The Timing of a SEED

People often ask me why I named my firm and consultancy SEED Law and SEED Collective.

First, SEED is an acronym for Strategic Enterprise & Economic Development Law and Collective.

SEED represents the power of the entrepreneurial clients that we work with.

It represents the faith you have to have to make it through the tougher days and building stages.

But personally, SEED also represents a lesson on timing. Today I have a handful of houseplants and I love to see their changes with each season.

After a seed is planted, the germination process requires time and certain conditions. For there to be a sprout or development you need the right mix of medium, nutrition, sunlight, and other factors. The process inherently requires a strength and silence as the sprout works to break ground. I like to think of germination as a plants way of making moves and not announcements.

There have been times in my life where I felt this same almost pregnant pause. Like when I have writers block, but I want to write. Or like when I got really familiar with the Missouri bar exam. Perhaps what is needed for the next season is still germinating, and they do say that patience is a virtue.

I’ve come to appreciate this timing of a seed. I’ve learned that using the “quiet time” wisely matters. When I had to learn this lesson at the beginning of my career, I was determined to learn as much as I could about the legal ramifications of business decisions in the meantime. I developed and directed a construction business incubator. I volunteered. I prayed with a hopeful expectation. I studied. I had to recognize that I was getting everything I needed during the germination process and to trust it instead. Once a seed sprouts, it requires a different kind of care, rest, and development. I’ve found that what I do in the meantime is just as important.

I’d say as a global community, we’ve entered into a new season. There is a lot of germinating happening as we sit as home. Some are using the time wisely- to engage in self-care, take care of and reconnect with your people, make plans and to entertain the occasional burst of productivity. I encourage you use those quiet moments to revisit seeds that have been planted and tend to what’s already growing.