I don’t read tea leaves, but I do love to read my tea bag tags. Yesterday’s said, “The difference between a flower and a weed is a judgment.”

Hours before, I was walking and looked down to find beautiful patches of would-be weeds growing all along the cracks of the sidewalk, and I was amazed by their tenacity of ‘being.’

There are lots of “weeds” in the world, and not just the botanical kind. As masters of our gardens, we need to decipher that which is toxic to us and pull it, while simultaneously planting good seeds.

As a little girl, my grandfather and I would traverse the vast field that he owned looking for dandelions to pick for a salad. I couldn’t wait until later in the season when I would blow the wisps of white, making a wish with each one.

Dandelions were indeed more than weeds to both of us.

In today’s culture, we make assessments of people based on standardized criteria such as education, ethnicity, resume, credentials, career path, social status, sphere of influence, age, or looks.

We may overlook a terrific person professionally and personally due to these labels and stereotypes.

A shift in thinking makes the difference in the world. Your next All-Star may not play your specific game, be on your kind of turf, could be well-seasoned or a rookie.  A degree from the School of Hard Knocks may give them an entirely different point of view about life and business.

As we embrace intuition over insights, authenticity over accomplishments, and transparency over traditionalism, we open doors for so much talent to walk through.

All I see is a flower, how about you?