Motivational Monday With Dan: The Story Of The Chinese Bamboo Tree

Welcome to a wonderful week. Perhaps, you are thinking the ninth month is almost over and you are yet to achieve your goals. Perhaps, you are getting worried, frustrated and discouraged because you haven’t realized much this year?

I don’t know if you’ve heard this story about the Chinese Bamboo Tree before now but this is one of those stories that is really instructive. When I heard this amazing story for the first time, I was astonished! This is how the Chinese bamboo grows. When the seed of the Chinese Bamboo is planted, watered and nurtured, for years it doesn’t outwardly grow as much as an inch. Nothing happens for the first year. There’s no sign of growth. The same thing happens in the second year. There is no growth above the soil. And same for the third year. The tree is carefully watered and fertilized each year, but nothing shows. No growth. No anything. No results for 4 long years!

Can you imagine yourself doing the same things every day, not having any evidence that your efforts are having any effect? You’re waiting for results, not seeing any evidence of progress. But guess what? In the fifth year, something awesome happens. After five years of fertilizing and watering have passed, the Chinese bamboo tree suddenly sprouts and grows 80 feet tall in just 5 weeks! But think for a moment, does the Chinese Bamboo tree really grow 80 feet in six weeks? Did the Chinese Bamboo tree lie dormant for four years only to grow exponentially in the fifth? Or, was the little tree growing underground, developing a root system strong enough to support its potential for outward growth in the fifth year and beyond?

The bamboo was growing underground the whole time – without visible evidence, but it was growing. Had the tree not developed a strong unseen foundation it could not have sustained its life as it grew. The same principle is true us in life. As long as we Keep trying and don’t quit; as long as we keep watering and fertilizing our dreams, just like the Chinese Bamboo tree, it will come to fruition. It may take weeks. It may take months. It may even take years, but eventually, the roots will take hold and your Chinese bamboo tree will grow. And when it does come alive, it will grow in remarkable ways. All of us have a Chinese Bamboo Tree within; that is waiting to break forth. So, have faith. Be patient. Be persistent. Continue to press forward. #Motivational Monday #Don’t Quit #Dan Ekoko