Grow your own way

August 28, 2012  |  Posted by Jay Kubassek  |  Tags: Personal Development, Perspective  |  3 Comments

My guest host for the WAKE UP call, Matt Kominiak, celebrated his ten year wedding anniversary over this last weekend. He and his wife Christine stayed in a condo in northern New Mexico with a view of a forest. So here’s Matt, looking at the trees, and he spots this pine tree that was different from the rest. (The picture in this article is of the actual tree Matt was looking at.)

In most forests, trees grow right on top of one another. But not this one. It grew at what looks like an unnatural angle when compared to the rest of the trees around it, which all grew more or less straight up. This was on a very steep slope with a river at the base; they were staying at a ski resort at the base of a mountain. This one pine tree grew away from all the rest of them and basically hangs over the river.

If you were to look at it from the top of the mountain, it wouldn’t look any different from the rest. The top of the tree, visible from the top of the mountain, is straight like the rest of the trees. You wouldn’t be able to tell the bottom portion is angled differently from up there. And this tree was HUGE.

This tree was very healthy compared to the rest of the trees around it, despite growing at an odd angle. Somehow, this tree “knew” that it had to grow out and then up to get the most light compared to the trees around it.

That tree is every one of us in the PRO community. If we want to grow in a way that will be the most nourishing to us and give us the best chance of success, we have to grow into a different space. We can’t pick where our roots are, but we can pick the direction we grow in. To do this, we have to grow in a way that bends us – and that hurts. But it gives us opportunities that we wouldn’t have had.

Look at the base of this tree. It’s big. And it had to be strong, growing sideways the way it did. That tree’s root system was so strong that it was able to bend in a different way from the rest. When you force yourself to bend, it may hurt but it makes you stronger in the end. And it gives you the right to attract more success (sunlight for the tree) than if you had done what everyone else did.

If your life is feeling crowded like that forest is, dare to grow in a different direction. If you have a strong root system in place (your core values and principles), you can grow in whatever direction you want to and break away from the rest. It’s gonna hurt, yes. It won’t be comfortable. But it will leave you better off in the end.

Take one last look at that tree. Is there any other tree in front if it now, taking any of its sunlight? Nope. Is it taller than the other trees around it even though they grew straight up and it grew sideways? Yes, it is. That’s the tree you want to be, and that’s the way you want to grow.

Jay Kubassek’s WAKE UP call is every Tuesday at 10:30 am ET. Catch this week’s call here.

3 Comments so far.

1. Michelle Shawver says:

   August 28, 2012 at 9:28 pm

   Matt you are so aware of your surroundings. By being present and alert, a wonderful story emerged. As entrepreneurs we have to become seperated from the masses. To become a successful entrepreneur it takes courage to do what most folks won’t. That tree that bent so far over just to get more sun took a risk. It is the same risk we entrepreneurs take to grow. Instead of saying what if I fail at this. Replace it with what if I make this work. How many lives will I have helped? How would that make you feel?

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2. Dr Jill says:

   August 28, 2012 at 9:36 pm

   I have always believed that the road less traveled by is best. Full of adventure and delight not run of the mill tourist traps. My feelings about work is the same – strike out and take a different path.

   Reply
3. Cynthia Langston says:

   August 29, 2012 at 12:27 am

   I needed to hear those very words tonight..Matt thank YOU!!!
   Cynthia

   Reply