Bamboo is the fastest growing biomass on the planet! Maybe…. but not so fast….

Bamboo does not flower often. It could take a human lifetime of 65 to 120 years, for them to even flower at all. In order to guarantee survival, bamboo miraculously bloom spontaneously (called gregarious flowering). By flowering all at once, even 100 miles apart, they overwhelm predators with such an abundance of seeds at one time that the odds are favorable for some to sprout and survive.

The Chinese Bamboo Tree requires the perfect conditions of water, fertile soil, and sunshine to grow at all. In the first year of a seed’s planting, we see no visible signs of activity. In the second year, again, no growth above the soil. The third, the fourth, still nothing. Our patience is being tested. You may begin to give up, as you wonder if your efforts of caring for the seeds are in vein.

Finally in the fifth year – behold, a miracle! We experience growth. And what exponential growth it is! The Chinese Bamboo Tree grows 80 feet in just six weeks! This growth spurt can be 36 inches (91cm) in just 24-hours. You can almost watch it grow, at speeds of up to 1.6 inches per hour.

How could this happen, does the Chinese Bamboo Tree really grow 80 feet in six weeks? Did the Chinese Bamboo Tree lie dormant for four years only to grow exponentially in the fifth? Or, was the little tree growing underground, developing a resilient root system, strong enough to support weight and 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.

Shortcuts in life are just an illusion. There is no mystical elevator that takes one up to the tower of success. The journey to enlightened happiness is a long twisting spiraling staircase; a culmination of life’s lessons, ups and downs.

Many that have reached the pinnacle of their life’s goals, felt that the journey was a bit anticlimactic once achieved. Looking back, they realized that they were focused far too intently on reaching the top, they missed the best views and the enriching experiences. That the true happiness and growth occurred during the climb itself and not on summit.

As we move into our future, faithfully tend to the good seeds you have planted and avoid the temptation of fast growing weeds. Remember to climb your mountain so you can experience and see the world, not so the world can see you.

In psychology, “a flow state”, also known as being in the zone, is the mental state of operation in which a person performing an activity is fully immersed in a feeling of energized focus, full involvement, and enjoyment in the process of the activity.

Professional athletes report that their best performance is when they are in this “flow state” where they are not trying too hard, but just flowing. Allow your practice to flow tonight. Get out of your head and into the body.

“Patience is the companion of wisdom. Patience is not the ability to wait, but the ability to keep a good attitude while waiting.”

“Patience is bitter, but its fruit is sweet.” Aristotle

“Stay patient and trust the journey.” Anonymous

“Have patience. All things are difficult before they become easy.” Saadi

“Two things define you: your patience when you have nothing and your attitude when you have everything.”

“Patience is also a form of action.”

“Patience is the calm acceptance that things can happen in a different order than the one you have in your mind.” David G. Allen

“Our gentleness and patience will achieve more than our force.” David Scott

“The two most powerful warriors are patience and time.” Leo Tolstoy

“Be strong enough to let go and wise enough to wait for what you deserve.”

“It is better to travel well than to arrive.”

“No matter how many times we burst into flames, we can always rise from the ashes.”

“Just when the caterpillar thought her life was over, she became a butterfly. Sometime we find ourselves in a dark place and it feels like a tomb, when in fact it is really a womb and we about to blossom.” David Scott

“If you get tired, learn to rest and not to quit.”

Life is amazing. Then it’s awful. And then it’s amazing again. And in-between the amazing and awful it’s ordinary and mundane and routine. Breathe in the amazing, hold on through the awful, and relax and exhale during the ordinary.

You cannot force things to happen before their time. The Spring Will come and the flowers will blossom, but you cannot force the Spring. The Rain will come, the clouds will cover the sky, the whole thirst of the earth will be gone- but you cannot force it. And this is the beauty… that the more patient you are, the quicker is the coming of Spring. ~ osho

“There are two mistakes one can make along the road to living our deepest truth…not going all the way, and not starting.” ~ Buddha

“The stone is always broken by the last stroke. It doesn’t mean that the previous strokes were useless. success is a result of continuous efforts”

“Grow where you are planted.” ~ Unknown

“Sometimes the paths we take are long and hard, but remember: those are always the ones that lead to the most beautiful views.” ~ Unknown

“When you try to stay on the surface of the water, you sink; but when you try to sink, you float.” ~ Zen Proverb

“There are times when silence has the loudest voice.” ~ Leroy Brownlow

To be a star, you must shine your own light, follow your own path, and don’t worry about the darkness, for that is when the stars shine brightest.” ~ Unkown

“When you realize how perfect everything is, you will tilt your head back and laugh at the sky.” ~ Buddha

May today there be peace within. May you trust that you are exactly where you are meant to be. May you use the gifts that you have received, and pass on the love that has been given to you. May you be content with yourself just the way you are. Let this knowledge settle into your bones, and allow your soul the freedom to sing, dance, praise and love.’ ~ unknown

Goals should stretch you in a good way.

What lights up your soul and makes you blossom?

Explain your anger, don’t express it, and you will immediately open the door to solutions instead of arguments.

If you don’t like the music change the song.

“Kindness begins with the understanding that we all struggle.” – Charles Glassman

“A single act of kindness throws out roots in all directions, and the roots spring up and make new trees.” – Amelia Earhart

“Kindness is the language which the deaf can hear and the blind can see.” – Mark Twain

Every time you get upset at something, ask yourself if you were to die tomorrow, was it worth wasting your time being angry.

“Our sorrows and wounds are healed only when we touch them with compassion.” Jack Kornfield

“Compassion for others begins with kindness to ourselves.” Pema Chodron

“Forgive yourself for not knowing what you didn’t know before you lived through it. Honor your path. Trust your journey. Learn, grow, evolve, become.” ~Creig Crippen

“Do not look for a sanctuary in anyone except yourself.”

“If a man would move the world, he must first move himself.” – Socrates

“The man who removes a mountains, begins by removing a small stone.” – Chinese Proverb

“The sky has no limits and neither should your hopes and dreams. Follow that inner voices guiding you towards what lights up your soul and allows your heart to blossom.” David Scott

“Have enough courage to trust love one more time and always one more time.” ― Maya Angelou

“Don’t chase love. Don’t chase fame. Don’t chase money. Chase being the best version of yourself and those things will chase you.”