Focus on the Roots

Very often we want results very quickly without paying the price over an extended period, and when we do not succeed, it causes frustration, resentment, and sorrow. How do we handle such situations? Here is a story that may have the answer.

A man wanted to have a green tree in his home. He thought it would take very long time to grow such a tree. So, he selected a fully grown tree in a garden, and employed labourers to dig it up and then plant it in his courtyard. The man was very happy as he had found a quick way of having a lush green tree.”

But the next morning he found that the tree's leaves began to wither, and after a few days the whole tree dried up. He was disappointed. When one of his friends asked him the reason of his sadness, he said: “I am in a hurry, but God isn’t.”

Why is it that the tree was green when it was in the garden, but dried up when it was transferred to another place - the courtyard ?

The tree dried up because when it was in the garden, it had its roots intact, but when it was moved to the courtyard, it had very few of its roots left. And it is roots that give life to a tree. It takes time and effort to develop proper roots.

This story instructs us about this universal law of nature, which is based on gradual development and not on sudden leaps. One who follows this principle will be successful, while the one who fails to follow it, is destined to failure.

This law of nature applies to all human activities. It is the need of every business, every profession, and every institution to have proper roots, that is, a sound basis. There is no exception to this principle. For example, education is the basis for a job, reputation is the basis of a business, and infrastructure is the basis of national development. Constructing a really solid foundation requires a long period of time; you cannot have such a foundation by just taking wild leaps.

When you are in a hurry to achieve something, you tend to violate the law of nature. You want to build something fast without waiting to grow proper roots, which is not possible. Those who engage in a gradual process will find support in nature; and without such support no achievement is possible.

Next time when you are about to try to achieve something by leaping into things, pause and think about the uprooted tree. Shift your focus on developing the required roots, and the results will follow.