What is the summary of the Chinese Bamboo Story?
The Chinese Bamboo Story illustrates the importance of patience and persistence. A farmer nurtures bamboo for five years without visible growth. Then, in the fifth year, it shoots up rapidly. The lesson is that success often requires consistent effort and faith in the process, even when results are not immediate.
The summary is just that – a summary. It misses out the beautiful full story that paints such a lovely picture.
There is also a very similar story called the Bamboo and Fern Story. In this version a Fern seed and Bamboo seed are planted side by side. The Fern starts growing very soon after planting and and spreading over the following years while the bamboo seed has no visible growth until the fifth year when it shoots up!
What is the full version of the Chinese Bamboo Story?
There was once a farmer who decided to grow some Chinese bamboo. This farmer had heard that Chinese bamboo had so many special properties. These special properties would help him and his family solve many of their financial problems. So one day, he planted the seeds to grow this special Chinese bamboo tree.
During that whole year, the farmer would religiously water and ensure the land was free from weeds that would affect this Chinese bamboo treasure. After the first year, nothing had popped out. Not even a peep. No shoots, no glimpses of this mythical Chinese Bamboo anywhere.
The farmer however was not perturbed. He had faith. He knew if he stuck at it. Something good was going to happen. So during the second year, the farmer made extra certain that this bald patch of land was properly watered, weeded and got appropriate sunshine.
However, at the end of the second year, still nothing had happened. His friends made jokes about him and encouraged him to plant a different crop. A crop that they were used to growing such as rice or potatoes. The farmer however was resolute. He had faith. He had read that if he persevered that the magical Chinese bamboo would grow.
So during the third year, the farmer, was extra vigilant in ensuring the land was able to get the most sunshine and water and was properly tended to. And at the end of the third year, you can guess what happened…Boom….or rather no boom. Nothing had happened.
You can imagine that if you had spent three years trying to develop something. A new habit, a different way of investing and still had nothing to show for it, that you would probably lose interest and give up. The farmer was very close to just giving up also. Some of his friends thought he should perhaps dig up the ground and make sure the seeds were still there. Perhaps the seeds had been stolen or something had eaten them.
The enlightened friend
The farmer called a friend who had had experience in growing this magical Chinese bamboo. “Please stick with it,” his friend begged. “You have spent all this time tending the land. If you give up now, you will lose everything and have to start all over again. I promise you that one day, these Chinese bamboo trees will grow.”
The farmer listened to his enlightened friend and persevered with ending the land for another year. He ignored the jibes of his less educated friends. He ignored his own natural tendencies to grow what he knew would work. He tended the land religiously ensuring sufficient sunshine and watering was given to his bald patch of land where the Chinese bamboo seeds were planted.
At the end of the fourth year. Nothing had happened. However, the following week in the fifth year. He did see a tiny shoot grow. In the second week this small shoot grew to the size of a small plant. Six weeks later this Chinese bamboo tree had grown eighty feet high.
The farmer and his family had finally got their success.
Insights from the Chinese bamboo story and using it to motivate you.
I have embellished this story a little to make the story more like real life.
Now there are many lessons to learn from this story. One important lesson is that if you want to grow something good in you, such as a good habit, it will take time. Over time almost in an invisible manner, you will suddenly gain that ability. This ability will mushroom after the years of cultivation but it could take a week, a month, a year or several years depending on who you are and your situation.
Every big dream requires patience. Patience that one day your dream will come true. That day may be a month. It may be a year. It may be several years. No matter how long it takes you must have patience.
Every big dream requires perseverance. Perseverance in which you religiously do what you know is the right thing to do to make your dream come true. Perseverance to ignore the jibes and nay-saying of the uneducated.
Every big dream requires focus. Focus to not get distracted with other people’s dreams. Focus to not get distracted in other endeavours.
Every big dream requires faith. Faith in yourself. Faith in what you are doing. Faith in the universal laws of life.
Every big dream requires trust. Trust in your educated friends. Trust in your coaches and mentors.
Thank you for reading our article. If you are at the start of your own financial freedom journey, then have a look at the following articles. These articles will be helpful in spring-boarding you into a new chapter of your life’s dream.
- Achieve any dream with buckets of rubbles
- Turn your dream into reality in four stages
- Five essential habits to reach impossible dreams
- How SMALL means big success
- Priming to achieve
- Never Give Up – A short story from my property journey
- Five simple actions that provide a major life boost
- WTF should I do with my life?
- Five techniques to stay focussed
