An Idea Whose Time Has Come

Today’s message is inspired by French poet Victor Hugo’s famous line, Nothing Is More Powerful Than An Idea Whose Time Has Come.

How do you know when an idea’s time has come?

One approach is to observe the opposite– when an idea’s time has NOT yet come.

For example, recently my daughter wanted nothing more than to fly her new kite. We set it up, tried our best to throw it into the sky as we ran out front, but --small detail-- there was no wind that day.

I love this humbling reminder that we can schedule [the playdate], but nature has its own plan.

How do we respond when things in life don’t go as we might like? I like to redirect my energy and focus where I can make a difference. This is exactly what I modeled for my daughter– she and her bestie were happy to play at the water table in the warm weather.

What else can we learn from nature?

Let’s talk about the concept of fallow land.

As you may know, this is the practice of intentionally leaving certain fields unplanted during a growing season so they can rest and regenerate.

While fallow land does not generate short-term profit, being proactively inactive for a period of time will reap a greater “crop” in the long run.

How might practicing this idea help you in your own life? Specifically, where can you pause or rest now to generate greater returns later?

Let me share an example from my own company (Visions Internships). After running 4 straight programs since launching in December of 2020, I made the difficult (short-term financial) decision to pause programming for this summer to expand our internal infrastructure and suite of offerings so that when we resume VIP (Visions Internships Program) this fall (September 20th start date!), we will be even better positioned to serve purpose-driven young professionals and organizations for the long haul. (HERE is a link to a recent interview I did talking about what we do.)

Notice that leaving a metaphorical “field fallow” in your business or your life rarely means you are resting entirely; it more so means you are giving yourself permission to direct your efforts to other priorities while allowing other areas to rest for the time being.

Let me ask you – What is something you want to prioritize and take action on now? Perhaps you've been waiting for a better moment. Maybe you've let other people's opinions sway you. Or you'd rather someone else make the first move. It’s completely OK if you have not taken action in this area. Remember, today is the first day of the rest of your life.

On the other hand, what is something you can let rest for a season?

Consider you will know when the time has come to take action on what matters most to you.

Imagine the ripple effect that your one action can have -- on one person, on your community, on our world. This, I believe, is how we Co-Create A World That Works.

To Your Success!

Amy