BEFORE YOU ASK. FIVE STEPS TO SAILING YOUR SUCCESS SLOOP

Often I buy a book because its title attracted me. One such book, “First You Have to Row a Little Boat,” caught my attention. The title revealed what the book was about, crawling before walking, walking before running. Placing fundamentals first is another way of saying, first things first.

As humans, we often believe that we can skip the fundamentals and become a success overnight. People become frustrated when they fall short or fail to reach their goal. Look at every day, week, month, a year as an opportunity to improve yourself; for self-improvement benefits you and the people around you.

I have never sailed a boat—little or big—but I have experienced attempting to overlook the fundaments and the small steps and try to get to the final goal. When we underestimate the steps involved in growing, the example of planting seeds comes to mind. There seem to be five essential and sequential steps required to produce a flower or to develop personal success.

STEP ONE. Plant the seed in fertile ground. Don’t be surprised when the weeds of defeat and discouragement spring up among your seeds. Goal-minded people know to expect and plan for adversity.

STEP TWO. Fertilize and water. The flower doesn’t appear overnight. Don’t become discouraged and quit. Like learning to row a small boat, success takes time, hard work, and concentration.

STEP THREE: Embrace change. Give the seed time to grow. Have faith and the hope of your future and don’t accept the criticism of others. Then one day you, like the little plant, will burst forth into a new environment. Like the planted seed, you want to grow into something majestic.

STEP FOUR: Concentrate on doing the first three steps, and you will reap the fruits of success. Appreciate and celebrate your success.

STEP FIVE. Replant. Look for future growth. There are greater things ahead. The seed of one success replanted carries within it the seeds of the next.

Success begins with successfully rowing a little boat or planting seeds. Sow the seeds of hard work and learn the fundamentals—determine your goal, focus on achieving it—you will excel. Start small, practice, and you will get a flower or sail a Sloop.