Jonas was the proud owner
of a giant tree that produced an abundant supply of fruit. Everyone marveled at
its ability to produce a record harvest each year. Jonas sold his fruit at the
local market and became one of the wealthiest men in town and he was the envy
of all who knew him. He was invited to all popular ceremonies in town, and his
children moved about shoulders high.
However, as the years
passed, Jonas spent so much of his time counting and selling his fruit that he
forgot to nourish the root. He became so prideful and focused on results that
he neglected to see the signs that the tree was dying. Then one day when Jonas
went to pick fruit from his tree he was shocked to discover that the tree was unfruitful. “How could this be,” he asked himself
an obviously late question? But when he inspected the root he found his answer.
The root had dried up. He was so focused
on the fruit that he neglected the root. He wished there was something he could
do but it was too late. It was a lesson he would never forget!
Familiar account isn’t it?
So how about you? Do you focus on the numbers, the outcomes and the fruit? Or
do you focus on the purpose, people, innovation, culture and root of your
success. Always remember the amount of fruit we produce is just an
outcome and measurement of how well we are nurturing our root. If we take care
of our root we’ll always have an abundant supply of fruit. Ignore the root and
say goodbye to the fruit.
A central part of
taking care of the roots is developing the capacity to remain holistically committed
to your course. As much as we'd like to think that overall goal, mission
statements motivate, it's impossible to create commitment in another person.
Commitment emerges from each individual's personal reasons why he or she wants
to accomplish something. Commitment is the same thing as motivation. It
sustains you when you're not sure whether your actions will pay off. It carries
you along through the difficult times and vaults you forward during the good
times. Without commitment, people never summon up the courage required to
consistently take action. Worst case, they sit and wait for other people to
tell them what to do. And that's the definition of business failure. Jonas waited
for people to tell him the roots of his plant were drying up and that alone
landed in in the mess he found himself in.
So here's the catchphrase: people
who wait on others to motivate them before they act on their goals are those
who move from grace to grass rather than from grass to grace. Why? Because, disaster
awaits anybody who fails to fully understand that commitment begets courage
that kindles action needed to attain success.
Right but, a billion dollar question
begs for an answer: How do you consistently create more commitment? Easy:
Decide what your life is all about, here I am referring to your definite
purpose in life and tie your day-to-day activities to that purpose. It may be
something as exalted as caring for the roots. The more clearly you know your
purpose, the greater your commitment, the greater your motivation, the more
action you'll take, and the greater success you'll achieve.
Joyce
Mayer invites us to “Consider a tree for a moment. As beautiful as trees are to look at, we
don't see what goes on underground - as they grow roots. Trees must develop
deep roots in order to grow strong and produce their beauty. But we don't see
the roots. We just see and enjoy the beauty. In much the same way, what goes on
inside of us is like the roots of a tree.”
