We have all been there. You look at a piano and think, “I wish I had learned to play when I was a kid.” You look at a career path and think, “I should have studied that in college.” You look at your health and think, “I should have started running ten years ago.” We are masters of looking backward and calculating the compound interest of our inaction. We paralyze ourselves with the ghost of a past opportunity. That is why I absolutely love the Chinese proverb: “The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is now.” It is such a simple sentence, but it completely dismantles the logic of regret.
The first part of the quote acknowledges reality. Yes, if you had started investing, or learning French, or writing that book 20 years ago, you would be enjoying the shade of that tree today. It doesn’t deny the missed opportunity. But the second part is where the magic happens. It shifts the focus from what was lost to what is still possible. It tells us that while we cannot change the timeline of the past, we are the absolute masters of the timeline starting right now. The “second best time” is still a pretty good time! It’s infinitely better than the third best time, which is tomorrow, or the worst time, which is never.
This proverb is a call to forgive your younger self for not knowing better or for not being ready. It’s a reminder that the timeline of your life isn’t fixed. We often feel that if we didn’t hit certain milestones by 25 or 30, we missed the boat. But trees grow whenever you plant them. The soil doesn’t care how old you are. The seed doesn’t check your ID. It just needs you to dig the hole today. It’s about swapping the passive heaviness of “I wish I had” for the active agency of “I am starting.” It cuts through the excuse of “it’s too late” and replaces it with the urgency of “let’s go.”
So, be honest with me: What is the “tree” you have been putting off planting because you felt like you were already too late? Let’s make a pact to plant it today. Tell me what it is in the comments!
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