I have a small garden in my backyard. Every year, I plant a few fruits and vegetables in it.
A couple of months ago, I planted some seeds in small pots and kept them inside the house where the warmer temperature would allow them to germinate before I transplant them into the garden once it's warm enough outside.
Despite my diligence, it's been interesting to see that not all the seeds I planted have germinated. Some have refused to sprout at all. Others have not shown any noticeable growth over the past month. But I didn't discard them. I continued to care for those plants.
I'm confident that some (if not all) of them will eventually produce fruits.
Most of us know the process of seed germination and growth very well. When you plant a seed, you don’t harvest the fruit or the produce from it right away. It takes time for the seed to grow and be nurtured before you can get a harvest from it.
This is a natural law. And this Law of Gestation applies to many things in life. The law says that everything takes time to manifest; to be evident. Most things in nature don’t materialize immediately. They don’t happen by fiat.
Even then, there are times we expect things to happen a little faster. But a wrong expectation doesn't change natural laws. They only bring disappointments.
About a year ago when I planted corn seeds, I expected them to sprout in 3 days. When they didn't, I began to wonder what was wrong. My mind went back to my high school days when I took a class called Agricultural Science.
The practical part of that class required you to plant different seeds on an assigned plot on the school farm. You nurtured them to full growth and your grade was partly determined by how well they did. Corn (we also called it maize) was the most common thing planted. From that experience, I seemed to recollect that they sprouted after 3 days of planting the seeds.
I was wrong!
Could it be that the seeds were different? Was the soil more fertile?
Anyway, for the seeds I planted last year, I eventually took a look at the packet in which they came, and it clearly said it takes up to 7 days to germinate. How did I miss that before? I think I just ignored the instructions. I thought I knew better.
True to form, I saw the first of the corn seeds sprout on the 6th day. To compound the situation, each seed has a different gestational period. For example, tomato seeds can sometimes take up to 21 days before you begin seeing any sign of life.
Between the time you sow the seed and when you reap the harvest, you must continue to nurture the plant by watering it and clearing the weeds around it. Without such nurturing, it dies.
Still, some seeds never germinate even when planted in the same soil under the same conditions as the ones that do germinate. Some of the tomato and pepper seeds I planted a couple of months ago did not sprout at all.
Was the problem with the seed itself? Was it a planter error? Could it be that I buried the seed too deep that it just gave up on fighting to get through the extra layers of soil?
Whatever the situation, the fact is that the Law of Gestation is true when we plant seeds. It's also true with what we do to achieve success in life. For example, if you're a job seeker, your search for that next job opportunity follows a similar pattern.
You prepare the soil and plant the seeds by researching the companies you want to with while networking and building relationships with those who can help you - recruiters and employees in those companies.
As it is with seeds, some of your efforts will sprout a tiny plant while others will not. In this example, a sprouting plant is analogous to being offered that first interview for some of the positions you applied to. Others don't get the same result.
Some candidates get excited at this stage and they stop connecting, networking or applying to other positions. This is not the time to stop. Yes, you have one or two sprouting plants but you have no harvest yet.
You continue to do your due diligence by preparing for interviews and moving on to the next stages. This is similar to continuing to water the plant, clearing the weeds to allow it to grow, and adding fertilizer (obtaining references) if necessary.
All of these will eventually lead you to a bounty harvest (getting a job offer) as you continue. It's important to remember that the desired result only comes with ongoing effort. You take the actions that you expect will lead you to success, and continue with it. You refine it if needed. You adjust, if necessary.
In general, there are a few things to keep in mind:
Gestational periods are not created equal. The gestational (or waiting) period before your success shows up after taking actions in a particular area of your life could be completely different from the gestational period before your success shows up after taking actions in another area, just like it's not the same with different plant seeds. You don't quit if you don't see immediate results after a few weeks or months. Depending on what it is, you may need to make adjustments but you don't give up.
Past achievement is not a guarantee of present success. Actions that may have produced success in the past may not lead to success currently because present conditions and circumstances may not be the same as before. Understand the impact of the times and seasons of life that you're in, and adjust accordingly.
Have realistic expectations. Ensure that your expectations on when success will arrive are realistic. Even after your planted seed sprouts in 21 days, understand that the tiny plant is not the ultimate fruit you're expecting. After a tomato plant sprouts, you still have to wait a few months before actual tomatoes show up and get ripe for picking. You reap success after you've persevered and done the work.
No matter how tough or rough things are right now, be encouraged. You must persevere. Success comes to those who endure.
This means continuing to do the work by consistently practicing what you’ve learned (just like you water the seed and plant) and regularly removing any distractions (getting rid of the weeds) which can choke your efforts.
Your success will come soon if you don't quit.
Just wait for it