Stop F*cking Up Your Bamboo Tree

An analogy for life and the process

I'm starting to get frustrated and demotivated when my numbers don't grow day to day. It's crazy because I would have died to have the revenue I have today just 60 days ago.

How quickly the human mind adapts to wanting more.

That's why people quit when they don't see progress because they don't love the process, the vision. It doesn't excite them.

Does that mean I'm not excited about color analysis and I should throw in the towel?

The answer is no. Hundreds of years ago, all humans used to do was chop wood and carry water, and many found satisfaction in this. So if that's the case, it's more likely that my framing rather than the work itself is the problem.

When you plant a bamboo seed, you must water and nurture it consistently for about five years before you see any growth above the ground. During these five years, the bamboo tree developed a strong and extensive root system underground, but of course, you can't see that.

After five years of invisible growth, the bamboo tree suddenly shoots up and can grow up to 90 feet tall in just six weeks. This rapid growth is only possible because of the strong foundation developed during the first five years.

In a world where everyone "seems" to be getting famous and rich overnight, we look at our bamboo tree after a couple of weeks and think this isn't worth it.

Nothing's happening.

Instead, I’m beginning to change my mindset to:

Making the right decisions every day and finding satisfaction in that, feeling good for exercising, doing my deep work, doing hard things, and then trusting that whatever I want will happen as a byproduct.

Mr. Beast spent years obsessing over YouTube before anyone knew his name. Usain Bolt's gold medal-winning performance in the 100m dash clocked in at just 9.69 seconds, but he spent his life training for that moment.

Chop wood, carry water. That's it.

You are your own worst enemy. That's why a lot of times, too much intelligence might actually hurt you.

I always think: "This isn't the best use of my time, I could be doing something better, something more efficient. This is boring."

That's the trap. Of course, there's a time to have these thoughts, but 95% of the time I have them, they are unproductive and unnecessary.

You are fighting an internal war every single day.

Using social media, YouTube, fast food, etc, has created a battlefield setup for you to lose.

I learned a trick before starting to code: just stare at your computer screen for 10 minutes. Do nothing else.

Once you are done, coding will become enjoyable, because anything is more enjoyable than staring at a screen.

Meditate, have a friend group that inspires you, dopamine detox, gamify the process, and do what you must to fall in love with the process.

Set yourself up to win.