Earlier this week I was meeting with one of my leaders for coaching and we talked about her current season in life. We both agree that she is in a winter season of her life that is beyond her control. This leader has always had a growth mindset and winter is incredibly frustrating for her. In the past she has been so focused on growth that she “applied too much fertilizer.” Over fertilization in a garden, caused by well-intended but automatic feeding, often results in fertilizer burn of plants. Applying too much fertilizer in life is getting involved in too many things, it’s well-intentioned, but it just too much. She couldn’t finish anything or do anything well because she was doing too many things, all in the desire to grow. I reminded her of Jim Collin’s quote from his book Good to Great – “Good is the enemy of great.” We can get so involved in “good” things and spread ourselves so thin that it is impossible for us to become “great.” It causes “fertilizer burn” and stunts or kills our growth. I encouraged my leader to embrace this season of winter, with the thought that preparation for growth is just as important as growth itself. Winter is a season where the farmer prunes his grape vines or fruit trees, services his tractor, and rests in preparation for his growing season. We too should embrace our winter seasons and prune or cut back the things in our life that may be growing in the wrong direction or just need pruning. We need to service our equipment, get organized and take care of things that we never have time for during spring, summer and fall. Finally, as we keep our eyes open for spring, we rest in preparation for our own growing season.
