Focus on What You Plant

At last year’s Professional Speaking Association conference, one of the standout keynotes was from Steve Bustin, my guest from episode 248 Get Your Voice Heard. In his talk Sowing the Seeds of Business Growth, exploring the metaphor of a business as a garden, he asked us:

When was the last time you planted a seed?

At the end of his keynote, Steve handed each delegate a seed with a simple instruction: sow it when you have an idea. When that seed germinates, launch your idea into the world. Then, reinvest by planting the next generation of seeds from your crop to double your potential.

Well, here I am, a year on. I did plant my seed when I had an idea. It was the creation of my Meaningful Success Mastermind. I nurtured it carefully, and like a young plant, it grew into something real and thriving.

Since then, I’ve also moved. My new home comes with the most incredible garden; a living metaphor for what I learned from Steve's talk. This garden is well established, abundant and full of potential and yet feel I’ve only just uncovered a fraction of its treasures. The seasons will gradually reveal what lies beneath the surface, just as time reveals new opportunities in my life and business.

In his keynote, Steve shared powerful plant analogies in what sort of business we have and what conditions are needed for growth. Reflecting on these through the lens of my new garden has been transformative as each plant type has taught me something about my business:

Annuals may arrive in a blaze of colour but they also fade quickly. They’ve reminded me to let go of services that felt great but actually drained me or weren't serving me long term.

Perennials which retreat underground in winter gathering strength to return each year have shown me the value of pacing myself, choosing to run only two programs annually rather than being ‘always on’.

Shrubs form the backbone of a garden offering strength and stability. For me, they represent the two people I’ve brought on this year to support me in growing my business, enabling me to nurture areas which have been neglected.

Trees now bring a much-needed shift of meaning in their roles and responsibilities. In my previous garden, towering beech and sweet chestnut trees overshadowed everything else. They symbolised legacy but they also stifled new growth. My new garden is different: with just two dominant trees and a few smaller fruit trees, they create space for legacy while simultaneously encouraging diversity of fresh opportunities to grow and flourish.

Weeds in my new garden are very much welcomed not shunned. The wildflower patch here is alive with bees, butterflies and slow worms. It’s a haven for the unconventional, a reminder that what doesn’t conform still holds immense value. To me, this space represents possibility, freedom and the hidden purpose of things often overlooked.

Since moving, over the last three months, Steve's analogies of what a garden can offer has helped reshape my mindset with the revelation to be unconditional not positional. My time spent in the garden has been restorative, transformative and deeply productive.

As I plan for 2026, my intentions align with my core values of transformation, contribution, connectedness, growth, legacy, possibility and opportunity. Alongside planting the second generation of Bustin’s broad beans, I see these seeds as symbols of deep fulfilment and stewardship of vision, creation and growth. They embody the power of patience and compounding: a harvest that comes only after a year of tending. I know I am creating a more purposeful way of life that balances where I am today with where I want to be tomorrow. Exciting times lie ahead.

Thank you, Steve. Your keynote planted far more than one seed that day. One year on, its impact continues to grow through the ongoing practice of reflection with action. For that, I’m truly grateful.

I wonder: how many others in that room went on to sow their seeds and what has blossomed for them since?

Focus on What You Plant! Focus on Why!

REFLECTION WITH ACTION: If you planted one idea today, what would you want it to become a year from now?