THE COMPOUNDING EFFECT OF CONSISTENCY




"At the heart of mastery lives consistency.”

Robin Sharma



We get to hear a lot about the compounding effect of our investments. Obviously, the reference is to our financial investments. “Start early with whatever little investment... Stay consistent... Stay long invested... and, over the years, you will be surprised to see how hugely your wealth grows.”

To me, that wisdom on financial literacy did not come either early or late in life. Rather, as I did not choose to invest financially, I did not amass any financial wealth in my life.

However, unwittingly, I started making my small investments — daily, consistently, over long years — in my random writings. And, the same Law of Compounding applied here, too... my wealth of written work compounded into a great treasure...

Today, when I am coming out with ten books from my years of blogging, all that I have to do is — to draw from this ‘rich well’...

As a young migrant into this city of dreams, when I was barely 20-plus — a stranger and struggler here — I was introduced by Napoleon Hill (through his inspirational books ‘Think and Grow Rich’ and ‘Law of Success’) to the priceless essay by R. W. Emerson — ‘Compensation’. This essay drilled into my head, early, that our consistent work, in the right direction, would pay us results with a compounding effect...

When, over forty years, I kept doing the writing work, I never bothered about making money out of my work... ‘This book is not for sale’ –- I announced ‘proudly’ behind every book I published (35 of them)...

“Foolish”... “Childish”... “Reckless”... I have been warned for years...

I chose to be immune to such warnings...

Napoleon Hill describes money as a shy bride. “You have to woo her to you,” he says.

In many of my blogs, I have narrated the story of Chinese Bamboo. I wish to narrate it, again, as I come to the end of this post...


A Chinese farmer plants the bamboo seed in his field. Every day, he goes near the spot to water it, manure it, and comes back home. He does that for weeks, months and years...

Five years go by, nothing happens… But, he religiously goes near the spot to water and manure… He looks up to the sky and prays, hopes, trusts… He comes back home…

His neighbours, often, laugh at him… “Stupid fellow… The seed must’ve died long,” they chide.

At times, hearing the negative voices, doubt creeps into the farmer’s heart. But, he shrugs it off and keeps doing what he believes in.

Then, one fine morning, there appears a small bamboo shoot… It starts growing up swiftly — five feet, ten feet… twenty, forty, eighty and ninety…  Yes, ninety feet in just sixty weeks!

The world concludes, “The Chinese bamboo grows ninety-foot tall in just six weeks.”

But, only the farmer knows, that it was five years and six weeks... Yes, five years under the ground for the seed to germinate, get stronger and stronger each day... and, only six weeks above the ground for it to grow ninety feet...





This underground process of germination is what the world calls, today, as ‘The Law of Compensation’...

The Universe blesses every ‘farmer’ who believes in his bamboo seed...

 

GERALD D'CUNHA

Pic's.: Pixels/Mariean Florinel  Condruz

Video:  Cut Media/Danny  Macaskill

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