The Chinese Bamboo Tree
Image from: http://www.freedigitalphotos.net/images/Other_Plants_g319-Bamboo_Tree_Silhouettes_p24937.html
You take a little seed, plant it, water it, and fertilize it for a whole year, and nothing happens.
The second year you water it and fertilize it, and nothing happens.
The third year you water it and fertilize it, and nothing happens.
How discouraging this becomes!
The fifth year you continue to water and fertilize the seed and then---take note.
Sometime during the fifth year, the Chinese bamboo tree sprouts and grows NINETY FEET IN SIX WEEKS!
Life is much akin to the growing process of the Chinese bamboo tree.
It is often discouraging. We seemingly do things right, and nothing happens. But for those who do things right and are not discouraged and are persistent, things will happen. Finally we begin to receive the rewards.
By Dan Miller
Just came across the above piece and how appropriate the message seems.
It is such a good reminder of how whatever we do WILL lead to a result.
It's 'just' that the timing often seems out of sync from our (my!) point of view (what with me knowing better than the Universe 'n' all that - ahem!) - instant results is what I'd like!
But realistically, probably most, if not all of the truly 'good' things in life come after some time.
Continuing effort, discipline and faith is always needed.
Yet even with this knowledge, when we're in the midst of life's experiences, we want and expect the results much quicker than they seem to come.
It is so true - our life as it is at the moment IS a result of our past thinking, intentions, desires, behaviours and actions.
I especially like the question, 'What do you want in your future?' The thinking behind this question being that we have some control over our lives.
Let us make our current thinking and actions lead to what WE WANT our future to be, because it WILL have an effect.
I do not think this means every single wish and thought leads to our desire manifesting in the exact way we want and at the time we want, but more that we DO hold some control over our future, mostly in relation to HOW we deal with what happens.
Applying this thinking to employability, requires each one of us to become clear(er) about what we want to be doing in the future. A lot of the clients I work with want me to focus on helping them to get into the type of work (level) they were in (often the Executives) or into the type of job they want on a surface level (i.e. a means to an end job) rather than explore what they could do/ or work towards creating a more medium-term and long-term future. This by no means applies only to those in need of work for financial reasons.
I am on an ongoing mission to improve my skills in enabling such clients to engage in this 'future creation', in the hope that we can make our work lives a source of joy and fulfillment, which leads to its wider benefits in society.
What have you reaped the rewards of many years after your effort?
