A Flower Bed or an Oak Tree

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Little by little, precept upon precept.           

An oak tree is considered one of the biggest trees in the world and is considered the King of the forest. Oak trees grows very slowly and can grow up to 40 meters high. Oak trees typically start blooming and producing acorns when it is about 40 years of age. There are some trees that have to wait till 50 years to start producing acorns. As the tree continues to grow, they start producing even more flowers and acorns until they are about 80 years old.  Oak trees produce the most flowers and acorns between the ages of 50 and 80. In a good year, one tree can produce thousands of acorns. The usual lifespan of an oak is about 200 years, but some live over 1,000 years. Oak trees are valued for their wood, appearance, fruit and importance to wild life( they host many species of insects and are a source of food to many animals and birds). In the past its leaves were used for healing dies ease such as kidney stones etc. Before the production of wheat flour, acorn was used to create flour which used to be used in baking.

 On the other hand a flower bed is very pretty and sprouts up very quickly and often dies quickly typically after one season. A flower bed is also used for fewer uses typically only for its appearance and scent.

We can learn a lot from an oak tree  in business and in all aspects of our lives.

I love this quote "it took 10 years for me to be an overnight success". Great things take time. Just because someone's business sprouts up over night through a lot of noise doesn't mean the business would survive. That business may very well be just a flower. It takes longer to build a skyscraper than bungalow. When constructing a building, you first have to work on the foundation. The taller the building the deeper the foundation.  The rule of thumb is 1:5 i.e. One part foundation for five part building. Do the maths. This is a micro wave generation we want everything quickly and fast. However God is a God of process. Even God took 7 days to create the earth. It didn't take him 1 day but 7 days. The Bible says. A day is like a thousand years and a thousand years like a day to God. So imagine what 7 days is like to God. The Bible also says a "For a dream comes with business and painful effort". It takes time.

 I hope you are encouraged to keep building your business, your brand, your marriage, your family, your life and even your walk with God. Don't look at what other people are doing, don't compare your business or brand to the next persons business. Just because they are more visible does not mean they will survive or outlive. They may just be a flower bed. A lot of people may also feel discouraged at the fact that they are in their late 30s, 40s or 50s, 60s or 70s and they haven't achieved much in life. Don't be discouraged the acorn only starts producing fruit at 40 and its produces the most fruit between age 50 and 80.

Take your time and build your sky scraper. Take your time and grow and just like the oak tree what you build will last for centuries and generations to come. Are you building an oak tree or a flower bed? Which would you rather be, an oak tree or a flower? #beinspired #beencouraged