November 14, 2022

Tending to the fruits of your labour.

I spent the weekend inoculating logs with Shiitake mushroom mycelium. Drill, plug, wax, roll, repeat… 200x. Then wait.

Small tedium today for what could be a sumptuous feast in the future.

Sometimes running your own small coaching business feels like this too: a lot of tiny repetitive tasks and daily effort, connecting, talking, designing, writing, for an unknowable payoff.

Will this be the post that inspires a potential client to reach out? Will that touchpoint be the one that brings them to readiness? Will this call be the day we sign a commitment to growing together?

The daily work of nurturing one’s presence in the world of work can feel as thin and uncertain as those wisps of mushroom mycelium, delicate tubules disappearing off into the ether to be eaten, trampled, diseased. Or—if nature is on our side and the conditions are right—the nearly invisible thread that fruits into something truly magical.

Sometimes it’s worth asking, are you doing enough to inoculate for the future? Are you willing to wait for the results?

For my mushrooms, it’s going to be at least 6 months to 2 years.