GOT POTENTIAL?

As the Keynote speaker to a large group of students recently at a college and career event, various educational organizations offered their options for study in many fields, including Business and Industry, Medical, Veterinary schools, the Navy, and the Arts

I asked them this question:

What do these things have in common?

An Apple…  A Peanut…  and a BABY?

What is it?

POTENTIAL

They all contain seeds of the future. 

An APPLE?

Most people see an apple and think of the what the fruit has to offer- not the seed, but Johnny Appleseed saw the possibilities of many apples hidden inside each seed.


A PEANUT?

The first black botanist, George Washington Carver, was asked how he discovered over 300 uses for the peanut. He replied, “Every day I’d ask God, ‘God, Why did you make the peanut?'” 

We are so much bigger than a peanut, imagine the possibilities if we asked, “Why did you make ME?”


“Mighty Oaks from little acorns grow”

A BABY?

As Galadriel from The Lord Of The Rings said:

“Even the smallest person can change the course of the future”

The greatest persons in history all needed their diapers changed as infants. No one starts out fully grown. We all need help from others. 

YOU ARE NOT ALONE

People have been trying to share their knowledge since time began.

People have been trying to share their wisdom and knowledge since time began -through WORDS, BOOKS and ACTIONS. Why? To help others. They want to share what they know and hope someone will unwrap the gift they have to give to the world. It’s all out there for you to find, if you look for it. 

Communication is the KEY

Communication is like throwing a ball back and forth.I throw some words at you, then you throw some back to me. Learn to listen attentively to ‘catch’ the ball before you throw yours back! Pay attention intently. Keep channels of communication open, by letting the ball go back and forth. Learn to think and analyze and communicate your thoughts accurately. And learn to love reading so you can absorb knowledge from other folks who have gone to the trouble of writing it down to share it with YOU! 


INFANTS BENEFIT FROM READING! 

Have you got a little one? Learning to love READING starts with the first snuggly cuddle with a book while sitting in someone’s lap. I remember the warm fuzzies I got while my mom read to me as a child.

A great idea: 

Make an I CAN’ book to begin the lifelong journey to love reading. Use photos of THEM in it, and keep adding pages as they grow!

A tiny infant who can barely lift his head,  needs to train their nerves and muscles in order to eventually sit up, stand up and then eventually WALK. It is absolutely an amazing feat. I heard that learning to walk is the hardest thing a person will ever be required do in their entire life. And that means that if we have managed to get through the most difficult thing we will ever be asked to do, then we evidently already have the strength to overcome other struggles that come our way!

“Mighty Oaks from little acorns grow.” 

An I CAN’ book is just one way to help your little acorn to begin to see their growth and realize their POTENTIAL! 

Will a seed always grow to it’s full potential? 

No. A seed can fall into a crack and get stuck. But you’re not a plant – you can get up and walk, so there is always hope. It’s up to YOU, once you’re big enough.

Ralph Waldo Emerson said:

“Make the most of yourself,  for that is all there is of You.”

How do we do that?

A.S.K.  

Ask and it will be given. Seek and you will find. Knock, and the door will be opened. You are not alone in your struggles. There are lots of people all over the place who would want to help you – IF YOU WOULD ONLY ASK THEM! Keep looking and you will find them. 


Everyone has a story to tell.

When I was 6 years old, my older sister mentioned she was reading a book she called an ‘autobiography’. When I asked her what that word meant, she said, “That’s when you write down your life’s story.”

Shocked, I exclaimed, “You mean… they’re gonna ask me to write it all DOWN?”

I worried, “But – I’ve forgotten so much, already!”

Then and there, at 6 years old, I sat right down and determined to remember everything that had happened in my life, starting from yesterday, the day before that, and so on, as far back as I could. In the weeks to come I recalled sections of my toddlerhood, snippets of my life at a few months of age, and I even remembered being born.

What’s YOUR story?


Everyone wants a life of significance.

Most people look at successful people and imagine their journey looked something like this:

But in reality it probably looked more like this:

How DO you succeed?

Aim for your dearest dreams.  If you aim at nothing, you’ll hit it every time. Keep your aim on what you truly yearn for, and the way will be shown for it to come to you.

Abraham Lincoln said:

“You cannot fail, unless you QUIT.”

SEEDS TAKE TIME TO GROW

Progress, however slow, is still progress. 

Develop Good Habits, including patience with yourself, and the time it takes to develop into your best self.

HABITS ARE ACTIONS, BUILT UP STRAIGHT AND TALL LIKE BRICKS LAID TOGETHER TO FORM A HIGH WALL. WHEN ONCE THEY ARE BUILT, IT IS SO HARD TO BREAK THEM, YOU’D BETTER BE CAREFUL, ABOUT HOW YOU MAKE THEM!

DON’T BE AFRAID OF HARD WORK

I always told my kids, and now my students, that all of life involves suffering of one sort or another. You can either suffer doing a job you love, or suffer doing a job you hate. Much better to suffer for something you love. So aim for a job you love. Work hard at developing your talents and abilities towards a field of work you love. Do it with all your might.

Helen Keller said:

I am only one, but still I am one. I cannot do everything, but still I can do something. And because I cannot do everything, I will not refuse to do the something that I can do.”  

Remember: Where there is life, there is hope. As long as there are people who need help, there’s a place for you in the world.


This is the message I share with hundreds of students at elementary schools I visit, encouraging them to take advantage of school and learn everything they can while they have the opportunity – before they grow up and are too busy working for a living. I tell them, “Don’t wait. Take advantage of every chance to learn something new. And keep learning. NOW is the only time we ever have. 

LITTLE ONES NEED ‘WATERING’ TO GROW

I founded EDU DESIGNS after my 7 kids grew up and I realized there were more children out there who needed positive media and educational resources to lift them up. THEY will become the adults in charge one day, when we are old and need them!

If you believe in our mission, please share this message.

And if you can spare a little ‘water’, please DONATE!