Successfully leading a business, or a career requires an inexhaustible commitment. Sustaining commitment also requires a season of letting go.

There will be unavoidable challenges. There will be seasons of economic harvest and unrelenting growth. No matter what the season, success is a matter of commitment. Quitting is never an option.

To sustain fertility, farmers let go by “letting the land fallow.” The practice is letting farmland be unsown for a period of time to restore its fertility as part of crop rotation.

In leadership, “letting the land fallow” requires letting go of the pressure to perform. Fallowing is necessary to prevent tired and drowsy thinking.

With the holidays approaching, and winter being the season of “shadows”, allowing time to fallow allows the mind to “restore its fertility” of fresh ideas.

Here are five (5) suggestions that can facilitate the opportunity to fallow:

1. Schedule fallow time – Determine a time when the number of projects, tasks, and initiatives can be slowed down. If time is not set aside for this, your commitment to perform will take the nutrients out of your thinking.
2. Be provocative – One of my clients originated the concept of “business creation.” The purpose is to identify new, innovative, and not yet discovered ways to create new business. Fallow time will restore the fertility of your intellect.
3. Be still and let go – During your fallow period to simply be still. Allow your thoughts to emerge and evaporate. Courageously let go of that uncontrollable impulse to complete the next task on your to do list.
4. Stay committed – By “letting the land fallow” you are insuring a future harvest. In your business the harvest from allowing time to fallow can lead to increased productivity and even increased profits.
5. Enjoy the harvest before the fallow – Last, but not least, this fallow time is an excellent opportunity to reflect and celebrate past accomplishments. Don’t forget to celebrate.