Motivational Monday: Chinese Bamboo Trees and Success

You. Chinese Bamboo. Success.

Chinese Bamboo is nice--especially if you're a panda--but what does it have to do with you or your success in life?

To understand that, let us tell you about the Chinese Bamboo Tree. The Chinese Bamboo Tree reaches heights close to 100 feet, and has countless uses: food, furniture, art, in construction, as fences, and even to build houses. However, this amazing plant doesn’t grow like most trees.

First, you take the seed and you plant it. You water it. You fertilize it…

A year goes by and you see nothing.

The second year starts, and you nurture the little seedling. You water it. You fertilize it.

Another year passes and . . . nothing.

The third year is the same. The fourth year comes and goes. And the whole time you are tending that seed, watering and fertilizing and taking care of it.

And you see absolutely nothing.

Then, the fifth year comes. And something extraordinary happens. Sometime during that fifth year, the Chinese Bamboo Tree sprouts—with a vengeance.

It grows up to 90 feet in one season!!

It may seem like it only grew for one season, but it was really growing for five years. The first four years, when you couldn’t see any progress, the Chinese Bamboo tree was actually growing an incredibly strong root system. This strong root system is exactly what it needed to support its exponential growth in the fifth year—and beyond.

So what does a Chinese Bamboo tree have to do with success and you? When you first start a business, it doesn’t always grow quickly. You may even be following a blueprint given you from those who are wildly successful, and still not see growth like you want.

Don’t get discouraged!

Remember the Chinese Bamboo tree and realize that if you are taking action and working on your business and learning and growing and nurturing those seeds, then you are building a strong root system so your business can handle the growth explosion when it comes. 

This can apply to more than just building your business, too. Sometimes we don't see progress or growth for a while in other aspects of our life, like relationships, parenting, personal growth, etc. It can be hard in a world obsessed with immediate gratification. Often, those things that are most worth it simply take work over time.

The key is to persist.

“Nothing in the world can take the place of Persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent. The slogan ‘Press On’ has solved and always will solve the problems of the human race.”  ~Calvin Coolidge, 30th President of the United States

We want to thank Akuoma Osuka for sharing this inspirational thought on our Facebook page. He said: “This is one of those lessons that really sticks with you. The Chinese Bamboo Tree teaches us success lessons on patience, faith, perseverance, growth and development, and most surprising of all… human potential!”