Make hay while the sun shines

I'm realizing that I use this phrase all the time. What does it mean? I’m going to assume it’s mostly about taking advantage of a favorable situation.

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In the case of making hay, good weather. Might as well cut as much hay as you can, while you can. You don’t know when you’ll have another shot. In a closely related context maybe seasonal work of some kind.

I use the phrase in the realm of creative work because creativity can be a fickle mistress. When she visits, I have to act, because I don’t know when she will grace me with her presence again. If an ideas is there, I need to immediately work to flesh it out. It might be my only shot for a bit.

Or even just when I have motivation around learning or business development. Read as much as I can in these seasons, listen to podcasts, meet people for coffee, take calls. The energy there, at least for me, won't last for ever. It comes and it goes, so I find value in taking advantage of it while it's there and being ok with it when it's not.

I also like to use the phrase organizationally. Specially when it comes to the topic of a rebrand. Rebrands require a lot of energy across an organization.

So pay attention to the wind or the "sun" as it where. Are there things happening that are exciting, pivotal, or significant? Are people talking about the future of the organization or is there an overall sense of momentum? New hires, new projects, goals, and initiatives. Or even mergers and acquisitions. We essentially call these “inflection points.”

These points are really useful because they generate energy. Energy means momentum, momentum means resources can become available. Resources mean action, excitement, buy-in.

You will get the biggest value out of a rebrand in these moments. Because it requires energy across an organization to do it well and for it to stick.

Inflection points don't always come and that's ok, but take full advantage of them when they do.

Make hay while the sun shines.

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