Change: Sometimes you have to burn your fields

A sunflower must reach for the sun
to thrive. 

In an online group discussion this morning, I learned one of the participants is going through monumental personal and professional change. In response to his description, another participant, who grew up on a midwest farm, said, "even a farmer burns his fields"—which, although it seems destructive,  also ushers in new life, bringing nutrients back to the soil and promoting future plant health. 

Essentially, sometimes you have to stop and start over. Or, to paraphrase a term I heard when my own life turned upside down 10 years ago, sometimes you have to just blow everything up. 

Change is good

Ten years later, no regrets, despite the deep anguish of the time. I started over, dove deep into self-awareness, and on the other side found new insights and a future I could believe in.  

When the farmer burns the land, the fire not only replenishes the soil but breaks open seeds from which new plants can grow. When everything is stripped away, it's easier to see what's left, if there's anything worth keeping, and what needed to be scrapped anyway. 

While I don't advocate that we all blow everything up just for the sake of change, sometimes, that's what it takes to shake us out of our complacency. It's from this place where we can create our future based on what we want, not what we had, nor who we were, nor where we came from. 

I don't know about you, but in the past, there have been numerous times when I knew something wasn't working... and I didn't do anything about it until that proverbial two-by-four hit me over the head and I had no choice. 

I'd rather be the farmer, preparing the soil for my future. That burn gives us a fresh start. 

Not my smartest move...  

This morning's conversation also reminded me that when, as an internal communications manager for an organization during massive culture change, I found myself in HR's crosshairs. I oversaw all content for the company-wide intranet and often posted curated content to add validity to the changes underway. 

We were asking employees to change how they think about work, to be customer-obsessed and servant leaders, and to take an entrepreneurial approach to work. I posted the Fast Company story, with only the headline visible: How to Overthrow Your Boss and Burn Your Company to the Ground. 

Being future-focused, I thought it was a great piece and furthered the shift in thinking we wanted. HR wasn't amused and made me pull it, even with my strong rationale and the support of our VP to leave it up. 

Hindsight being 20/20, that may have been a catalyst for my next whack with a two-by-four.  

Burn your ships

While trying to find that 2015 Fast Company article to post here, I discovered a similar expression: Burn your ships. Apparently, when explorer Hernán Cortéz landed in the new world, he burned his ships, sending a message to the crew that there was no turning back. It was, quite literally, succeed or die. 

In other words, you can't have one foot out the door. You're either committed or you aren't. I often ask myself the question, are you interested or committed—one of my key takeaways from the Landmark Forum a couple of decades ago. If I'm just interested, those proverbial ships are my escape route, and I'm unlikely to achieve my goals. If I'm committed, I'm going to get where I say I'm going no matter what; I don't need those ships! 

No try, just do

(Borrowed from the interwebs...
copyright TBD; asking forgiveness,
not permission)

And finally, at least half a dozen times in the last week, I was told, heard, or saw the famous words of StarWars Jedi Master: Do or do not. There is no try. Wise master Yoda reminded me, via various channels, that the only way forward is to act. While I believe that burning the fields works, I've done that enough, and I don't want to be hit again with that proverbial two-by-four. So my only option is to do. No try. Just do. The hard things, the easy things. The daily habits and rituals. Those things that must be done. 

So tell me, what's your gut telling you that you need to change? What can you change now so you, too, can avoid that whack on the head and be the farmer instead? What must you do to create a life you want to wake up to every day? 

I'm about to change nearly everything, again, but this time, I'm doing it on my terms. And having some fun with it, too. 

If you like this post, or this blog resonates with you in any way, please feel free to share it, comment below, or send me a message. I'm also available for one-on-one coaching—you can find me here.