Overnight success

My garden and my children's book

When I look outside my back windows, I am amazed by what I see. A pergola adorned with hoyas, philodendrons, and ferns makes way to a tree lined by colorful bromeliads and elephant ears. Fragrant herbs fill in my raised beds between peppers and tomatoes, and native plants grow proudly in the ground with flowers of varying shapes and sizes to support the ecosystem.

Roses, fruit trees, and newly planted seeds complete the landscape, and I treasure the oasis I’ve spent nearly a decade cultivating with love, dedication, and respect.

Before my stewardship, the yard was barren. There were trees, and there was dirt. Because of my work, people around the world now recognize it as a place of beauty, serenity, and learning. People often comment that they wish they could foster a similar space or simply keep plants alive, and I always say that it takes time, patience, and dedication.

I find myself reflecting on the “success” of my garden as I consider the publication of my children’s book. Many people are surprised to find out it’s the first book I wrote, but the third to come out. I remember feeling frustrated when I found out its release would be pushed due to printing delays and the illustrator I wanted to work with, but I reminded myself that there was no need to rush. No garden grows overnight.

Now, five years after writing it, I can clearly see that it was worth the wait.

I have a child who loves being read to, experience in book launches, more grounding in my position as a public figure, and the opportunity of a lifetime.

The release of my book aligned with Jumpstart’s 2025 Read for the Record as well as the 20th anniversary of the program, and I had the great honor of having my book selected for this year’s program.

This international program will bring millions of children together to read my book and over 100,000 copies will be distributed to promote early literacy. I’m thrilled that in addition to encouraging children to practice reading, my book could inspire many young readers to develop an interest in learning how plants grow.

To say I am grateful is an understatement, but I would be remiss if I did not comment on the following:

It’s easy to look at someone’s success and see only that. You don’t know the hardships or challenges they experienced along the way. You don’t see the endless hours of hard work and commitment. You may be unaware of the sleepless nights, or how close they came to quitting.

My garden is only as beautiful and vibrant as it is because of the early mornings, late summer nights, regular waterings, dutiful composting, and love. I didn’t give up when I lost plants or bad advice from professionals created worse problems. I took every opportunity to learn, and you can see that in my garden.

Jumpstart selecting my book for this year’s Read for the Record is the most notable achievement in my career as an author, but it’s not without years of building a strong personal family-friendly brand, committing to my mission of sharing love, kindness, patience, and positivity in a world that doesn’t make it easy, and honing my craft as a writer.

The garden reminds us there is no overnight success, and everything grows best with gratitude.

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Order my children’s picture book SEE MARCUS GROW! It’s available everywhere books are sold as of May 6, 2025!

Read my personal growth book inspired my plants HOW TO GROW: NURTURE YOUR GARDEN, NURTURE YOURSELF

Check out my guided journal SEASONS OF GROWTH: A JOURNAL FOR WELL-BEING INSPIRED BY TREES

Book me as a speaker for your next event! I’m experienced in speaking for corporate events, conferences, schools, universities, nonprofits, and more.