BLOOM WHERE YOU ARE PLANTED I love sports because the world can watch amazing stories of character, teamwork and perseverance unfold. Jalen Hurts, the backup quarterback for Alabama, did not win the starting position during training camp and could have left for another college team but he said he put it in God's hands and stayed. He kept working and improving and supporting the team as a backup hoping he would get another chance to play. When the starter, Tua Tagovailoa, went down with an ankle injury during Saturday's game Jalen Hurts came in and miraculously won the game for his team. Gary Danielson, the CBS broadcaster who was calling the game, said "when you are a good guy and teammate somehow the game finds you again." It was incredible to watch a young man be rewarded for his faithfulness and commitment to his team in front of a national audience of millions of people. As I reflected on what happened I couldn't help but think about all the people who leave a situation when things don't go their way or when things get hard. They think the grass is greener so they leave to pursue something new but they never develop the character that comes from enduring a current challenge. They move from job to job, relationship to relationship or school to school hoping to find happiness and success. But what they don't realize is that you don't find happiness and success by chasing it. It finds you when you develop your character and become a better person. Please know that I'm not saying everyone should stay in every situation. If a situation is toxic or harmful you need to not just walk away but run away. If you know without a doubt there is another opportunity meant for you then you go. If prayer and advice from trusted friends confirm something you have been feeling in your gut then you follow it and go. But don't leave just because it's hard or something didn't go your way. Don't leave if you know you still have more to learn and grow where you are. Don't leave when you know in your heart you should stay. The best advice I can give is what I shared in The Seed. Instead of always looking for a greener pasture, plant yourself where you are and bloom where you are planted. Become the best you can be, keep improving, make a difference where you are, be a great team member and you will grow into the person and leader you are meant to be. Don't rush the future. There is a process that seeds must go through in order to become all they are destined to become and you must go through this same process to become the person you are meant to be and do the work you are meant to do. If you are meant to be planted somewhere else it will happen. You will know when it's time. But for today, wherever you are, plant yourself right there and invest in the root (your character, growth and development) and in the right time and right place you will produce an incredible harvest. - Jon
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