Be Like Bamboo: Making Your Moves in Shadows and Silence

I learned that Bamboo, the famous and incredibly strong Asian plant, actually grows for as much as 5 years underground, requiring continually daily fertilizer and water everyday. But once it breaks ground it actually grows 90 feet tall in 5 weeks.

It made me think about our own personal growth.  You hear a lot about building in public or letting everyone around you know about your goals. But in reality when you are first starting off and you have no idea what you are doing, it’s better to be just like bamboo. 

Make your moves underground, quietly as you explore and experiment. You have no idea what will work for you so it’s good to play around, trying new things, pushing and investing in yourself and not get locked into anything. It’s why so many startups work in stealth mode. 

However, once you do have some clear direction and start getting some traction, being open and public with your goals do help. I recommend for personal growth sharing your specific goals with a close friend and providing them some cash or check to send to an organization you hate if you don’t hit them by a certain time and date. A good tip I learned via Tim Ferriss.

For startup founders, this is also why I recommend sharing with their investors their key milestones and doing at minimum monthly updates. 

In both cases, that visibility and accountability forces you to execute. And helps keep you out of eventually lethargy that seems to engulf you at times. It's a key part of keeping that forward momentum. 

But before that all happens, it’s usually better to work quietly and quickly. Get some learnings, build yourself up and get some strength before you move the spotlight on yourself. Be like bamboo. Do the hard work, build your foundation and prepare yourself for the crazy growth that will come.