When the rake breaks

When the Rake Finally Breaks

This morning I was spending time in one of my favorite places—outside.

I was raking and cleaning up the path around my house, something I do regularly. Yard work is one of those activities that checks a lot of boxes for me. It’s great exercise, it gets me outdoors, I can listen to the birds, and it gives my mind a chance to slow down and simply enjoy the moment.

As I was working, my favorite rake finally gave up.

Now, this wasn’t a sudden event. The rake had been in the process of breaking for quite some time. The handle had been getting looser and looser, but somehow it kept hanging on. This morning, though, it finally came apart.

Being the practical person I am, I tried putting the handle back in. Multiple times.

I’d reattach it, rake for a few minutes, and then the handle would fall out again. After repeating this cycle several times, I eventually gave up and started using just the rake head, bent over and pulling leaves by hand.

At that point, it struck me.

How often do we do this in our own lives?

We hold on to things—habits, routines, patterns, beliefs, and ways of doing things—simply because they are familiar. They may have served us well at one point. They may even still work, sort of. But deep down, we know they aren’t serving us as effectively as they once did.

Yet we keep trying to put the handle back in.

We convince ourselves that if we just work a little harder, make one more adjustment, or ignore the obvious signs, everything will be fine.

Sometimes the truth is simple: it’s time for a new rake.

Organizations do the same thing.

Many businesses and nonprofits continue operating with processes, programs, and practices that have been in place for years. The rationale is often, “This is how we’ve always done it.” Maybe those methods worked in the past. Maybe they still produce acceptable results. But acceptable isn’t the same as effective, and familiar isn’t the same as efficient.

Growth requires evaluation.

Progress requires change.

And change often requires letting go of something that feels comfortable.

So how do we know when it’s time to let go of old habits, patterns, processes, or systems and try something new?

If you’re raking with only the bottom part of a rake, that’s a pretty clear sign.

In life and in business, the signs can be just as clear. We simply have to be willing to see them.

We have to honestly assess our effectiveness and efficiency. We have to be willing to step outside our comfort zones and experiment with new approaches. Most importantly, we have to be willing to let go of things that no longer serve us, even when they’ve been part of our lives for a long time.

Sometimes the biggest obstacle to growth isn’t finding the next great thing.

It’s finally admitting that the old thing has run its course.

I explore many of these ideas in my book, Treading the Waters of Life: A Guide to Self-Reflection and Action. The book is available for free download in both English and Spanish on my website, and it’s also available on Kindle for just 99 cents.

Visit www.totalimpactpartners.com to learn more and download your copy.