SAD – Seasonal Affection Decision
By PJ McClure
Changing seasons affect us all. A colleague of mine disagreed with that statement on a recent trip to south Florida. I mentioned not liking to be cold but appreciated living in southern Missouri where we get four distinct seasons… even if one of them is winter.
He laughed and said that our seasons were too extreme for him and he liked the calm seasonal shifts in south Florida. Imagine his surprise when I said, “Your seasonal changes are more dramatic than anything we see.”
“How do you figure,” he gasped.
“Our seasons are winter, spring, summer, and fall,” I replied, “and yours are tourist and hurricane!”
No matter your perspective on the natural seasons, you can’t escape the fact that they exist. As with most things we see in nature, the concept of seasons applies directly to our lives as well. It has always been that way and it is by design. In Ecclesiastes 3, the author says,
There is an appointed time for everything. And there is a time for every event under heaven ~
A time to give birth, and a time to die; A time to plant, and a time to uproot what is planted.
A time to kill, and a time to heal; A time to tear down, and a time to build up.
A time to weep, and a time to laugh; A time to mourn, and a time to dance.
A time to throw stones, and a time to gather stones; A time to embrace, and a time to shun embracing.
A time to search, and a time to give up as lost; A time to keep, and a time to throw away.
A time to tear apart, and a time to sew together; A time to be silent, and a time to speak.
A time to love, and a time to hate; A time for war, and a time for peace.
Seasons are those appointed times. Look at your own life and it becomes apparent that you have traveled through seasons. Times of abundance give way to work. The season of work and preparation gives way to a time of growth. That growth ends in a type of personal harvest only to turn again to a season of work.
Each season brings change. It is the change that most of us would like to avoid. We see an impending change and a sense of anxiety and panic sets in. Would you prefer to see a change on the horizon and get a sense of calm anticipation, instead of the dread and resistance?
A common trait of successful, progressive people is they anticipate change and use it to their benefit. They prosper through each season and they do this by living intentionally with a clear vision and a high degree of awareness.
Vision and awareness allow us to know where we are going, but still have the ability to adjust and anticipate. I first learned the value of the concept on our farm.
As dairy farmers, we had a certain set of duties that stayed the same regardless of the season. Cows had to be fed and milked. The seasons might change how we accomplished each task, but it had to be done each day.
The seasons; however, dictated everything else about our lives and we had to live within those natural parameters. Each season served a specific purpose for our operation and many of the tasks performed in one season, wouldn’t show a result for one or two more seasons. We had to have a vision for what was to come in order to value the present work and make sure everything was done. Each season mattered.
Another nuance of living and farming in southern Missouri is the predictable unpredictability. One of our neighbors once said that Missouri was where you could scratch your sunburned back with your frostbit fingertips. Things can change quickly and this is where awareness kicks in.
Having a vision for how things will work is wonderful, but we must remain flexible to the things we don’t control. Planting, growing, harvesting, resting… all of these things have a season for the land, but they are not always the same. Seasons are drawn on the calendar every three months. Occasionally, they fall close to those dates with weather patterns. But anyone who can’t adjust their plans to what is actually happening isn’t in farming long.
During years that the winter weather stayed beyond its calendar boundary, we prepared to jump on the first turn of spring because we knew there was ground to make up. When summer lingered and extended our chances to harvest we didn’t punch our clock and say, “Nope, I’m done. That season’s over with.” We took advantage of the abundance because another season was coming and the next winter might run long.
We didn’t fear the seasons or the changes they brought. Each one had its own advantages and challenges, but we worked in all of them aware that they would end and change was inevitable.
How do you view your life and changes before you? Are the changes a bother? Something to resist and wish away?
Or are you willing to embrace each season as a necessary step in life. Will you keep your focus on the tasks of that season instead of looking to the benefits in the next? The steps to begin are simple and powerful.
· What is your vision for your business and life? Do you know where you want to go and what you want it all to look like?
· Where are you now? Can you look around you and become aware of the season you are in now? Are you preparing the ground, planting the seeds, nurturing the crop, or harvesting?
· Regardless of where you are, what can you do NOW to move closer to your vision? It doesn’t matter if the current tasks in front of aren’t the sexiest on your list. Be focused and efficient so that you are fully prepared when the season shifts.
· Be aware that a season can change in an instant or extend beyond what you anticipated. Stay focused on the current task, whatever it is. Never assume how long a season will last.
· Finally, find gratitude in the current season. As a kid, I hated the cold. I’m not fond of it now, but I learned to appreciate the subtleties of this barren and often messy season. The more diligent and efficient I worked during this time, the more productive and satisfying the spring would be.
No two seasons are the same from year to year, but each builds on the ones before.
Embrace the seasons of your life and do what you can with what is in front of you. Keep your vision clear and your awareness high so that the changes each season brings become welcomed elements of your ideal life.
PJ McClure is the world’s foremost expert on mindset (what makes it and how to get the one you want). His work with individuals and businesses has touched more than 300,000 people in 56 countries and he is the author of Flip The S.W.I.T.C.H.: How to Turn On and Turn Up Your Personal Mindset. He is also the creator of The Mindset Maven’s Goals Guide. A 25 page guide that changes the way you look at goals and your ability to accomplish them. He is offering our readers a copy of the guide as a gift. Go to http://themindsetmaven.com/arcgoals/
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