In the field of entrepreneurship, it occurs too frequently, the corporate infant mortality rate reaches three out of every four new businesses that do not survive the first three years of life. Although the causes can be very diverse and of a different nature, it does not hurt to reflect on persistence when it comes to seeing results.
I have always loved the story of Japanese bamboo, since it illustrates very well certain moments that we all have in life, and especially in the entrepreneurial life, in which, no matter how hard we work towards something, things do not end roll as we expect.
On some of these occasions, we quit too quickly. Working hard without reaping fruits can be frustrating, and when this happens the easiest thing to do is throw in the towel and start a new project.
This is not about clinging to an idea that has proven unfeasible. We are talking about something else.
However, at other times we don't give up. And when that happens, there usually comes a time when we begin to notice that something is moving, that the "green shoots" that appeared timidly begin to appear and grow unstoppably. It is at that moment when the work begins to bear fruit.
To illustrate this moment, the analogy that I like the most is that of Japanese bamboo, whose cultivation requires a great deal of patience.
During its first seven years of life we will not see anything appear on the surface of the earth, to such an extent that an inexperienced cultivator would be convinced of having sown faulty seeds or of having made some kind of mistake.
But during the seventh year, and for a period of only six weeks, the bamboo plant begins to grow to a height of more than 30 meters. Can we say then that bamboo takes only six weeks to grow? No, for that to happen it takes seven years and six weeks.
During the first seven years of apparent inactivity, the bamboo silently develops a complex network of roots that will allow it to support future branches.
We can transfer this learning to our daily lives and to our professional projects, in which we sometimes look for quick solutions, we want immediate successes and we forget that every project needs a time of settling and internal growth.
At such times it is good to remember the maturation cycle of Japanese bamboo and accept that as long as we continue working and do not give up because we do not immediately “see” the result we hope for, something is happening within us. We are growing, maturing, and very likely in a short time other visible "fruits" will begin to appear because it is often true that "he who resists wins."
Remember that you are the owner of your life, turn your freedom into value.
