Heroes Not Zombies

In the second part of the A to Z of Becoming, Y stands for the verb, “yield”.

How can yielding help you grow?

Well, to yield is to be flexible. It isn’t about giving up. It’s not about being “soft”. Look at the photo above and see how the rock yields to the water, and the water to the rock. They become something distinct together by yielding a little to each other, so the rock contains the path of the water, and sets the banks of the river, but the water doesn’t give up. It flows continuously against the rock, not penetrating it to go straight through (have you ever seen a river which is perfectly straight?), but by yielding to the rock’s firmness, its strength, and carrying on.

Look at these trees below. They are amongst the tallest, oldest trees in Scotland.

When the wind blows, they yield. They sway. They give a little. And in so doing, absorb some of the strength of the wind. And the wind yields a little of its strength to the trees. The wind does not pass through the forest in a straight line, but the trees don’t break in half and fall over (except when they do!), so they grow stronger and taller and live longer, with an interplay of firmness and yielding.

To yield is to be adaptable, to be flexible. It’s not about giving up. It’s about absorbing the force pressing against you, adapting, and flowing on.

Do you need to yield a bit to grow?