If you focus on results, you will never change. If you focus on change you will get results.

Jack Dixon, a wise soul with a knack for poignant truths, once said: “If you focus on results, you will never change. If you focus on change, you will get results.” It is a paradigm shift quote. It’s the difference between chasing butterflies and cultivating a garden.

Think about it. Chasing butterflies is exhilarating. The hunt, the thrill of the catch, the fleeting beauty in your grasp. But what then? The butterfly, fragile and ephemeral, succumbs to your touch. The chase starts anew, leaving behind a trail of empty victories and a heart full of “what ifs.”

Cultivating a garden, on the other hand, is a different dance. It’s about nurturing, tending, and witnessing transformation. You plant seeds, not knowing if they’ll sprout. You weather storms, nourish the soil, and learn from mistakes. But slowly, steadily, something magical happens. A bud emerges, a leaf unfurls, and then, one glorious morning, a bloom explodes in vibrant color.

The butterfly, in its fleeting beauty, represents the quick fix, the instant gratification that leaves us empty. The garden, with its slow, steady growth, embodies the journey of change, the process of becoming. It’s in this process, in the sweat and the tears, the failures and the triumphs, that we truly evolve. We learn resilience, we discover new possibilities, and we witness the beauty of unfolding potential.

This isn’t just a theoretical concept. Take Sarah, a single mom juggling two jobs and a hungry toddler. Her focus was on results – putting food on the table, keeping a roof over their heads. But amidst the chaos, she stumbled upon a free online coding class. It was a detour, a seed planted in the midst of her whirlwind life. Yet, she nurtured that seed, stealing moments between laundry and bedtime stories to learn. The change was slow, but the results were transformative. Within a year, Sarah landed a junior developer role, opening doors she never thought possible.

This isn’t about downplaying the importance of goals. It’s about understanding that the most worthwhile goals are not just destinations, but journeys.

So, let’s shift our focus. Let’s chase butterflies only to admire their beauty, not to possess them. Let’s cultivate gardens, nurturing the seeds of change within us, and watch as they blossom into lives filled with purpose, growth, and the most satisfying results of all: the transformation of ourselves.

Remember, dear reader, the greatest results often lie not in the end, but in the becoming. Let’s cultivate a world where change isn’t just tolerated, but embraced, where we chase butterflies with joy and tend our gardens with love, knowing that the most beautiful flowers bloom not in the chase, but in the gentle act of growth.