In Life, Be the Seed of the Tree, Not the Leaf
After 30 trips around the sun, I’ve taken on a life mantra that is, “Be the seed of the tree, not the leaf.”
After working in construction for 8 years or so now, and currently trying to bootstrap a startup, I’ve learned there’s two types of people in this world: The leaves, and the seeds.
What do I mean by that? Lets dive into it, shall we?
The Leaf
When I refer to people as “Leaves,” it is with regards to those that we see as the norm. Someone who works a 9–5 job, comes home, and continues the cycle all over again the next day.
There are literally millions of leaves in every major city in the world. Leaves are small, but extremely important, parts of the overall system. They help accomplish the overall agenda of the tree, which is survival. The leaves feed the tree via photosynthesis by collecting sunlight. Once the fall arrives, they shrivel up, fall off the tree, and biodegrade into the soil to create a good environment for future trees and other plants to thrive.
When diving deeper into this thought process, there are hundreds of thousands of leaves on every tree, and they exist for approximately 6 months out of the year, and the tree will sprout new leaves the next year (depending on where you live). The tree needs hundreds of thousands of leaves to survive in the world.
I personally, am not wired to feed a large system and only be a fractional part of said system. I want to be the seed of that system.
The Seed
When I refer to people as “seeds” it is those that are willing to do whatever it takes to make their dreams come true and live life to the fullest. Make their own tree, if you will. This person goes against the grain, and is willing to go through extreme adversity prior to succeeding in the long run.
A seed needs the luck of finding the perfect location to call home in the soil, prior to even sprouting the tree. This takes a bit of luck, but more than that, recognition of the fact that they can be great one day.
Once the seed has the luck of finding the right location, it has a lot of time of living in the dirt/soil prior to even beginning the taxing journey (pun intended) above the soils surface. Once the tree does sprout, the journey has just begun. It has to make sure the single leaf that is on the tree at the time, does not get eaten by a rabbit, deer, or other animal to eliminate the one source of nutrition to keep it growing. Once this stage is complete, it needs to get more and more leaves to keep feeding the system, again in this case, that system being the tree.
Once it gets to a certain height, it still has fierce thunderstorms, maybe tornadoes, maybe hurricanes, etc., to face before it’s strong enough to be able to stand through that adversity. But what makes it different is, if it does, it has the potential to stand for hundreds of years!
Once the system is in place, the fight is not over, as its never over. Termites, other insects, diseases, etc., are all things the tree still has to overcome, so it is always a fight, but the overall reward of fighting that fight is so much brighter than the alternative.
Coming Full Circle
To come full circle on this giant metaphor, I am currently a seed, buried in the soil that is made up of animal feces, biodegrading leaves, and clay. I currently work a 9–5, but have a business partner and we are working on launching a startup this summer.
I actually struggle keeping my 9–5, as I just want to go all in on the startup. The issue being I also have a home, a dog, and a wife who depend on me, so I can’t just yet, but one day the leap will be made. This is the seed mentality in me. I am willing to go through the lowest of the low to make my dream become a reality, and sprout into that tree I know I can be one day. I would have no shame in having to move to my Mom’s, or the In-Laws place, if that short period of time can mean long term success and stability (this again being a seed in the dirt).
Putting another perspective on it, if my tree does get eaten by an animal in my young stages, I also have a high probability of being a leaf on a different tree, so why not go for being the seed first. Yes, I understand that messes with my metaphor a little bit, as a seed can’t decide its not successful and jump on another tree as a leaf, but you get the picture…
The leaf puts oxygen into the atmosphere to enable most living things to be able to continue existence on this earth, so again, the leaf plays a vital role, and we need all the leaves we can get, but if the seed is able to sprout into that tree that stands for hundreds of years, it will contribute to exponentially more oxygen being put into the atmosphere, as it will be the host of thousands of leaves.
Also, as mentioned earlier, when the leaf is no longer needed and biodegrades into the soil below to create good soil for future plants. Again, if you are the seed who succeeds in becoming a tree to last hundreds of years, you will put exponentially more leaves into the world to set the foundation for hundreds of future plants to grow.
Conclusion
Be the person in this world that at least tries to be the seed. Be the person that can potentially touch all those people that work for your company and enable them to have the same confidence, and potentially go their own way to seek their dreams.
In today’s world, every passion, hobby, etc., can become a stream of income. Leave your comfort zone, and be the seed in the dirt and strive to be great. As a current seed in the dirt, I will tell you, every step of the process is out of your comfort zone. Joining an incubator — scary. Talking to anyone about your business model — scary. Registering your company — scary. Opening a business bank account — scary. You will not escape it, but to me it has now become an adrenaline rush more than anything. An adrenaline rush that I want more people to experience.
Join me in living in the dirt for the next few years with the drive to be the tree for hundreds of years to come.
Be the seed of the tree, not the leaf.
