Before a child can walk, he or she has to crawl and EVERYONE crawls first before walking. We have been lectured on the importance of the future for so long that we have forgotten that the future is a culmination of steps taken in the NOW.

Please keep in mind that who you are in the small steps is who you’ll be at the end. If you’re miserable on your journey to success, you don’t all of a sudden become the Dalai Lama when you “make it.” There’s no automatic peace, zen, and happiness that comes over you.

I often remind myself that before a plant can bloom, a seed has to go underground. Roots have to take their place, the seed has to be nurtured with water and light; all of these steps are key to the first bloom. The beauty that we see at the end cannot exist without those steps. There is no end without a beginning.