By Steve Dragon

In the New Testament, in Mark chapter 4, the Savior shares the Parable of the Sower. He describes seeds falling in different types of soil—some on stony ground, some among thorns, and some in good ground—and how those seeds responded based on the environment they were placed in.

We gain deeper insight from Alma in the Book of Mormon, chapter 32, where he expands on the idea of planting a good seed in the heart—in other words, in good ground. Starting in verse 37:

And behold, as the tree beginneth to grow, ye will say: Let us nourish it with great care, that it may get root, that it may grow up, and bring forth fruit unto us. And now behold, if ye nourish it with much care it will get root, and grow up, and bring forth fruit.

But if ye neglect the tree, and take no thought for its nourishment, behold it will not get any root; and when the heat of the sun cometh and scorcheth it, because it hath no root it withers away, and ye pluck it up and cast it out.

Now, this is not because the seed was not good, neither is it because the fruit thereof would not be desirable; but it is because your ground is barren, and ye will not nourish the tree, therefore ye cannot have the fruit thereof.

So what does it mean to nourish a seed? In real life, it depends on what we’re trying to grow. That seems obvious when you compare the lush, cool, and humid Pacific Northwest to the hot, dry deserts of southern Arizona—pine trees and cacti require totally different care to thrive.

Some idea seeds, for me, have felt like dandelions—fast and effortless. The idea shows up one day and, almost instantly, the fruit is ready to harvest. That’s exactly what happened when I needed funds for our Mentor and Facilitator Training. Beckie and I were brainstorming ways to find the money, and she suggested I call a friend who still worked at my old company. I followed through the very next day, and—“coincidentally”—they had an urgent need. Within a week, I had a solid, well-paying contract.

Other idea seeds feel more like cactus—slow and subtle. I was consistent and emotionally engaged with my Phase 2 Mindset Mastery goal of owning a convertible. I visualized it, felt it, repeated it daily. But after a while, nothing seemed to be happening. I figured maybe it just wasn’t the right time, so I stopped pushing so hard. But in hindsight, something important stands out: during that process, I had a couple of very specific impressions—like trading in our current car or selling it first to open up space for the convertible, applying the Vacuum Law of Prosperity.

Unfortunately, I too quickly dismissed those ideas as too much sacrifice or trouble.

Now I see that was likely a missed opportunity—one of those moments where the seed needed a different kind of nourishment. I was doing the mindset work, yes—but the thought to act was part of the nourishment, too. I didn’t follow through. And I can’t help but wonder if I’d be enjoying that convertible by now if I had.

Contrast that with the Facilitator Training fund situation. I got the prompting, I took the action, and everything fell into place quickly. I could have brushed it off—waited for the friend to maybe call me, or assumed something might eventually work out—but I didn’t. I acted.

And that’s one of the lessons I’ve learned from the Law of Gestation: seeds take time, yes—but they also take the right kind of care. Sometimes that care looks like writing, visualizing, or feeling the end result with clarity and gratitude. Other times, it looks like taking a specific action when a prompting comes—even if it feels inconvenient, uncertain, or outside your comfort zone.

The laws are real. They work. But part of “using them correctly” means recognizing that different idea seeds require different kinds of nourishment. And often, the harvest comes not just from believing—but from acting on those small nudges that show us how to nourish our dream a little better.

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