3 Bonsai Lessons That Could Drastically Improve Your Life.

Bonsai is an ancient Japanese art that directly translates as “Tray cultivation” often it is confused with “dwarfing” but bonsai do not use genetically modified miniatures of existing species, instead it focuses on cultivation and growing of trees from from regular stock and seeds, using techniques such as pruning, root reduction, wiring and grafting to produce mimics of full size, fully matured trees. With bonsai the focus is geared towards long time care and observation, often trees are passed down through generations, and the “final look” could take more than one lifetime to achieve. With a hobby that extends beyond ones life expectancy I figured that many of the basic techniques and guidelines of producing a stunning and rewarding bonsai tree could also be applied to ones actual life. These are not bonsai tree secrets, but more general tips in making bonsai trees Yes, perhaps it is a stretch to compare growing miniature trees to some ones life but please entertain me for just a minute and lets explore.

Give it time to grow
Often when taking a cutting to develop into a bonsai tree or growing one from seed, you should plant it in the ground to develop a strong and thick trunk, a sturdy base when cultivating bonsai trees not only provides a healthy foundation but it also provides for a much more attractive bonsai tree. Now can we really ignore this point when regarding ones life? Everyone should focus first and foremost the importance of a strong foundation, your roots and trunk will provide you the sturdiness needed to grow and excel in living a happy and fulfilling life. Without a strong base to build from it will be very hard and often frustrating in moving forward, promoting small, slow growth and very little stability. Humans just like bonsai trees need a strong starting foundation to build from.

Less is more
When growing bonsai trees, less is always more, you never want to over prune or over water your tree because the stress of continual pruning and the chances of root rot due to too much water will guarantee a very short life span for your tree. Learning some bonsai tree secrets will help you in making bonsai a very easy and rewarding process. In life you should try and focus on the ‘less’ and make it the ‘more’, hopefully you are aware of the Pareto principle, it states that 80% of the effects come from 20% or the causes. You need to find what brings you the most stress in your life and asses if you are able to eliminate those stresses from your life, likewise find the parts of your life that make you the happiest (it will probably account for 20% of your time) and try to make that the 80%. Every 6 months reevaluate using the 80-20 principle to keep yourself happy and motivated, then transfer this over to your bonsai growing and acknowledge what needs changing and do that and no more. Eliminating the unimportant and focusing on the important will lead to a happier life and a healthier tree.

3. Do everything with a final purpose.
Every decision you make must be geared towards achieving your short and long term goals, selecting what branches to cut and what branches to leave and let grow should not be a difficult decision, you know the final goal and shape you would like your bonsai tree to have, therefore make the required decisions to move closer to your final goal. Do not be afraid of making hard decisions in your life, because you do not want to burn bridges. Too many people waste valuable time and become static because they are afraid of missing opportunities and do not commit to one decision. I would never recommend being so structured in that your final plan can never change, your goals need to align with your wants but please be active in achieving them.

Yes, perhaps I stretched the comparison between bonsai trees and life, however I believe there is a lot to be learned by following bonsai tree secrets and applying them in you day to day life. Have you been watered today?

By: Paul Schembri

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