In my executive coaching and though leadership work, I introduce the concept of ‘PURPOSESCAPING,’ which draws inspiration from George Washington Carver’s methods of crop rotation. The sustainable farming methods provide a wealth of lessons to help individuals ‘restore the depleted soil of the self’ and realign their lives during times of transition or burnout.
PURPOSESCAPING is a seasonal framework that maps the four seasons from nature to any process that is experienced by a living being. It includes spring planting, summer growth, fall harvest, and winter rest.
Through PURPOSESCAPING, we can use a seasonal metaphor to establish a sustainable rhythm in both our personal and professional lives.
PURPOSESCAPING helps you see your patterns and see where you’ve not made room for the work of all four seasons or for the particular season that you’re in. Each season has specific work that you should be doing, specific threats you should be looking out for, specific opportunities you can take advantage of, as well as specific actions to avoid.
Here are four lessons plucked directly from nature to help you navigate burnout.
Lesson One – No one season lasts forever
High achievers often favor one season and attempt to stay in it too long and ignore our need to experience the other three seasons.
For example many high achievers are guilty of repeatedly skipping winter which is a setup for burnout. Because the work of winter is quiet and reflective, it can be enticing to stay in the season of fall harvest where visible accomplishments, accolades, and revenue are present. When you are earning money, getting awards, and reaping the benefits of all of your hard work from spring and summer, it’s natural to want to bask in that shine forever. It’s natural to want to be visible.
But the winter season, according to the framework, is all about reflecting on the cycles that have passed and making decisions about what you will plant next. Winter is an essential season, just like rest is an essential ingredient for life. It’s impossible to stay in summer or autumn indefinitely.
Lesson Two – We are always moving through cycles of planting, growth, harvest, and rest
Purposescaping is a metaphor for life because people are always moving through cycles of planting, growth, harvest, and rest. Even though you may have reached the pinnacle of one area of your life, as you continue to evolve there will eventually come a time to clear the ground and plant something new again.
Lesson Three – Nature’s timing creates a sustainable pace
Purposescaping offers a lens to better determine when a season is expired or alternatively when you are right on time based on the cycle. The seasonal metaphor can help you accurately assess where you are versus where you may want to be. You may want to be in a harvest season, but in reality you’r still in summer growth doing the work to bring your idea or expertise to maturity.
Often, leaders may share that they feel behind. But if we look at their journey and hold it up against the framework it’s easier to see the “seasons”.
They may have been in a serious planting season so makes sense that for the past year they’ve been hyper focused on growth. It’s not time for them to harvest yet or it’s not time for them to rest yet. They may determine they are on time because they are doing the work of the season that they’re currently in whether that is in their career, family, parenting, or even health journey.
Lesson Four – No season is wasted
Purposescaping allows leaders to release the unrealistic societal expectation to bloom year-around. It gives them permission to take their time through the full cycles of planting, growth, harvest, and rest with the understanding no season is wasted.