Life Lessons From Sequioas

By Greg Fullerton

Sequoia trees are the largest organisms on planet earth.

Living for up to 2,000 years, they can reach up to 379 feet tall and extend to 26 feet in diameter — that’s taller than the Statue of Liberty and thicker than a Greyhound bus.

With a tree that jaw-droppingly massive, you’d assume its roots were incredibly deep, right? Well, if you did, you’d be wrong.

Sequoias have remarkably shallow roots, and they have no taproot. Their roots only go down 10 to 13 feet deep before spreading outward 60 to 80 feet. One estimate is that 95% of these trees have roots no deeper than 3 feet.

Sequoias stand firm by growing wide roots and interlocking roots with other trees. Their strength comes from standing together and supporting each other.

I think this provides such a profound metaphor for successful living.

Each of us face storms and floods at some point in our lives. If we try to stand alone, we’ll eventually topple. We need strong support systems to help us grow and to stand firm.

Your Support System

Ideally, your support system includes family members, friends, mentors, religious leaders, and business associates. The larger your network, the more sources of strength and inspiration you have.

Network marketing in particular provides a natural support system. Your upline has a vested interest in your success. You depend on them for training and motivation, and they depend on you to follow through with commitments and earn your way through the ranks.

When you fail to care for new recruits, it’s like leaving on their own to weather the storms. More often than not, they’ll topple at the slightest wind.

You’ve got to be vigilant about meeting them at the level of their need and giving them all the training and support they need.

Your Opportunity to Influence

Having a wide network is about more than just support for you, however. It also increases your ability to influence.

In fact, the strongest, most stable people are those who help others the most. Because they serve, others are inclined to serve them.

The classic film “It’s a Wonderful Life” is a perfect example of this. When a series of events threatens George Bailey’s Building and Loan, George is tempted with suicide.

But after Clarence the angel shows him how life in his town would have turned out had he never been born, he’s convinced to work through his troubles.

He goes home to find hundreds of people flocking to his house, raining donations to save his company. As each person leaves a donation, he or she references something George did for them in the past.

The wide network he had influenced and served over time came back to serve him when he needed it most.

“No man can help another without helping himself.” -Ralph Waldo Emerson

How To Build Your Network

So what’s the quickest and best way to build a dependable network? Serve people.

“Successful people are always looking for opportunities to help others. Unsuccessful people are always asking, What’s in it for me?” -Brian Tracy

Seek opportunities for service. Not because you’re thinking of what you’ll gain, but just because it’s the right thing to do.

Figure out where people are struggling and help them overcome their struggles. Offer words of encouragement. Help people move. Take your neighbor’s trash can out the street.

Serving is like feeding your “roots” good soil and water — it’s what makes them grow. The more you serve, the larger and deeper your network will grow, and the more influence and support you’ll have.