Keep Chopping Wood. Friday, July 28

Friday, July 28

Patience is a superpower.

I love the story about the farmer and the Chinese bamboo tree. The trees need watering daily, so the farmer would go out and water the tree every morning. After doing this every day for a year, there was no visible growth from the tree. Everyone in the community told him he was crazy and got a bad tree. But he kept watering it. Another year of faithfully watering the tree every day goes by, and still no growth. Again, they said he was crazy and to move on. But he kept watering the tree. Sadly, the third and fourth years were the same: daily watering, no growth. The farmer was frustrated, but he was determined. He’d come this far, so he kept watering the tree.

Finally, in the fifth year, he noticed movement. The tree was beginning to grow. Not only did it grow, but it shot up 80 feet in the next six weeks.

Nobody knew that the tree was establishing its root system during the first four years. It needed a strong foundation before it could grow above the ground. So while it appeared like nothing was happening during those times, in reality, a lot of growth was taking place. Had the farmer given up, had he believed in the critics around him, he never would have wasted years of work and never had the opportunity to realize the full potential of the tree.

Maybe you are in a season of watering. Perhaps you’re doing work but not feeling like you are making progress. Maybe the critics (external and internal) are getting louder.

Be patient. Be persistent. Remember why you started. The world belongs to those who keep showing up.
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Keep chopping wood. 🪵🪓

-Kevin

fun side note: Keep Chopping Wood recently passed 10,000 physical copies sold (a few thousand have been sold via Kindle as well). That’s a massive milestone, especially considering that the book is self-published. I’m unbelievably grateful for your support of the book and it’s message over the years. If you don’t have a copy, grab one for yourself and your team here.