@FullyAutomatedRPG I like the tree metaphor. And I really like the added dimensions of new fruit not always being the most tasty - I'm going to borrow that!
I sometime think about the Chinese philosopher Mencius, who said that we need to plant and cultivate many seeds, because you don't know which ones will sprout or be needed later. We also need to plant many seeds because we don't know if or when they will actually lead to something better.