fueling your fire

Remember To Prioritize Commitments To Avoid Burn Out

very spring we do a controlled burn in some of our pastures. Maybe you have controlled burns at your farm.

Lighting a field on fire is interesting and can be pretty scary, too.

There is a lot of preparation that goes into this process. My husband mows a fire line around the part we want to burn. If we didn’t mow these fire lines, the fire would burn out of control, because there would be an endless supply of tall dead grass to catch on fire.

The idea is that the fire line will help the fire slow down enough and either go out on its own for lack of fuel, or someone with a blower will use the blower to get it fully out.

Unfortunately, when we were burning last spring, our fire lines were too narrow and the wind picked up from the south—and all of a sudden the fire jumped across the fire line and got away from us quickly.

As we raced across to the north, we were lucky to have the gravel road as a natural stop. But the fire was growing quickly to the west, headed straight for our neighbor’s pasture full of cattle.

The fire line had been sufficient when the wind conditions had been calm and ideal. But when the wind picked up unexpectedly, the lack of proper margin was leading us into potential disaster.

We were all full of adrenaline as we worked to stop the hot, tall, scary flames as best we could. I’ll be honest, my heart is racing pretty fast even now as I tell you the story!

Having an uncontrolled fire took EVERY OUNCE of my energy and attention in that moment.

You have probably heard the saying: Where your eyes go, your thoughts will follow. Believe me, my eyes were locked in on the potential threat of those flames and my thoughts were racing with adrenaline–not the good kind, but the anxious kind!

Do you ever feel like you’re in this emergency firefighting mode at school or home? Have you prepared your fire lines adequately, or is your margin too narrow like ours was?

When the calmness of life turns a little more out of control, does your margin hold boundaries to keep you at healthy levels of operation?

Let me ask you this: how great is your work when you are in a chronic state of adrenaline, fatigue and burnout?

I can tell you from my experience (and plenty of research that backs this up), your work will suffer, and so will the other important things that matter to you in life.

I wish I had known this lesson when I was in school. I kept myself so busy with activities, that I sometimes was just trying to keep my head above the water going from one thing to the next.

I looked around and saw the successful professionals I look up to moving at a fast pace. I assumed, without any thought, that was the only way to be successful. I now see that constant movement can take a toll. Are you fully invested in your commitments? Are there any that are taking time or energy away from the things you really care about? Learning to prioritize is a really important skill you will need as an adult, so why not start practicing your prioritization skills now? Invite an adult you trust to help you assess your current and future levels of involvement!

—By Whitney Kinne

A former FFA member, Whitney Kinne is a career and leadership coach from Clinton, Missouri. She helps professionals of all ages and stages establish and accomplish their career goals in agriculture and beyond. She also speaks and facilitates strengths-based leadership workshops for businesses and organizations.