The Daffodil Principle

                   Creating a Legacy One Small Step at a Time

An email reminds us of an important lesson on how to get better: 

“Thank you for the superior customer service,” writes an Amazon customer following a day of back and forth, blogging, tweeting, emailing and phoning to get a packaged delivered safely.  “Would like to praise the customer service of @LaserShip,” continued the customer.  First choice is for there not to be a problem, but appreciate the follow-up when things go awry.  Would recommend and use again.”

   The point:  We get better and better in small steps.  We don’t just take a leap to the level of perfect in one giant leap.  Excellence is achieved in small steps, making a vision come true one day of effort at a time: Which is the lesson from the daffodil garden:

    Each spring the daffodils emerge.  For those who live in California there are 5 acres of a mountainside completely covered in daffodils.  Each spring it looks as though someone has taken a great vat of gold and poured it down over the mountain peak and slopes. The flowers are planted in great swirling patterns—great ribbons and swaths of orange, white, yellow and pink. Each different colored variety was planted as a group so that when the flowers emerge they flow like its own river with its own unique hue.

   Near the daffodil garden there is a sign with a posting: "Answers to the Questions I Know You Are Asking.”  The first question is answered: “1 million bulbs.”  The second answer reads, "One at a time, by one woman.” The third answer states: “Began in 1958."

   This one woman started more than 50 years ago, planting one bulb at a time to bring her vision of beauty and joy to an obscure mountain top. Still, just planting one bulb at a time, year after year, has changed the world for those who have the opportunity to witness the springtime event.  She created something of indescribable magnificence, beauty, and inspiration.

   The principle her daffodil garden teaches is one of the greatest principles which brings us back to the beginning of this story: 

We did not just reach perfection overnight in being able to get an Amazon customer to appreciate our efforts—it took a lot of small steps.

   Moving toward our goals is a long term proposition that requires us to have a vision of what we want to achieve and of the legacy we want to leave; it takes effort one step at a time—often just one baby step at a time; it takes learning from each step, loving the doing and perfecting the next step just a little each time; finally it takes learning to use the accumulation of time—when we multiply tiny pieces of time with small increments of daily effort, we too will find we can accomplish magnificent things. We can achieve greatness and a lasting legacy.