I want you to think for a second, about a tree. In the beginning, a seed first pushes through the soil and out pops a small sprout. No one knows where this sprouting will go next, but we have hopes that it will grow into the tallest tree possible. As the sprout grows into a sapling, it will spread its branches out into different directions, and eventually grow into a tree. This tree has hundreds of branches, but only one branch stretches above the rest.
Why is this important? People are a lot like trees. You see from the moment we are born, people have hopes for us, they want us to grow into a doctor or lawyer or to follow the family business. They have one start to finish a plan for the way your life should play out. Good grades in school, college, internships, jobs, getting married, having kids of your own… But if we all follow this set plan, then our branches would never divide. We would grow straight upward from start to finish with no exploration of who we are. Our tree of life would end up looking like a telephone pole.
In life, we must take in every opportunity we can. Sure, sometimes those branches of life will end shortly, but we have to take that risk if we ever want to reach our full potential. How will you know if you were destined to become a world-renowned speaker if you never step up to the microphone? Who knows if your ideas are great if they never get voiced? How do you know if you were meant to be a redwood if you tie off your roots like a bonsai?
Take every opportunity you have in life, because you never know when those moments will define you, and you never know when those moments could be your last. This is a message that hits me close to home. A little over a year ago, a shining young student from my school passed away far before his time was up… He was headed into his senior year, one of the most memorable years in our lives and he would never get to experience it. Without going too much into detail, our community was shaken beyond repair, this death struck all of us… For this student continued to bring people together, even after death.
In the end, you never know where your story is headed, and you never know when your time is up, so make the most of the opportunities you are given before you look back and realized you missed your chance. For our tree of life, we can stretch our branches as far as we can and reach extraordinary heights, but our roots will always stay in the same spot. Take value in the people around you and spend time with the people you care about because once they are gone you will wish you could.
Grow Everyday,
Cole Rieman
Northwest State Vice-President
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