Sunflowers, seeds and success

Pause for Thought on BBC Radio 2, Zoe Ball Breakfast Show

Sunflowers, seeds and success

Script:

The first and only time I ever won anything was when I was six years old. I was awarded the school prize for the tallest sunflower competition, managing to win over all the rival kids in the local Kent area.

Months earlier, I treated my little sunflower seed like a rare jewel, and with the help of my dad, I buried the mini treasure in the best spot in the garden. Every day for weeks on end, I watered, waited and wished for a miracle.

And Allah delivered: the towering plant reached the heavens, and back at the school assembly, my sunflower was announced as the winner. Applause resounded around the hall, and I embraced my shining moment of glory.

But, at 6, I peaked too soon. For what ensued was a life full of no wins, no awards and no recognition. 

“What does success look like?” asked someone in a car pool of award-winning creatives I was travelling – and feeling insecure – with recently. The question prompted some differing answers. For one person, success was about tangible impact, for another it was about personal refinement, for another, it was a trap that set you up for failure.

It made me think of all the times I had tried and tried and not quite got there. Like passing exams without flying colours, failing at getting dream jobs, and not giving the world or myself all the goals of positive change I wished I could. 

All I ever wanted was to do my best throughout life, but a sunflower didn’t always come. Yet, I realise that the outcome is never in my hands – but the intention, the effort, that seed I plant, always can be. 

“Fret not where the road will take you,” says the 12th century-born Persian Muslim poet, Shams Tabrizi. “Instead, concentrate on the first step. That is the hardest part..Once you take that step, let everything do what it naturally does, and the rest will follow. Don’t go with the flow. Be the flow”. 

I will embrace the flow, and not be hung up on the outcome, success or awards. Whether a sunflower blooms or not, I just need to plant that seed, the rest will follow. 

To listen, click here Pause for Thought on BBC Radio 2, Zoe Ball Breakfast Show