A Strange Question and Its Relevance to Your Success

I have a question that may seem weird and totally irrelevant to entrepreneurship or personal growth but I challenge you to read on…

How big does a tree grow?

It isn’t a rhetorical question and I’ll share the answer in a bit.

As you ponder it, you might think you need more info such as the type of tree, where it’s growing, the soil conditions, yada, yada, yada.

But nope, the answer doesn’t require any specifics.

And the same applies to you. Oops, I’m getting ahead of myself. Stick with me and it will all tie together in a pretty bow.

First let’s consider the tree’s beginning. It was a seed of some sort, right? Like an apple seed, a peach pit, a pecan, an acorn…

Mentally pick up of those seeds, let’s say the acorn, and examine it carefully. Turning it over in your mind’s eye, you won’t find anything about it that looks like an oak tree.

Well, except they both might display some of the same colors. Big woo.

If you came from a different planet and had never seen an acorn or an oak tree, you would never think one would turn into the other.

Yet it does. All the potential of the mighty oak tree is wired into that little acorn.

When the time is right and the little acorn is buried in the warm, rich soil with sunlight filtering in on a daily basis, and rains or heavy dew trickling down to soften the outer husk, the little seed will sprout.

With those conditions, it will continue to grow, its roots fingering downward, grasping the soil with a firm hold. For the first few years, most of the growth will be underground where you can’t see it.

For those of you women who love statistics, the ratio of root radius to trunk diameter can be up to 38 to 1!

What does that mean to the rest of us? Well, an example would be that a 6-inch thick tree could have its root spread out as far as 19 feet. But nobody sees it.

Now apply that to us humans.

Except instead outward, physical growth, let’s look at how we grow our minds and hearts. Others may not see it as we expand our brainpower, increase our awareness, develop our perspective and understanding.

But the growth is still real.

Great potential is already inside each individual. We were born with unique DNA to become truly amazing women. It’s up to us to unlock our distinctive gifts and flourish.

As we “grow” inwardly, at some point it will manifest outwardly through our actions. Perhaps we will be more compassionate and understanding with our associates. Perhaps our business skills will sharpen and ideal clients will be attracted to us.

The possibilities are endless…

Now back to the trees.

Have you ever seen a Sequoia? I remember visiting the Redwood forest in California, USA as a kid and it was breathtaking. I felt like an ant.

With that perfect environment (rich soil, optimum moisture and sunlight, plenty of space to streeeetch), many of those trees are 300+ feet tall.

The highest was measured in 2013 at just under 380 feet! I’m curious as to how big it is today because you know what? It’s STILL reaching for the sky!

And have you ever seen those funky-shaped trees under telephone lines? You know, the ones that were heavily pruned so they wouldn’t grow into the wires?

They adapted, putting energy into other branches that weren’t contained. Those trees may be misshapen and tediously balanced, but they are still alive and growing.

We amazing women entrepreneurs are like those trees.

Sometimes, like the mighty Sequoia, we may experience “perfect” conditions when our businesses soar to great heights.

Other times, we may be the funky oak that had to grow around the telephone wire. Simply put, we adapt. We make the most of what is available to us at any given time.

One more analogy with the trees…

Any living tree, regardless of type, is always growing. In winter, drought, or other dormant times, there is still activity pulsing on the inside.

So it should be with us.

Continually feeding our minds with good books and other modes of learning, nourishing ourselves with healthy foods, associating with positive people, engaging in individual self-care that strengthens us… ALL these things and more keep us developing into who we are wired to be.

So back to the beginning question: How big does a tree grow?

The answer is quite simple: As big as it can.

And I hope you will, too.