1 Man, 40 Million Trees (Persistence Wins)
1 Man, 40 Million Trees (Persistence Wins)
India is a very large place. It is the 7th largest country in the world and 1.4 billion people live there. It is very easy to focus on the “bigness” of it and forget it is made up of individual people, each with their own dreams. For example, there is a man named Jadav Payeng who belongs to the Mising tribe in Assam, India. When he was 16 he planted 20 bamboo shoots in a sandy area near where he lived to give shade to the animals that lived there. Buoyed by the success of his plants, he then made the pivotal decision to create a forest, from scratch.
Sounds impossible, right? Maybe even a bit crazy? Well, here is the thing. Jadav proceeded to plant around 40 million trees over the next 30 years, creating what is now known as the Molai forest. It is 1,360 acres with Bengal tigers, Indian rhinoceros, deer, and rabbits prowling the grounds.
What was once a desolate patch of land has been transformed into a huge wildlife refuge. All from the actions of one man who was willing to commit to taking consistent action for however long it took to accomplish his goal.
One of the biggest reasons that I see entrepreneurs win is because they are willing to make the same commitment. Not to build a forest from scratch of course, but do whatever it takes to achieve their goals by daily effort. Just like you can’t build a forest in a day, you can’t change your life without putting in the work.
Success takes time
Staying on the forest theme, did you know that larger species of bamboo plants start very slowly? The plant focuses on its root system for a few years and does not grow very much above ground. Then, in the fifth year, the plant can grow as high as 80 feet in just six weeks. 80 feet! Entrepreneurship can feel like this in the beginning. You are putting in all of this work and it doesn’t really look like anything is happening.
On the business acquisition side of things, the first deal in your portfolio can follow this path. You are doing tons of research, looking at a lot of different deals. A deal will get close to being done then it falls apart. Then a couple more possible deals fall through. If you don’t have the right mindset in place it is very easy to get frustrated and quit. Those who resist this urge are handsomely rewarded when they finally close that first deal and their life is changed forever.
No Hacks
One of the great things about technology is that you can communicate with people instantly and compress timeframes for a lot of tasks that used to be labor-intensive. The downside is that people think that technology makes everything faster. Including building wealth and achieving your goals. I hate to be the lone voice in the wilderness but success is never given to you. It must be earned.
