Are You Excited to Grow? A Lesson From Bamboo

Welcome back to my series on inspirations from nature. I started off with tree roots, then looked at flower blossoms. Today, I’m looking at bamboo. Maybe because I'm Chinese, but bamboo always seemed like a “cool” plant. Maybe it had to do with the serene feelings from a bamboo forest, or perhaps it was how strong it was and was used as a weapon in martial art films that I watched as a kid. What was fascinating to learn was how bamboo grows, which is the focus of today.

From my understanding, bamboo takes a little while to develop roots underground before you see the shoot above ground. The main determining factor is whether the environment supports growth or not. However, once the roots are set and the shoot appears above ground, the bamboo grows quite quickly, sometimes up to 3 feet per day, until they're 90 feet tall. It reminds me of kids when they get their growth spurt. I never had a huge growth spurt, but I see other kids like my nephews who were shorter than me one month, then taller than me a few months later.

This sudden burst in growth gives me a source of excitement, as well as patience. I get excited because I can't wait for the day I get to shoot up and have my growth spurt (even if it's not a crazy growth spurt…). I feel more patient because I know it's a matter of time and being in the right growth environment.

How can this apply to us? I think we understand the importance of patience and get the importance of a growth environment.

However, I think the excitement is something I see less of, especially as time goes by.  Was there something you wanted to do when you were younger? Something you were passionate about? What happened to it? What happened to the excitement you felt? How did it go away? Was it maybe the job/career you were committed to that moved you away from it? Maybe it was a mortgage or having kids. Did you think of something? If not, take a pause until you think of it. If you have it, keep on reading.

Are you still waiting for your growth spurt? Does it feel like it has yet to come? Remember that the roots need to be in an environment that will support growth. The simple answer is that our environment doesn't currently support that thing we’re so excited about. “But it’s not practical to do (fill in your answer), Coach Kev!” When has practical ever been exciting? When has practicality ever brought out the best in us? When has practicality brought us true joy and happiness?

I’m not saying to be reckless and toss caution into the wind. What I’m saying is… don’t you want to have some of that excitement back again? Don't you deserve to have at least a little bit more of it? Don't you miss having something to look forward to outside of all the practical (which are wonderful and important) things you’ve been doing? Excitement is an important ingredient in developing and achieving your dreams.

If this message doesn't resonate with you, I’m truly happy for you because that means you have enough excitement in your life and you have things to look forward to regularly. However, if you find yourself fighting this message of creating more excitement in your life, it may behoove you to take a moment to reflect. As your coach, whatever answer you land on is the right one for you, and I’ll always support and respect that. 

If this struck a chord for you and would like some support, please reach out. I’d love to chat more with you. You know how to get in touch with me. 

Coach Kev helps people find calm, clarity, and confidence in their life while waiting to reach his full height. Contact him atkevinkoocoaching@gmail.com, or follow on IG and YouTube @kevinkoocoaching