One of the great things about March in the UK is that you get to see some lovely daffodils and other bulbs bursting into colour in our gardens and parks. They brighten up the environment after cloudy and gloomy winter months. Daffodils have a special significance for me.

It was a story about daffodils that inspired me to approach tasks in a different way. It taught me valuable lessons about how you can accomplish large tasks and goals over time. I learned that small and incremental steps applied consistently lead to outstanding results.

I remind myself of the story when I feel myself procrastinating, feel overwhelmed or daunted by a task. The wisdom contained in the story was instrumental in the way that I wrote my book Be First Class. I set regular time aside to write a specific number of words and this approach was a significant factor in ensuring the book was completed. The tale taught me that you achieve whatever you set your heart and mind on achieving provided you stay self-disciplined.

I’ve shared the story below and hope that it inspires you to pursue your dreams and desires and helps you to fulfil your potential and be the best you can be.

The Daffodil Principle

Every year, high in the San Bernardino mountain range of Southern California, five acres of beautiful daffodils burst into bloom. Amazingly, this special spot, known as “The Daffodil Garden,” was planted by one person, Gene Bauer, one bulb at a time, beginning in 1958. This story originally appeared in Jaroldeen Edwards’ book Celebration! The story contains details of a mother being taken to see the daffodils in bloom by her daughter Julie. Apparently, Gene Bauer’s house (which was adjacent to the field of daffodils) had a little sign on it which said:-

Answers to the questions I know that you are asking:-

  • 50,000 bulbs
  • One at a time
  • By one woman
  • 2 hands, 2 feet, and very little brain, began in 1958

Gene Bauer planted one bulb at a time to bring her vision of beauty and joy to an obscure mountain top. In doing so, she forever changed the world in which she lived. She had created something of magnificent beauty and inspiration. The life lessons her daffodil garden teach us are:

  • Learn to move towards goals and desires one step at a time (often just one baby-step at a time)
  • Ensure that we get pleasure from the doing
  • Use the accumulation of time
  • When we multiply tiny pieces of time with small increments of daily effort, we can accomplish magnificent things

After seeing the flowers in full bloom, the mother said to her daughter, “It makes me sad in a way, I’m thinking about what I might have accomplished if I’d thought of a wonderful goal thirty-five years ago. If I had worked away at it ‘one bulb at a time’ through all those years, just think what I might have been able to achieve!”

Her daughter summed up the message of the day in her direct way, “Start tomorrow, Mum,” she said, “It’s so pointless to think of the lost hours of our yesterdays. The way to make learning a lesson a celebration instead of a cause for regret is to only ask, how can I put this to use today?”

I have mentioned previously in the blog that life is all about margins and that there’s often a tiny difference between winning and losing, perceived success and failure, hitting or missing a target. I’m sure you can think of examples from your own life experiences where the tiniest of margins determined the outcome of a situation. We all sometimes mistakenly think that we have to keep taking massive action to get a result or make change happen in our life.

The fact is that small incremental steps towards a goal accumulate into massive progress when applied consistently. For instance, it’s worth reminding ourselves sometimes that one action per day towards a goal amounts to 365 separate actions annually. Thirty minutes invested each day in pursuing a goal amounts to 182 hours per year (seven and half days!).

This week why not pause for a few moments and reflect on the following questions:

Is there a task or project (professionally or personally) that you are procrastinating on?

What action step could you take to get things moving?

This week’s quotation:

“Faith is taking the first step even when you don’t see the whole staircase.” Martin Luther King, Jr.

To arrange a free no obligation consultation, please contact Stephen Pauley via the contact form or by e mail: Stephen@befirstclass.co.uk