A fallow field is alive
Sometimes less is more
I’ve seen many people struggle to produce … MORE.
When the more didn’t come, they often viewed it as a personal “problem”, a defect, a deficit, a failure. With that harsh assessment made, they would often self-prescribe something like:
Just. Do. MORE.
Just. Try. HARDER.
(like Nike’s JUST Do It! and Nancy Reagan’s JUST say ‘No’ to drugs!)
I’ve seen many well-intentioned advisors and coaches recommend MORE as a solution to LESS. Logical. Reasonable. The underlying metaphor for that Rx is something like prime the pump. Just get going and the flow will follow.
And sometimes it will.
But what if your well has run dry? Are there not periods of drought that come to every country in its season? Will furiously working the pump handle generate much return on investment of all that muscle work? What about mental work and the energy that consumes?
Sometimes the solution to a dry well is to wait for the rains to come.
A drought is not our fault. It is not a failure. It is not a dis-ease (though it is natural to feel uneasy when the creative source runs low). It is a part of the natural order of things. It will not submit to our human arrogance and our will to control … everything.
This is a long way of saying to you who may be reading these words right now, and are struggling with your output, to be gentle with yourself when the results do not come right away. You are not a machine, even though your boss/job might treat you like one. Even though you may sometimes treat yourself like one.
Sometimes the solution to not producing is to STOP trying for a while.
Minutes. Hours. Days. Weeks. You decide what your schedule and your conscience will allow for your re-charge period.
Let the field lie fallow. Let the well refill. Let your soul find its way in. Trust that the rains will come. They will.
And if they don’t, move on to another activity where the flow is stronger and the work feels freer and more natural to you. Then return to the stalled place and see if it feels different.
And repeat.
Dear Baird, what a beautiful way to reflect on the need for a pause! I am certain that a field left fallow will soon become fertile ground, ready for new growth.
What ancient wisdom that was easily forgotten: by leaving things untouched for a while, we actually encourage change. Thank you for sharing this, Marc.
Thank you Baird for sharing this link with me. Your post really resonated as I am looking at creating less for a time so I can replenish my energies and inspiration. Fallow time is good for all of us.