If your boss gives you a basil plant as a gift, you get to decide what to do with it. You can consume it all now, or you can use some now and leave some to grow.
We got one of those AeroGardens a few years ago and started seeds of various different herbs. Chives, oregano, lemongrass – they all did well in the hydroponic, nutrient-enriched, and light dense environment. We did get a funny look from a police officer friend of ours who saw it growing on the counter while visiting us one day, but that's a different story.
My favorite thing to do with the basil is to make pesto, so as soon as those first two baby leaves came out, I wanted to use the whole plant for pesto. But I knew if I did, I'd kill it. So I waited and let it get bigger. As it grew, I was able to pick off a few leaves here and there for my own use. Eventually, it grew so large I could make a huge batch of pesto without hurting the plant at all.
As it continued to grow, it actually took over all the space under the surface with its roots and covered all the lights with its leaves. We jokingly started calling it “The Basil Monster”. I was able to cut off stems, put them in a glass of water until they developed roots, and plant them in separate pots. Over time, those plants grew and grew and more and more pots were taken over. I started giving the plants away to friends and family because I had more than I could ever use.
The growth of The Basil Monster was compounding. The sprigs I cut off and planted generated other sprigs I could cut off and plant, which generated other sprigs I could cut off and plant.
This exact same thing happens with money. In the financial world, this exponential growth is called “compound interest”. When you invest money, it produces a financial return, which is like that little sprig of basil. When you replant (reinvest) that dividend, it grows, too.
For some reason we can easily believe this happens with plants, but we don't believe it happens with money. Instead of being gentle with our money and only using a minimal amount until it grows to a size where it can handle bigger hits, we devour the whole thing right away. Spending your whole paycheck is like eating those first two baby basil leaves. No wonder you feel like you never have enough! You don't have The Basil Monster on your kitchen counter making the police do a double take. 🙂
It takes self-discipline not to eat the baby basil plant whole. It takes a long-term vision and belief in the magic of compound interest to sacrifice current consumption in favor of sitting some of your money aside and letting it grow. But if you can do it, before you know it you will have a Money Monster growing for you, creating more than you could ever need.
The choice is yours – devour the whole baby basil plant your company gives you on payday, or let it grow until one day it can provide you with more abundance that you can figure out what to do with.
Are you making money pesto too soon?
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