Bamboo for You and a Starfish Too!

Welcome to the OPPO FLOW Storybook.

Each week I fly an entertaining and motivating story that provides actionable items to inspire growth towards your success and happiness.

The weekly flights bring you one of the following:

A MINDSET SHIFT to prepare for opportunity and build better habits towards success. 🤩

Or…

AN OPPORTUNITY STORY sharing pivotal moments from an individual’s life that changed their trajectory in a positive way. 🚀

DID YOU KNOW?!

I provide workshops for Leadership Teams and Entrepreneur Groups either in person or virtually.

Interested in having me work with your team or group? Learn more Here!

FYI - If you’re interested in being a sponsored Co-Pilot for an upcoming FLIGHT, please SEND ME AN EMAIL

TELL MORE STORIES!

WHY?!

Because it’s one of the best ways to develop relationships and build trust.

As an entrepreneur, leader, podcaster, speaker, and writer, I believe it is super important to share stories with people that will inspire, motivate, and ultimately help them act towards their success. 🤩

Stories are relatable and brings a sense of closeness with the people around you.

When you’re looked at as a leader, sharing stories and experiences that can be correlated back to the point you’re trying to make, is extremely helpful in communicating the vision or purpose well with your team.

It also brings collaboration and various points of view for positive discussion on how it resonated with each team member.

This year, I came across two short stories that I’ve shared often and each time I do, they made an impact with someone at that time.

These two incredible TALES aim to encourage, remind, and build confidence as you think about what it is you want out of life and how you want to be remembered.

They are both short and easy to remember. 😁

One day, a Chinese farmer found himself with a bag full of bamboo seeds and thought how wonderful it would be to have a forest of bamboo trees. 🎍

So, the farmer went out and planted the seeds all over his yard.

Day after day, he tended to them diligently.

Despite seeing no immediate, visible signs of growth, he watered them, fertilized the soil, and protected them from harsh weather conditions.

After one year, he still saw no signs of the bamboo growth. 😔

His neighbors, friends, and family all started to doubt that a bamboo forest would ever appear. 🤔

However, he was a patient man and knew that determination and consistency would be the key to his success.

He continued to spend each morning caring for the bamboo seeds with unwavering dedication because this was his purpose.

This is what truly mattered to him. As time passed by…

YEAR 2, nothing…

YEAR 3, nothing…

YEAR 4, nothing…

YEAR 5, STILL NOTHING…

THEN…

Finally, after FIVE LONG YEARS, something incredible happened. 😲

The Chinese bamboo began to sprout and it grew at an incredible rate.

In the six weeks following, the bamboo tree shot straight up, growing over 80 feet tall. 😱

The farmer was AMAZED at the growth and extremely proud of his hard work, dedication, and unwavering commitment.

He realized that all this time, it wasn’t that the bamboo was dormant…

…it was building a strong foundation and its support system in preparation for massive growth.

ORIGIN: While the exact origin of this story is not definitively known, it has evolved over time through oral tradition and cultural storytelling in China, and it has been adapted and retold in various forms to convey its timeless message.

Once upon a time, there was an old man 👴 walking along the beach and noticed a young child in the distance running back and forth.

As the old man approached the child, he realized it was a little girl tossing starfish back into the sea. 👧

He stopped and asked the little girl, “What in the world are you doing?”

The little girl replied, “These starfish are all stranded on the beach. If I don’t toss them back home, the sun will dry them up and they’ll die.”

The old man looked around to find the beach riddled with thousands of starfish for miles to see.

He chuckled and said, “But there are thousands of starfish out here. What difference could you possibly make?”

The little girl bent down…

…picked up another starfish and threw it back into the sea.

She then looked back at the old man, and said…

“I made a difference in that one.”

The old man was so moved by her response and thoughtfulness, he decided to help the little girl.

Soon after, others noticed what they were doing and joined in as well to help save thousands of stranded star fish.

ORIGIN: One of the earliest documented versions of this story can be traced back to a 1969 essay by Loren Eiseley, an American anthropologist, educator, philosopher, and natural science writer.

THE BAMBOO STORY 🎍 reminds us to have faith in our potential. 📈 

• Use it when you are needing to build confidence and instill patience in a team member or someone in your personal life.

THE STARFISH STORY ⭐ 🐠 reminds us that no matter how small or seemingly insignificant our positive actions may be, we can make a huge a difference; even more so when we go at it together. 🤩 

• Use it when you are needing to remind someone of the impact they are making and how their efforts will amount to massive success or positive change over time.

Each journey and outcome creates a ripple effect for more opportunity in our life.

Put forth MAX effort, take MASSIVE action on what you believe in, remain consistent, and NEVER GIVE UP.

I promise, you will achieve our DREAMS! 🤩

So there you have it… These two stories are short but impactful. 👊

I trust they brought a smile to your face, just as much as they do mine.😊

Feel free to use these stories with your teams and family as good reminders that when we put heart and dedication into everything we do, we can achieve GREATNESS. 🙌

If enjoyed these stories, please also share with others by forwarding this email. 🙏

Until our next FLIGHT, enjoy your YOUTUBE Music Video of the Week! 👇

Remember, Opportunity is Everywhere!!

Cheers! Steven

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As always, thanks for your support!