This week I noticed that my garden has been growing beautifully lately, which reminds me of a day in the beginning of Spring when I set out to do a bit of pruning. Spring pruning is not just a time for trees, vines and shrubs. Recently, I feel I’ve been experiencing somewhat of a pruning in my life as well.
Coming out of the winter haze, I’ve decided to make some changes in the way I work and devote a greater portion of my coaching business to work/life balance. Not only for my own business development, but for that of my clients – the balance of personal and work life seems a never ending struggle. An enormity of the divergence within leadership development and interpersonal conflict at work appear to be related, in some way, to juggling an array of intertwining vines in life’s process. An article in yesterday’s Wall Street Journal (June 11, 2008, D1) reminded me of the magnitude of this problem in business culture: “Downsizing Maternity Leave: Employers Cut Pay, Time Off” focuses on the seemingly endless cutbacks of late.
There’s Always Something that can go.
Now, here’s a little personal story about my garden: As I said, I’ve been working on a personal and business pruning myself. So, on one of those lovely ‘spring has just arrived’ type of days, I set out to my garden (kids in tow) to do some much needed pruning of our shrubs and vines. In all honesty, there were many things that should have been pruned back in the Fall, but like many things in life – it got away from me and I was playing ‘catch up’ for the Spring.
The problem with playing catch-up is that things seem to get sort of mixed in and sometimes you can’t tell the difference between what needs to be pruned and what needs to be completely removed. I began snipping and chopping, I even got out the hand-saw. I came across a branch that had just wound its way entirely through the lattice fencing and seemed thorny and unruly – so chop, chop I went, and alas, it was all gone – down to a stump, sun shining through – a bright new look in the garden.
Then, my husband got home. “What happened to that great climbing vine behind the holly bush?, the one with the winter berries?!!?,” he said. Oh. I had gotten carried away, “something from within” I stated, “had possessed me to chop away and change things up a bit.” “You destroyed it,” he said. I apologized. But, in truth, I wasn’t sorry at all. I feel it looks better now – cleaner, more open, with greater new possibilities…
So, if you haven’t already done so, think about your own pruning and cutting back this season. Imagine how you would like things to be blossoming and filling out in the months to come, and remember – in order for new growth to be nurtured, there needs to be a cutting back of sorts.
Tips to Let You Know When It’s Time to Let Something Go:
- Begin thinking about what you can cut back or completely cut out of your To Do List.
- Make a list of everything you need to do this month and find at least
- one thing to delegate
- one thing to remove
- one thing to put off until next month
- one thing to say “no, I can’t” to
- Think about what emotional attachment you have to some of the items on your To-Do List.
- Acknowledge that there will be some anxiety and discomfort when you cut back, and say “no, I can’t.”
- Accept that anxiety is normal and your health is the most important thing that makes you a great employee, partner, parent, child, friend, etc.
and… be on the look out for upcoming events in your area to give you the tips & tools you need to succeed!
Tags: cutbacks, cutting back, family time, flexible, longer hours, opportunity, solutions, stress, work options, work/life balance, working