Bamboo forest at the foot of Huangshan, China. (Photograph by jessew900. Creative Commons.)
William “Bud” Hart, of Haverhill, shares “Success Principles”—ideas for living a greater, better and more accomplished life, and building habits that stick. He also coaches clients to incorporate strategies for boosting their mental and physical performance during everyday living.
If you follow my articles you know I like to read biographies, and write about individuals who have shown an unwavering sense of faith in themselves and their dreams. In particular, stories that convey the dogged belief and determination to never give up that ultimately leads them to attain notable accomplishment.
Often it appears I’m researching people who have been complete failures or have had only modest success for most of their life, but yet they keep going forward. For many of these individual their refusal to give up pays off only, it seems, at a point late in their stormy lives. Then very suddenly out of nowhere they are able to catch lightning in a bottle and realize unparalleled success.
I’m convinced all of nature works in the same way. Once you plant a seed in the ground (or an idea in the mind) as long as you keep watering and fertilizing it will take root and grow. It may take weeks. It may take months. It may even take years, but eventually, the seed (your dream) will grow. And when it does, it can grow in remarkable ways.
The proof of this is the Chinese Bamboo Tree. It doesn’t grow in the usual fashion. While most trees grow steadily over a period of years, the Chinese Bamboo Tree doesn’t break through the ground for the first four years. Then, in the fifth year, an amazing thing happens the tree grows at an astonishing rate. In a period of just five weeks, a Chinese Bamboo Tree can grow to a height of 90 feet. It’s almost as if you can actually see the tree growing before your very eyes.
Think about this. Does the Chinese Bamboo Tree really grow 90 feet in six weeks, or is it growing underground, developing a root system strong enough to support its potential for outward growth in the fifth year and beyond? The answer is obvious. Had the tree not developed a strong unseen foundation it could not have sustained its life as it grew. The same principle is true for people.
The fact is people like Henry Ford, who was 45 years old when he created the Model T, had to water his bamboo tree through five business failures before he finally succeeded with the Ford Motor Company. And Ray Kroc spent his bamboo tree years as a milkshake device salesman before buying McDonald’s at age 52 in 1954. He grew it into the world’s biggest fast food franchise.
The truth is we all have the potential of the Chinese Bamboo Tree inside waiting to break through. Take a lesson from nature. Keep watering and believing in your dreams until you too catch lightning in a bottle and realize unparalleled success.
William “Bud” Hart is a certified “Mindset” Coach, Accountability Partner and Business Consultant. Visit Hart Group, www.hartgroupma.com for more on coaching.
Sorry, bamboo is a grass and not a tree.