Wednesday Wit & Wisdom
“If they can make penicillin out of moldy bread, they can sure make something out of you.” Muhammad Ali
Potential is a fascinating thing. By its very nature, it includes an element of disguise. A skill or a talent or a strength is hidden from us, lying dormant, waiting to be released. Oftentimes that skill is surprising. And just as often it can come from an equally surprising place of origin.
In 1928 Dr. Alexander Fleming returned to work in London after a summer vacation to find a mess in his laboratory. Fortunately, for all of us, that mess turned out to contain the keys to making a scientific breakthrough that would revolutionize medicine.
We all need to cultivate the patience and the skill to look at apparent messes with a fresh perspective and see what potential it may contain. What if our first instinct was to curiosity instead of judgment? We must not be quick to rush for the broom and the wastebasket and sweep away our messes. What can we learn from them? What can grow and develop out of them?
No mess is too big to be redeemed.
What is the mess in your life that may contain unrealized potential?
