Episode 2 | Everything is a Season
In today’s episode, I’ll explore the opinion that…
Everything is a season
I’ll break down some common examples of cycles and seasons, conduct a vision exercise with you, and give you new perspectives and tools to help you leverage each season for your benefit.
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Question for you. What if we looked at everything we experience in life like a season?
What if we were to view life as a series of changing seasons, much like the cycles of nature? Each season of our lives brings with it its own unique beauty, challenges, and opportunities for growth. What if we were able to apply mindfulness to these seasons to help us navigate them with grace and wisdom?
Let's dive deeper into this unpopular opinion today…
Webster Defines “Season” a period associated with some phase or activity of agriculture (such as growth or harvesting)
: a period in which an animal engages in some activity (such as migrating or mating)
: the period normally characterized by a particular kind of weather
These are all fairly common - widely-known definitions of Seasons that we readily understand and accept. But let's look a little deeper at some other seasons and cycles we experience.
For example, athletes go through rest and recovery cycles between strenuous training and exercise. They do this to rest their bodies, repair their muscles, and grow to become better, stronger, and faster.
Another example is entrepreneurs who experience cycles within their businesses. The successes, failures, pivoting, and improving happen again and again… they try to learn from past setbacks to become better and more successful.
And whether or not you're an athlete or an entrepreneur, we all go through mental and emotional cycles as individuals. We experience the peaks and valleys of life. Seasons of joy, success, and growth, as well as status quo, stagnancy, setbacks, loss, and trauma.
Are you picking up on the common denominator of the first two examples? It is the desire to grow, advance, or become better in some fashion. Can we apply the same logic of advancing and becoming better to the third example, for personal development?
While some athletes and entrepreneurs seek specialized training and information to help them navigate the cycles of their growth and success, for the individual who experiences the peaks and valleys of life, there isn't a lot of understanding or awareness of how to navigate those moments.
In our world today, there isn't a lot of focus on personal cycles or seasons in general. We get stuck in strict routines in life, not allowing ourselves space for new experiences.
We’re taught to turn off our emotions, and remain stoic, not allowing space for feelings or downtime to process what we go through…
Even in business and entrepreneurship, there's this idea that success is the only way that setbacks and failures are not to be accepted and that an upward trajectory is the only way forward.
This mindset shuts us off from the natural cycles of life, it doesn't allow any space for us to grow, heal, learn, change, or evolve, either personally or professionally.
When you're always on, you are not able to bring awareness to what you are currently experiencing to gain any insight or wisdom from it.
What if we brought mindfulness to each of life's seasons and worked with that energy to better serve us?
I know, you might be thinking that sounds awfully mystical when I say “working with the energy” But in reality we are all energetic beings, and our entire universe is made up of energy from the largest celestial bodies to the smallest atoms.
“Millionaires don’t follow astrology, billionaires do” JP Morgan, banker & financier
I find this quote from him particularly intriguing, considering the left-brain numbers-based world that he lived in… What did he understand about energy and its impact on us, that he claims, when leveraged could be quite beneficial?
Define Astrology - the study of the movements and relative positions of celestial bodies interpreted as having an influence on human affairs and the natural world.
Seems like there's some correlation here between energy, cycles, and the impact they can have for our success…
To further develop this theory, we're going to do a vision work exercise. We're going to envision ourselves as an energetic gardener. We'll walk through each of the four seasons, and envision what the energy is like in our garden during that time. I will also discuss ways that we can leverage the energy of that season to suit our growth and development.
Spring - It is spring in our garden and we're getting ready to prepare the Earth and plant seeds for the growth season. All around us nature is coming out of dormancy. The sun is staying out longer during the day and we’re feeling an increase in energy and ambition. We are preparing for change and inviting in opportunities for the renewal of self. And if we did the proper reflection and planning during our Winter season, we are now embracing this transformative time with the new plans, habits, mindsets, and strategies that will better serve the next version of ourselves.
Summer - Our garden is in full bloom and thriving in Summer. The sun is at its peak, the days are long, and our plants are growing rapidly. Summer represents a time of abundance and vitality, encouraging us to savor the fruits of our labor and bask in the warmth of success. Even during this exciting season, we can bring mindfulness to concentrating our energy on the aspects that serve us best, and weed out the ones that don’t to optimize our abundance during this time. We can also remember to take time to savor and enjoy the blessings that come our way during the season.
Autumn - As Autumn arrives in our garden, the growth season slows down. We have reaped the full Harvest of our efforts during Spring and Summer, and we are expressing gratitude for the experiences we've had. By being present with our experiences, both pleasant and challenging, we can learn to navigate change with resilience and grace. The falling leaves teach us the importance of releasing what no longer serves us, letting go to make space for new experiences.
Winter - Winter in our garden is quiet, with little outward activity. We are letting the soil rest and rejuvenate for the next growing season. Winter symbolizes introspection and reflection, a time to rest and recharge before Spring begins anew. We can take this time to reflect on our experiences, take the wisdom of what we've learned, and envision our plan for the upcoming season. When we apply mindfulness to the slower pace of winter it can offer us solace, peace, healing, and help us to prepare for our next phase of growth.
I'm sure we can all agree that the spring and summer seasons of our lives are some of the most exciting to experience, and for obvious reasons, as they are often filled with new opportunities for growth and expansion. We experience the joy and abundance of success, and we get to feel the gratitude and fulfillment that those successes bring us. But just like any season, they don't last forever, even if they seem like they last for a really long time…
The seasons that can be harder to experience and remain present with are the autumn and Winter seasons. While it's not always comfortable, I've come to personally understand that these are the seasons where the magic really happens. These are the seasons that we learn the most about ourselves. When we remain present in what we're experiencing, we can choose how to respond to it. Experiencing rapid change or letting go of something that we held close to us is not easy, it can even be pretty scary. But when we apply that healing energy of reflection and introspection, we can discover new things about ourselves, and build the resiliency, strength and wisdom required for the next version of ourselves.
Keep in mind that each of these Seasons may not coincide with the actual Seasons that we go through from year to year. They could be all different lengths and all different Cycles but just bringing mindfulness to what energy you might be experiencing may help you understand what season you're in
Each season brings its own set of challenges and blessings, teaching us valuable lessons and helping us grow into the individuals we are meant to become. By applying mindfulness to the seasons of our lives, whether they’re personal, professional, short cycles or seemingly endless seasons, we can find beauty in every moment, learn to embrace change, and cultivate a deep sense of gratitude and presence. All for our growth and betterment.
What “season” of life are you currently in? Can you bring mindfulness to this season and leverage its energy to better serve you?
I invite you to think about this and apply it to your own life.
As I always say, take what resonates from this conversation and leave the rest.
