Focusing on What Matters

The snow had piled on six inches by this morning, tense and fluffy at the same time. Wielding the trusty shovel, I noticed how the fresh snow had cast its quiet calm upon the morning. A lone songbird from the naked maple tree asked its warbled question of the world, then waited for no reply. The sky, still dragging its low gray belly of clouds along, let loose a wayward flake here and there, as if they had somehow escaped on their own to try their luck at dancing.

The quiet that came with the snow-laden morning is not unlike the quiet that overtakes farming in wintertime. Most projects move indoors, chores are condensed, and there’s a bit of breather space to reconnect with purpose and dream towards the future.

Those dreams might include a wide range of initiatives—from finalizing the seed order or planning a trial fall lambing to organizing the rigorous summer events schedule. Winter is never without its projects and strategizing meetings! But that time to focus is also quite vital, bringing reflections on what gets you up in the morning and what keeps you going, even when it’s hard.

It is easy to get caught up in the doing—tend to this, don’t forget about that, who needs help, what’s next on deck, which fires need to be put out first. The “to do” list is far longer than can ever be reasonably accomplished, and prioritizing becomes a daily practice. There’s never enough time, resources, space, or strength, which can be a prime recipe for burnout or despair.

One of Mom’s favorite reminders is “Take care of the being, and the doing will take care of itself.” How often do we focus solely on the “to do” list and our accomplishments instead of thinking about the “why” or “with what intent” questions?

This week on the farm, we put that process right in the front row of our activities, revisiting our many attempts at creating a meaningful mission statement. Not that the earlier versions were wrong or bad, but they were long, flowery (my fault as the writer in the family, I’m sure), and didn’t really hit the mark for the great diversity of initiatives we embrace.

We knew the work was critical, however, and spent several evenings herding words onto the page and really sitting with the “reason for being” for the farm, Farmstead, and our community outreach. What was it we stood for? What was it that we felt really mattered? How do you express “making a difference” in a strong and meaningful way? How do you rework broad sentiments like “be the change” into language that feels like yours?

Instead of trying to play buzzword bingo with these questions, we took a really heartfelt, thoughtful moment (well, several moments over several days, really), and this is what came forward:

Our Mission:
To create and inspire life choices that nourish and celebrate wholeness.

Our Vision:
To build a vibrant culture of compassion and renewal with lasting impact for the land, animals, and community.

It was this morning, after shoveling all that quieting snow, feeding the chickens and turkeys, and sitting down to our own steamy breakfast of French toast that we put the finishing tweaks to these statements of purpose and value—statements that reach towards verbalizing what really matters here on the farm.

And think if we all took the time to do that kind of work—not just at the business level, but at the personal level or even project level. In The Artist’s Way workshops we’ve been holding at Farmstead, one of the major questions has been for the participants to identify a creative goal. But the work goes beyond just identifying the goal—one must name it, claim it, and identify one’s “True North” in relation to the goal.

By True North, author and creative Julia Cameron is encouraging the artist to ask that tough “why” behind the “what.” Two people might have the same goal name (say, become a published author) but with very different reasons for pursuing that goal. Acclaim might be the goal for one writer, while fulfillment might be the goal for another. The type or method of publication that would bring real satisfaction to these writers would be very different, even though the goal appears the same.

Working on your “why,” identifying your True North, or even taking some time to sit with true purpose is difficult and introspective work. But finding a way to turn those inner drivers into language becomes a very powerful tool. Having that mission and vision statement in clear, purposeful sentences feels like an immense accomplishment this week! The mission statement expresses “who, what, and reason for being.” The vision statement expresses “why, how, and what you want to see manifest.”

I wish that each of us could find a place of clarity and purpose that helps you say “Ah, yes, that’s it. I’m behind that.” Through that “aha” process, we all grow in our vision and momentum. Realignment with core values is not just for New Year’s resolutions, it’s for every day. It’s for right now. This week, make some time for focusing on what really matters and see what happens.

We know what happens in nature after the quiet reflectiveness of winter, right? Spring! See you down on the farm sometime.