Lesson from The Chinese Bamboo Tree

The Chinese bamboo tree takes five years to grow. The seed is planted, watered and fertilised every day but it doesn’t break out of the ground till after five years. Once it breaks through the ground, within five weeks it grows to 90 ft tall.

The question is: did the bamboo tree grow in five weeks or in five years? It grows 90 ft tall in five years! Because, at any time if the person stops watering and fertilising the dream of the bamboo tree, it would have died in the ground.

To some people, the five years that the bamboo seed is being watered seemed like foolishness. Why are you watering what is not growing? You’ve been out here for a long time; go get something else to do! You could hear people asking these questions with good intentions. It’s like hearing people say “how long have you been working on your dreams and nothing to show for it?” Some people hear silly questions like this and stop watering their dreams. Because the result hasn’t shown too quickly, they stop. They don’t know that their watering will yield something if they don’t give up.

The wisdom here to keep at what you are doing. You have come this far to not give up. When your dream starts breaking forth, you’ll know it is all worth it.

Adopt the pace of nature: her secret is patience. — Ralph Waldo Emerson