Growth: Invest in today in order to succeed tomorrow.

Over the next few weeks we are going to look at a story. In this post I will tell the tale of the Bamboo. Once we have read the tale, we will then spend a few weeks making the connection to our own need for personal and professional development.

I recently heard a story about a man who decided to plant a bamboo tree. With great excitement the man purchased all that was needed and planted the tree... or grass depending on who you ask... but that is not really the point.

The man determined to see the bamboo grow, cared for the tree month after month, with great attention to detail. The man would rush out the door to see the progress every few days. He had grown many things over the years and was sure that he would be seeing the fruits of his labor any day.

After months of no change the man became frustrated. He had planted many other items over the years and had never failed to succeed in nurturing the plants to maturity, and those had taken on days or weeks. As time went on his frustration turned to near obsession, and then led to fierce determination. Daily he cared for the tree, yet he continued to see no results.

Over the next five years he never ceased in caring for the bamboo. For 5 years he saw no growth. Little did the man know that a great surprise rested in the coming spring. What the man did not realize was that during the 5 years he didn't see any growth, that did not mean that growth was not happening. Underneath the surface great things were happening.

For bamboo the maximum height above ground is determined by the maximum growth in the roots. This is what allows the tree to endure the storms that WILL surely come in the years ahead.

After 5 long years of preparation "IT" happened. As anyone that has ever watched and waited for something to grow can tell you there is a moment where things begin to change. Where the outside begins to show what has been going on inside. This is the "IT" that the man experienced in the 30 days following the 5 long grueling, frustration, discouraging years.

"IT' happened!

The tree grew, in fact it grew 90 ft. tall in a 30 day window! The man could not help but sit back, and be amazed at what he had seen. For the season for sowing had come to an end. The season for reaping was beginning in a rapid and abundant way.

There are many parallels that can be drawn from the tale, and over the next few weeks that is exactly what we are going to do in this blog. We are going to first look at the years of preparation that the man endured. We are going to look at the determination he showed. We are going to explore the harvest, and expand on the story and what it means for the man in the years to come, for you see bamboo does not reach maturity for 10 to 15 more years. What does this mean for the man? Finally we are going to look at our lives in start to identify what stage we are going through in regards to specific pursuits.

Before I close this post out I do want to make a very obvious, yet HIGHLY IMPORTANT observation.

The work that we put forth to prepare for our dreams is the the root system that establishes the height to which our dreams can reach.

In the week to come I would encourage you to make a list of the dreams that you are chasing. Begin to determine what type of roots need to be grown in order to reach the pinnacle of the fields of interest that you are involved in personally and professionally. What growth are you are looking for in business ventures, spiritual growth, family life, career advancement, and many more? To help you achieve this answer the following questions:

1. Am I a dream chaser?
   
2. What am I spending my time working on?
3. What would I like to be working on?
4. What is it that I would like to achieve?
5. What steps have I taken to achieve my dream?
6. Are there any dreams that I have where it would be in my best interest to go back and put down roots?
7. Was I honest with myself in answering the previous questions?

I look forward to partnering with Dream Chasers everywhere.

The greatest way to achieve your dreams is to chase them with the help of others.


Habuda Consulting Group exists to partner with you on this journey. If I can help you in anyway please contact me through this blog, Twitter, Facebook, or email. I would love to serve you as we walk through this journey called LIFE.

I pray your dreams become reality.

Serve God by Serving Others (#SGSO),
Matthew Habuda