“Rather than being a waterfall, be a well.” —Jefferson Fisher
Let me begin with…I absolutely LOVE waterfalls. I went waterfall chasing in Oregon with my dear friend Tisha and her family several years ago, and it’s still a core memory locked in my mind. If you asked me if I’d like to go see three waterfalls or three wells…you know the answer.
And yet…I heard this quote…
Because of course, waterfalls feel like the goal.
They are loud. Powerful. Impressive. Pour out endlessly. They literally demand to be seen.
In a world that often rewards visibility, productivity, and constant content creation…being a “waterfall” seems like the right way to show up!
Give more. Share more. Do more. Be more.
But the problem with waterfalls is that they’re always pouring out.
And eventually, if nothing is pouring in, they run dry.
Now, Let’s Consider the Well.
A well doesn’t demand attention. It doesn’t rush. It doesn’t perform.
It is quiet. Steady. Deep. Consistently filled and often from sources you can’t even see. Underground streams. Slow accumulation. Deep reserves.
And when people come to a well, it has something to offer.
Not because it’s constantly producing, but because it’s consistently being filled.
The Pressure to Be a Waterfall
In leadership and even in life, especially on social media, there’s an unspoken pressure to always be “on.”
To have the next idea. The next post. The next solution. The next answer.
It’s easy to chase that waterfall view. Just pouring ourselves into everyone and everything around us.
But when you’re always pouring out and never filling back up, you will likely…
Burnout. Build Resentment. Disconnect.
Or sometimes…experience an emptiness you can’t quite explain.
So, Why Choose the Well?
Being a well doesn’t mean you stop giving.
It means you prioritize being filled just as much as being helpful.
It might look like:
- Taking time to reflect instead of reacting
- Listening more than speaking
- Learning instead of always leading
- Resting without guilt
- Protecting your energy like it matters…because it does!
A well doesn’t rush to prove its value. It simply has value because of what it holds.
Filling the Well
The real question isn’t whether you’re pouring out.
It’s this: What’s pouring in?
For me, filling the well looks like:
- Meaningful conversations that go beyond surface-level
- Movement that challenges me and grounds me (ya know…like CrossFit, running, lifting)
- Time to write in my journal, coach myself and process
- Being present with people who don’t need anything from me. (I LOVE these kinds of friends.)
- Quiet moments that don’t have to be productive
These are the things that don’t always show up on a highlight reel…
But they are the very things that sustain me.
Do I have waterfall moments? Of course. But I have to be intentional to fill my well, too.
A Different Kind of Impact
Waterfalls impress people.
Wells sustain them.
And maybe the goal isn’t choosing one or the other but knowing when to be each. I don’t want to be the loudest voice in the room or the one constantly pouring out. That’s exhausting and not something I find attractive in others, either.
Maybe the goal is to be someone who, when others come to you, you actually have something real to give.
Not just noise. Or beauty. Or something awe-inspiring.
But depth. Presence. And perspective.
So today, I’m asking myself:
Am I constantly pouring out, or am I intentionally being filled?
Because I don’t want to just be impressive for a moment. I want to be sustainable for the long run.
