some suggestions: 

∙ How is your goal contributing to the growth and development of your family, your community, your company, or your team? 

∙ How  are you attracting others to help you with your goal? 

∙ How are you making yourself attractive so that others will want to help you along? 

∙ What do you have to offer that others might need?

∙ How are you gathering nourishment along your way?  (i.e. What are you learning? How are you growing spiritually?)

YOU ALSO HAVE AN INNATE PURPOSE

Another thing to marvel at with these pretty little flowers, is that they are very hearty and have evolved to overcome a variety of problems that the annuals we buy at the store experience!  They grow even though the soil is not perfect and the water may be limited.  They don’t have any humans tending to them; rather they depend upon their Creator to take care of them.  They fulfill their purpose and achieve their goal by living the way they were supposed to live.  A sunflower knows what it means to be a sunflower.  If we allow ourselves to focus on the details of who we are, what our purpose is, and what our path could be, then we will be able to identify the need that is out there and we can fill it.