I've always loved this quote from Ralph Waldo Emerson, because it reminds me that great thoughts and ideas are important, but themselves they don't produce fruit.
"Though is the blossom; language the bud; action the fruit behind it."
After my meeting today with some amazing colleagues, I wanted to take the liberty of appending Emerson's poetic theory with a little of my own experience.
Swimming in the same pool with other brilliant minds made me think how the team of people we surround our ideas with are like the water, oxygen, or even the fertile soil that life needs to grow. For me, that has made all the difference.
While I searched for the Emerson quote to hyperlink, I stumbled upon this exceptional append by Bryant H. McGill. Didn't know him, but he says it well...
"Where wise actions are the fruit of life, wise discourse is the pollination."
So where do you get your pollination, water, oxygen or soil? Are you a DIY individual that works best under a focused and controlled scope and objective in order to make sure things happen as you envision? Or do you thrive in the petri dish of creativity, test and validation, and progression that a team insists on, to bring a group's passion to the purpose and reduce your "squirrel" moments as your chase the goal?
I guess it depends on our personality, circumstances or objective. Or maybe just how we are wired, which pulls us toward certain people, pleasures or work and reinforces it over time.
I'm an ENTP, so that should give it away. If it doesn't, go ask Carol. :)
