Alfie Says…..
“Dad told me that persistence is one of the biggest keys to success, and that if you give up too early you’ll never accomplish anything. He said that in business, building a solid foundation is necessary and that many people quit just as things are about to happen for them. To illustrate it he told me this story he learned from one of his mentors, Zig Ziglar.”
Zig said the oriental world is blessed with a tree called the Chinese bamboo tree. This is a remarkable tree, and the way it is grown is very unusual too.
The Chinese bamboo tree when planted, watered, and nurtured for an entire growing season doesn’t outwardly grow as much as an inch. Then, after the second growing season, a season in which the farmer takes extra care to water, fertilize and care for the bamboo tree, the tree still hasn’t sprouted.
The same happens during the third an fourth years. The farmer tends and waters, tends and waters, for no apparent result.
Then, along comes year five.
In the fifth year that Chinese bamboo tree seed finally sprouts and the bamboo tree grows a foot a day, up to 90 feet in just one growing season! Or so it seems….
So the question is; Did the little 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 answer is, of course, 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. People, who work patiently towards worthwhile dreams and goals, building strong character while overcoming adversity and challenge, grow not only successful businesses, but also the strong internal foundation needed to handle their success.
