False springs occur in advance of the real thing. These events generate premature excitement for something that is only temporary. It’s the artificial season, before the real season.
False Springs
False springs occur when the weather becomes uncommonly warm in late winter. During these events, Mother Nature teases us with all the things that are great about spring…warmer temperatures, more sunshine, and flowering plants and trees. Then…the carpet gets yanked right out from underneath us!
During March and April in Georgia, Mother Nature tends to struggle with a multiple personality disorder. It is commonly said that if you don’t like today’s weather here, just wait a day!
This weekend was the perfect example of her seasonal disorder. Today (Sunday), we are experiencing perfect weather…clear skies, sunny, and mid-seventies. Plants have been blooming all weekend!
Tomorrow morning (Monday), there is a potential for severe weather, ninety percent chance of rain, and a low of twenty-seven degrees! But…eager growers hold on for just one second! Friday…eighty degrees, sunny, and not a chance of rain!
Of the forecasted conditions, the most problematic to people eager to get growing is the twenty-seven degrees. Most blooms that have occurred to this point will not be able to withstand the sub-freezing temperatures. All the growth…gone.
The problem is, false springs never last. So…how do we prevent the collateral damage of false springs in life and leadership? Here are three thoughts:
Patiently Wait
I had to make a trip to Lowe’s yesterday to grab a few things. The garden center was full of pumped-up people! As someone who is familiar with growing plants, I felt so sorry for those people. They were experiencing false hope!
The good weather weekend got them overly excited. They were so caught up in the temporary temperature of today that they couldn’t help but to prematurely plant. Impatience leads to dead flowers later.
There is nothing wrong with getting excited about good things to come. Sometimes, it just requires us to patiently wait through the initial injection of excitement to undergo The True Growing Season.
In life and leadership, patiently waiting gets us through temporary seasons of success to experience sustained seasons of personal and professional satisfaction. There is much to be learned in seasons that require waiting. Patiently pursue those moments to experience the beautiful fruit of the season.
Prepare for the Moment
Waiting does not mean abandoning preparation. On those false spring days, we should spend our time Preparing the Soil. We can rid the ground of weeds, till the soil, and do all the things necessary so that when it is time to plant, we are ready to go. Then, everything will be in a position to grow.
Waiting is not a passive process, it is an active one. Just because we are in a personal or professional season of waiting, doesn’t mean activity should cease. Waiting allows time for proper preparation. Adequate preparation permits us to pounce when the real opportunity for growth comes.
Seek Wisdom
My recommendation to those swarming the garden center impulsively would be to seek the book section. There is a book called the Old Farmer’s Almanac that contains all sorts of predictive wisdom as it relates to growing things. It’s published annually and offers guidance to growers, specifically when to plant. Those recommendations are grounded in a mix of the best historical practices, a little folklore, and forecasted weather patterns. Simply put, the wisdom the pages possess significantly increases a grower’s chances of success.
I was fortunate to have an Old Farmer’s Almanac built into my family lineage. My grandfather, Paw Paw, taught me everything I know about gardening. The key factor to not jack up your plants…get them in the ground AFTER the first frost. His advice, wait until the first week in May to get things in the ground. That wisdom has always proven true to me, whether I abided by it and succeeded, or drifted from it and failed.
In life and leadership, wisdom matters. We can gain wisdom in one of two ways. One, from our own experiences, like me planting things before my grandfather told me to. A full day of replacing dead plants will build future wisdom really quick! Two, we can learn from the wisdom of others and spend a lot less time replanting. That process is a lot less painful.
We need not only need good books to read, but also need good people to study as well. Seek wisdom during false springs. It makes the growing season way more bountiful.
Conclusion
Life and leadership can be a grind. False springs can easily lift our spirits and provide hope. There are days that we desire good things to come, better yet, we NEED good things to come!
Just because false springs exist in our lives, it doesn’t mean good things aren’t coming. We just need to be patient enough for the real thing to arrive.
Happiness is temporary, joy is long-lasting. Being prepared for the moment when it comes, presents the opportunity to experience genuine joy. A feeling that outlasts all others.
Last, but not least, seek the wisdom of others. Find those that are further ahead in the growing season and seek guidance on growth.
False springs exist to give us a glimpse of what is possible when we wait, prepare, and gain wisdom. Planting our roots in the right place, at the right time, ensures beautiful things that we cannot even begin to imagine for our futures.
