[To listen to an audio version of this blog post, please click here: https://www.buzzsprout.com/1396123/8956548]

When this is published, I will be starting my first day in full-time employment for decades. It will be a massive relief to close the door on activities that haven’t borne fruit – years of work with nothing to show for it.

…or is there nothing to show for it? I thought this new chapter would provide an elegant way to say, “No,” to the further investment of my time in daily video production. On the Friday before starting the new job, I fulfilled a promise to myself to create 90 videos, less than a minute long each. These videos have a single focus: an inspirational quote from one of the thinking giants of history. They’ve taken a lot of time and effort to produce – with no clear benefit to me other than proving to myself I can keep a promise. No, the benefit was focused on sharing value with the people who are kind enough to look at my Social Media feeds (LinkedIn and YouTube in this case).

I think Caroline’s tireless efforts at Moodscope are similar. Caroline is wonderful at finding a quote to go with each blog, and I don’t perceive any financial benefit in this activity for Caroline. That’s not what is motivating the generous investment of her time.

Thus, what I am about to say to myself, I say to Caroline, and I say to you: we don’t know the extent of the good we do. Our seeds are, for the most part, ‘silent seeds’.

I say, “for the most part,” because as soon as I’d decided to save time and stop producing daily inspirational posts, some of my seeds started talking back! I believe it is five people who have said to me this week how helpful they find the brief posts. One even said it had inspired him to have a go at video himself. Now I feel like I can’t stop sharing what inspires me. Do I have to do it daily? I think I do. I believe in ‘Daily Bread’ – fresh inspiration each and every day. So does Caroline.

Here’s an idea or two. Don’t be a silent seed. If you’ve benefited from Moodscope – explicitly tell Caroline – even if you’ve told her before. Let her know that her daily investment is paying off in your life. Secondly, have faith in your own silent seeds. Every bit of good you do – every kind word, every kind deed, every kind look – is a viable seed. You will most certainly never know the full extent of the good you’ve done but I can assure you that your kindness is bearing fruit.

We scatter seed on the ground…“Night and day, whether she|he sleeps or gets up, the seed sprouts and grows, though she|he does not know how. All by itself the soil produces grain – first the stalk, then the head, then the full kernel in the head…”

You can trust your seeds – every seed of kindness. Your job is not to check in on the seed. Your job is to have faith that, no matter how ‘silent’ your seeds are, they are growing. Don’t quit.

Lex

A Moodscope member.