Sunday, September 30, 2012

Growing Trees and Raising Children

 From time to time, I have written about forming good life habits, be they related to learning or positive behaviors in our daily lives.

Discipline and care are really necessary to learn good habits. In our garden, my wife has apple trees, and you have to shape and prune (cut) the branches carefully so you can enjoy a great harvest. If you don't do this when the tree is young, it will become unmanageable. The same goes with learning. If you don't form good habits early, you won't see the rewards of hard work.

All too often, people procrastinate and don't train their minds and bodies. The same could be said of any aspect of life. But like a tree, it is almost impossible to move or bend the trunk of a tree after a few years unless you pull it out. Forming good habits early in life can help point you in the right direction toward future goals.

Yes, it is much easier to cast a few seeds in the ground and watch what happens, and caring for a garden takes constant care, but the long-term results of such work are very rewarding.