The Seed of Advantage

Napoleon Hill, personal success guru of the early 1900’s, often spoke and wrote of the “seed of advantage” present in every difficult situation.

He contends that every adversity contains within it a seed of equivalent advantage, even if initially hidden. Hill studied success and failure for decades and discovered a pattern that all people who eventually succeed always look for that seed. And once discovered, they nurture and develop that seed to their advantage and eventually reap a harvest of success and contribution to the world.

One such living legend today is a man named Nick Vujicic. Nick was born in Australia…without arms or legs. There is no medical explanation for his condition. Growing up he struggled immensely. And out of that struggle came a definite purpose for Nick’s life, his seed of advantage. He now travels the globe proclaiming his message that “God can use a life without limbs to show the world how to live a life without limits!” He is truly remarkable.

 

We are surrounded by accomplished people that have discovered the seed of advantage in truly difficult circumstances. You may be very familiar with the following folks…but not so familiar with the journey they have walked:

Jim Carrey’s famous funny faces that have brought laughter to millions got their start when Jim was young and his mother was very sick and bed ridden. He started making faces for her as a kid just to see her laugh.

Agatha Christie was dyslexic as a child. The tenacity and ambition she used to overcome dyslexia strengthened her to become one of the world’s most famous authors.

Winston Churchill had a speech impediment—he stuttered. So to overcome stuttering, Winston practiced speeches, debates, arguments thoroughly and well in advance. In doing so he became more knowledgeable and fluent on the issues than anyone else, which gave him a tremendous edge over other leaders. He became Prime Minister of England and spoke with authority when he boldly declared to his country, “Never, ever, ever, ever, ever give up!”

To find the seed, first we have to acknowledge it exists. This can be the toughest part, because it is usually buried under a rubble heap of pain, loss, confusion embarrassment, or failure. And we must be willing to dig deep and sift through all of it. But the more we practice looking, the more we will experience finding.

Are you open to looking this week? What is your difficulty that you have only been able to see as a difficulty? What seed of advantage is waiting on you to be discovered in there?

Be Great!

Becky