Life Lessons From Bamboo tree

It is the story of the Chinese bamboo tree.

It seems that, when you plant it, nothing happens in the first year or in the second, or the third or even the fourth year. What a long wait! You don’t even see a single green shoot. Not until the sun rises and sets for four solid years! Until then, the farmer has nothing tangible to show for all of his labor trying to grow the tree.

However, in the fifth year, in a space of just six weeks the bamboo tree seed finally sprouts and will grow 90 feet in just one season. This is amazing! But the question is – did it grow 90 feet in six weeks or in five years? Did the little tree lie dormant for four years only to grow exponentially in the fifth? Of course not. Obviously, had the tree not developed a strong unseen foundation in those silent four years, it could not have sustained its life as it grew.

Here are a few life lessons we can learn from the bamboo tree.

1. Fast regeneration and growth rate

If you cut the tree, it recovers very fast. Similarly, a deforested area can be replaced in a matter of months. How quickly do you bounce back from a setback or a challenge? We should also always strive to grow even when obstacles are our middle names in our current situations. Crawl, walk or run, bottom line is we have got to be moving forward. No matter where we are, we can become great and achieve success.

2. Be useful

Every part of the bamboo tree from shoots to saps, leaves to stalks are useful in a way or the other. We have got to try and be useful, make a difference, make an impact. What matters in the end is; were you able to make a difference? Even if it’s just a small favor, do it if you can. The bamboo tree also requires very little care, yet it produces edible food and building material. How much do we give back to our societies?

3. Strengthen your foundation

I think this is one of the most important lessons from this bamboo tree. Building strong foundations in aspects of our relationships, our long term goals and desires and seeking understanding of our purpose in life. Frank Dick in his book says that, achievement is a journey. Only that, the end of one journey is the beginning of another more challenging one. And the difficult part of planning this journey is how to arrive at one destination and look forward to the next. Abraham Lincolin said it well; “If I had eight hours to chop down a tree, I would spend six sharpening the axe”. Building a strong foundation is key.

4. Resilience

A bamboo is highly resilient and has an incredible strength. The lesson is, to grow tall, to achieve big in life, we will walk the difficult path sometime. Strength and resilience my friend– keywords!

5. Add Value

A bamboo tree uses Carbon dioxide much faster than other trees and it improves soil conditions by preventing soil erosion. As for us, wherever we are, we should always try and add value to the people surrounding us. Trying to leave things in a better state than the one we found them in.

6. Be flexible, but hold your ground

A bamboo tree gently sways in the wind while the trunk stays firmly rooted in the ground. It’s a symbol of humility to be flexible enough to adapt to various areas and situations in life. If you have been looking at many job descriptions you will have noticed that flexibility is one of highly desired features. Versatility is the word! However, we must hold on to our ground of values.

7. Be ready for action

Unlike other kinds of wood, bamboo trees only require a little processing before they can be used. It was said well by  Kensho Furuya – “The warrior like bamboo, is ever ready for action”. In our professional and social lives, through practice and training, we can develop in our own way a state of being ever ready. Don’t be one of those people who get frightened at the first idea of new unfamiliar responsibilities or changes. Robert Burn said it well – “Look abroad through nature’s range, nature’s mighty law is change”. Change is inevitable in our lives. Fight against it, most likely you loose, alternatively, prepare for it, embrace it and face it!

Bamboo is a plant with an incredible value and is indispensable. No matter where we are, we should always try to become people of value.  The bamboo grows fastest in rainy seasons, just like us, we have seasons where our growth accelerates, but is slower at other times. Yet, with sustained effort, we are always growing. We should not let ourselves be discouraged by what may be perceived as lack of growth or improvement, if we don’t give up then we are growing.