Two acorns are hanging side by side, high atop a huge, mature oak tree. They had watched as fellow acorns dropped one by one. They could see them bounce from branch to branch as they fell, slowly disappearing into the blurry space below. As there became fewer and fewer acorns around them, it became clear that it was only a matter of time until they too would drop.
Just then, they heard a crack, and one of those acorns began to fall. The other one listened, hearing that other acorn bounce from branch to branch, until there was silence. And just then, he too broke loose. It was a freefall, fun at first, until he hit a large branch, which put him spinning. He then hit another branch, bounced, fell through some leaves, hit the ground, bounced a few times, and rolled to a stop.
Disoriented, he took a look around, wondering where he was, why he was there, and what he was supposed to do next. Just then, he heard the voice of the other acorn. “Well, that was fun,” he heard him say in sarcastic tone.
As they laid there over the next few days, they realized that one of them was on soft, damp leaves, and got bathed in the sunlight for about an hour each day. The other sat on a hard piece of pavement in constant shade. They also noticed a small, furry creature running around, picking other acorns up in its mouth, running off for a while, then returning again and again, grabbing acorn after acorn.
Over the next couple weeks, the acorn on the leaves had slowly settled onto the soil. It had cracked open on the bottom and a root was pushing down into the ground. This provided the acorn with a source of water, nutrients, and energy. By the fourth week, a bright green sprout had begun to emerge, growing thicker and taller each day.
Meanwhile, the other acorn sat on the pavement, its shell hardening, drying out, and slowly withering. It watched in agony, struggling to hang on each day, as it watched the other acorn flourish only a few feet away.
Ultimately, the one acorn rotted slowly away, while the other acorn grew to become a massive oak tree. And that oak tree thrived, growing to be 60 feet tall, with a full and healthy canopy that spread 80 feet.
What was the difference between those two acorns? They both fell from the same oak tree, from the same branch, in the same forest. Their genetic makeup was identical, with both containing everything needed within itself to become a mature oak.
The difference was where they landed. One landed on the fertile soil, a space containing everything it needed for optimal growth. The dark, rich soil provided the nutrients it needed, the leaves around it gave it protection, and it ended up in a spot that provided just the right amount of sunlight. The other acorn had nothing it needed. It sat on hard pavement, void of any nutrition or water it so desperately needed…and zero sunlight.
The only thing that separated these two acorns was the environment they were in. One had everything it needed, the other didn’t. Had the acorn on the pavement been in the soil, it too would have had the chance to flourish. And had the thriving acorn been placed on the pavement, it would have died. Their fate came down to one thing… luck. One happened to fall into the right environment, while the other had an unlucky bounce.
Humans are not much different than those acorns. Two people can come from the same family, same home, and same neighborhood, yet end up with drastically different outcomes. One might go on to do great things, start successful businesses, set up charitable organizations, and help millions of others. The other may go on to lead a life of crime, become dependent on drugs and alcohol, leave a wave of destruction anywhere they go, and fail to contribute in any way to society.
The variable is the environment. One person sets lofty goals, surrounds himself with successful people, chooses to read and listen to uplifting and educational materials, and commits to hard work. This environment provides that person with everything a human needs to grow, mature, and maximize his or her potential.
The only way an acorn can become a massive oak tree is if it has the right environment. The only way you can have everything you want in life is to have the right environment. Unlike the acorn, which has no influence on where it ends up, we do. The acorn is at the mercy of fate. It can’t get up and move. It has no way to put itself in a more positive, nourishing environment. But we can!
If you are struggling, feeling unfulfilled, and are withering in any area of life, you have the choice and ability to put yourself in a better environment. You can get up and move. You can reposition yourself in an environment that gives you everything you need to get everything you want.
Inside every acorn is an oak tree. Both acorns in the story above contained that potential oak. The only difference was their environment. In every human lies greatness. The only difference is the environment. We can get up off that pavement and put ourselves into fertile soil, where we can flourish into the incredible human we have the potential to become. While the acorn depends on luck, we get to choose!
