The Sapling

One day, a bird decided to have a chat with a lonely looking sapling on a mountainside. After it perched itself on its small branch, it introduced itself and asked the sapling why it looked so gloomy on such a bright, wonderful morning. 

The sapling replied, "I feel terribly sad because I just don't think I am good enough. I feel like a failure all the time. Look around me, all these grasses came after me. While they grow like lightning, I remain at my pathetic height, growing slower than ever. And tomorrow, these little ones around me will soon grow my height and soon over-shadow me. I feel like everyone is laughing at me, I hate my life."

After listening patiently, the bird asked, "So, what is it that you really want? To be like these grasses?"

The sapling replied, "Of course! I want to grow as fast. I want to overshadow them, laugh at their faces as they did to me."

Hearing this reply, the bird started to laugh hysterically. This made the sapling really upset. "How dare you laugh at my misfortune! Get off my branch and fly away!"

When the bird calmed down, it replied, "My dear sapling, can't you see who you are?! You are the sapling of a redwood tree - the tallest tree in the world. Your species can live for more than a thousand years! When all these grasses die a hundred times, you will continue to live and thrive, and you will grow hundreds of feet taller than all these grasses you see today. I laugh because you are so busy loathing in self-pity that you don't see your worth."

How many of us are like the redwood sapling, loathing in self pity and self-hatred when watching people around us grow in front of our eyes? How many of us feel like a failure where we just don't seem to succeed? How many of us feel dejected because we just don't see enough results no matter how hard we try? Real, significant growth takes time. Quality requires patience and hard work. When your destiny is to grow taller, become more successful than everyone else, you will take time. If you ever get discouraged, remember the redwood sapling.