Success is a beautiful thing for those who achieve it.
For others on their way to achieving success, it is an exciting experience.
There are however processes which everyone on the path to achieving success must pass through.
One of such processes is called Pruning.
In agriculture, a fruit tree may look health and be bearing fruit.
When the farmer wants such a tree to bear more fruits, he prunes it.
He cuts off some of the branches that are full of leaves.
By doing this, he creates channels through which the tree can bear a greater number of fruits.
This process has been employed for ages in increasing the yield of plants by farmers.
The same principle also applies to increasing human productivity.
Jesus said that he is the true vine and Christians are his branches.
He then said that the good branches that are bearing fruit will be pruned so that they can bear more fruits.
It implies that if we are seeking to increase out productivity, we must have someone who is regularly pruning our activities.
We need someone who will come in and help us change some of our ideas about success.
Such a person in sports is called a coach.
In business he is a mentor and in life a trainer.
For us to achieve success in whatever we are doing, we need such people.
People who have achieved what we are aiming to achieve or understand what it takes to get to where we are going.
They will help make some very tough decisions and are there to ensure that we follow through with such decisions.
They are not there to pamper us or motivate us.
They are there to ensure that tough decisions necessary to achieve our goals are carried out.
Anyone that has achieved enviable success has at least one of such people in her life.
Such people do not necessarily need to be with you all the time.
You may encounter them as resource persons at seminars and workshop.
They give you ideas and let understand why you are not moving forward beyond the point where you are.
For the man on the path to success, pruning entails swallowing your pride.
You will be forced to abandon some strongly held believes of yours about success.
You will be forced to cut of some relationships in your life.
Some of your habits will come under serious scrutiny.
Pruning is a painful but necessary process for achieving success.
If you are growing your business, learn also to the art of pruning.
You must have the courage to force some painful but necessary changes in your system as you grow.
You must be willing to take decisions that people may think is too harsh but which you know is vital for your organization to move forward.
Above all, you must seek for mentor to prune your activities.
Never assume that all you are doing are in the right order.
Be willing to submit yourself to tough criticism by your mentor.
It is by allowing yourself to be pruned that some of your hidden qualities will come to light.
In fact, after pruning, you will be wondering why you were operating the way you used to operate before.
Your former ways will seem so foolish to you.