The Chinese Bamboo Tree’s Origins
The Chinese Bamboo Tree, like any other plant, requires care – water, healthy soil, and sunshine. There are no evident indicators of activity in the first year. There was no growth above the soil in the second year. Nothing happened on the third and fourth. Our patience is put to the strain, and we begin to worry if our efforts (caring, water, and so on) will ever be recognized.
And then, in the fifth year, a miracle happens! We are progressing. And it’s a lot of growth! In just six weeks, a Chinese bamboo tree may grow to be 80 feet tall!
But, let’s be honest, can a Chinese Bamboo Tree grow 80 feet in six weeks? Is it true that the Chinese Bamboo Tree went dormant for four years before exploding in size in the fifth? Or was the small tree building a root system robust enough to maintain its potential for outward expansion in the fifth and beyond years? Of course, the solution is self-evident. The tree’s existence might have been cut short if it hadn’t grown a solid, invisible basis.
People who work patiently toward good objectives and goals, developing strong character while facing hardship and struggle, develop a strong internal foundation to handle achievement. The Chinese Bamboo Tree farmer would have limited the Chinese Bamboo tree’s growth if he dug up his little seed every year to see if it was growing, just as a caterpillar is destined to a life on the ground if it is prematurely freed from its battle within a cocoon. The fight in the cocoon is what provides the future butterfly the wing force to fly, just as we develop strength by putting tension against muscles.
What The chinese bamboo tree teaches us
Will we be able to stay focused and believe in what we’re doing even if we don’t see quick results? This is our greatest problem in a culture that values rapid satisfaction.
“Keep trying! and NEVER give up!” we tell each other (and our children) all the time. The transformation may be gradual – even imperceptible at times – yet, like the Chinese Bamboo Tree, we shall be surprised.
Keep your faith in this vital project!
The Chinese Bamboo Tree’s Last Lesson
All of this, though, necessitates one thing: faith. The Chinese Bamboo Tree’s growers believe that if they continue to water and fertilize the ground, the tree will eventually break through. If you want to operate a great business, win a Pulitzer Prize, raise well-adjusted children, or whatever, you must have the same type of faith in your bamboo tree. You must believe that if you keep making calls, practicing your trade, reading to your children, reaching out to your spouse, or soliciting donations, you, too, will experience significant growth in the future.
For most of us, this is the most difficult aspect. We are so enthralled by the concept that has been planted within us that we can’t wait for it to bloom. As a result, we grow disappointed and second-guess ourselves, or worse, quit, within days or weeks of the first planting.
Sometimes we dig up our seed and replant it in a different location in the hopes that it will grow faster in more fertile soil. This is something we see a lot with people who change jobs every year or two. We see it in people who leave their jobs and even their wives in search of greener pastures. When their Chinese bamboo tree doesn’t grow any faster in the new site, these people are frequently unhappy.
People will sometimes irrigate the ground for a short period of time before becoming disheartened. They begin to question whether the effort is worthwhile. This is especially true when they see their neighbors succeeding with different trees. “What am I doing attempting to plant a Chinese bamboo tree?” they wonder. I would have had a few lemons by now if I had planted a lemon tree.” These are the individuals that return to their previous employment and lifestyles. In exchange for a “guaranteed thing,” they give up their goal.
Unfortunately, they fail to comprehend that chasing your ambition is a foregone conclusion if you simply do not give up. Just like the Chinese Bamboo Tree, your desire will come true if you continuously watering and nourishing it. It could take many weeks. It could take several months. It may take months or even years, but the roots will ultimately take hold and your Chinese bamboo tree will flourish. And when it does, it will expand in extraordinary ways.
This has happened numerous times. Before founding the Ford Motor Company, Henry Ford had to water his Chinese Bamboo Tree through five business failures. You, on the other hand, have a Chinese Bamboo Tree inside of you just ready to burst forth. So keep watering and believing, and before you know it, you’ll be flying high.
