On the road the other day, I listened to a CD by a well-known dental personality speak about foundational values. I speak about this myself, and I’m always reassured that others see the value in establishing a core foundation for anything you build. That’s where the garden comes in! An avid gardener with a passionate fondness for flowers, I promised myself, to visit a botanical garden in every place I speak. After one of my presentations I found the Knoxville Botanical Garden online and visited before I headed home.
It was a brilliantly clear, blue-sky day – perfect for viewing all things botanical in a garden. The thing is – nothing was blooming in March! However, what intrigued me about the garden was its interesting old stone structures. The website described the garden as “… a magical place with whimsical round stone buildings, stone-sided greenhouses and secret garden paths and alleys.” I was charmed, and so that’s where I headed.
Rocks and stones have historically provided foundational structure for, not only gardens, but dwellings, homesteads, pastures, property, as well as protection and land erosion. Throughout various cultures, walls have been not only functional, but beautiful in their various construction designs by humans and their distinctive colors, patterns, and shapes – their aesthetic beauty provided by nature.
Stone structures are a perfect example of man utilizing nature to a functional and beautiful benefit. As I wandered around these exquisite old stone structures, I again contemplated the importance of establishing a philosophical core foundation for anything we build. Our dental practices thrive on a foundation of solid clinical and business protocols. Any project benefits from a foundation of core values. Even our personal lives have more meaning based on a solid belief system.
Winter is a good time to appreciate the “bones” of the business, the foundational structure that feeds the future. By full on spring, the walls will be covered with blooming trees and flowers, further enhancing the beauty of the structure.
I invite you to explore your own personal and/or business foundational core beliefs and values, re-aligning them as you see fit.
This will provide your structure that will then be enhanced with layers of blooming throughout springs and summers for years –
YOUR Foundation for Future.
“Study nature, love nature, stay close to nature. It will never fail you.”
– Frank Lloyd Wright