Time for a little winter pruning? (And I don't just mean plants)
It’s winter pruning time here on our small farmstead. Lots of raspberries, roses, and grapes are waiting for their date with our lopers. I have a conversation with each plant as we (me and the plant) decide what to prune away. Which are the strongest canes that can support new growth? Which spindly starts need to be nipped away so the stronger canes can thrive? What damaged, diseased or misdirected branches should be removed so the plant can have a healthy growth pattern? We have a number of aggressive pests and soil-borne pathogens that give our plants enough challenges. I want to do everything I can to give them the best chance to grow and develop. Come spring, these plants reward us for our care by filling out with beautiful healthy green leaves and sharing their beautiful blossoms and delicious fruit.
Pruning for me is a great metaphor for how to manage life and a business. We prune periodically throughout the year depending on how each plant grows and adapts to our climate and conditions. I periodically “prune” my office, my desk, my garden tools, and if I can, the closets and pantries in my house. You get the idea. Next year I’ll have pruned my course offerings, so this is the last year I will be teaching my foundational constellation facilitator training courses. There will be room for new opportunities to grow.
Metaphorically speaking, where in your life are there:
• dead wood - clutter, things, or even relationships that no longer serve you?
• damaged items (or relationships) that take too much extra time (and frustration) to use them properly (so you probably don't)?
• crossing or tangled branches (projects or people) that prevent other branches from thriving?
What stops you from pruning away so your life can thrive? I know that this task often feels daunting, a “where do I even start” kind of challenge. I’ve learned from having to prune 40 roses and several sets of raspberries each year, that just starting with the first rose bush and letting myself focus on that task is enough to get me going. The next rose is easier and the next after that is even easier until the whole job is done.
Pruning often puts me in mind of the “lean” approach to design. Way back when I was a young manufacturing engineer at Tektronix, I found an absolutely thrilling book (now out of print) on lean manufacturing. This was a Japanese method pioneered at Toyota that greatly reduced wasted effort and materials in their production process and as a result greatly improved the quality and profitability of their cars. Now some 30+ years later, I am equally enthralled, not surprisingly, with Ben Hartman’s book and work with lean methods for living at The Lean Farm. The liberating feeling of letting go of that which truly does not contribute to my life and well-being is worth the cold winter afternoons with a pair of lopers in my hand. It doesn't matter whether those lopers are really a set of number 8 Felco pruners or the waste bin in my office receiving old files and out-dated papers, I know I'll feel better when I'm done.
In this commercial, consumption driven world, where we are devouring the very planet that gives us life, we could all benefit from lean thinking and a little regular pruning. Try it for yourself. Just start with that first "rose bush". You’ll find the second one easier, and a spacious feeling of opportunity in your life when you finish. Room for new opportunities and growth.
