I have been reflecting recently on the importance of understanding and embracing the Seasons in our lives, businesses, and relationships. Every aspect of your life is continually going through these Four Seasons: new beginnings or SPRING, growth and expansion or SUMMER, maturation or FALL, and completion or WINTER.
The key to feeling fulfilled, successful, and in the flow in each aspect of your life is to know what season you are in so you can live it to the fullest while recognizing what decisions you need to make to prepare for the next season.
- If you are in SPRING, this season is all about new beginnings! Think about the time when you were starting a new exciting project in your business or being in love. The excitement of creating something new is life-giving and energizing like Spring. You are full of energy, creativity, and new ideas. Time flies and you are having a great time. This is also a getting clarity and planning phase where you prepare for your season of expansion.
- If you are in SUMMER, this season is all about growth, advancement and expansion. This season is abundant in every way, things are going great, and you are getting the results you were planning in Spring. When things are at their peak, it is time to prepare for the next season.
- If you are in FALL, this season is all about maturation. FALL is a time of decisions and changes. You need to ask yourself some questions:
- Do I continue doing what I’m doing and hold on and continue to nurture the old and familiar?
- Do I allow this phase of my life or business to finish its natural life cycle and move on to something new?
- Do I re-invent?
If you make the decision to move forward and start something new or re-invent you will be starting a new LIFE CYCLE and you will be in SPRING again! Failing to make the decision can lead you feeling unmotivated, stuck, lacking energy, and frustrated… and an unhappy WINTER.
- WINTER, a Time of Completion – if you are in WINTER you need to allow yourself to let go of certain aspects of your business or life. Literally in these cases you need to let things pass and move on… certain services that have run their course, business and personal relationships that are no longer supportive or nurturing. This is a critical process as we need to make room in our minds and hearts for something new and better, we need to go through this clearing phase to get ready for SPRING.
If you stay in this WINTER season for too long it can lead to self-esteem issues, internal and external conflicts, and sometimes depression.
The beautiful part of being aware and living in alignment with the seasons in your life and business is that these cycles are all quite natural and positive as long as you work with them, not against them
Be aware that how you feel in each of them is a function on how you are interpreting each situation.
Even though the season of completion, like Winter, might sound like the end of certain things, it can actually be a natural moment of rebirth and new beginnings. With that, a new cycle can begin.
The end of an old era in a business can become a new exciting chapter of an introduction of new services, working with new types of clients or re-branding. The end of a relationship can be the beginning of independence and preparing for something even better.
I’ve personally gone through many life cycles and seasons in my life. They have often required a difficult decision to end something that was familiar and comfortable and to step into the unknown. It has been my experience that these decisions are critical for my expansion and growth.
This process can help you bring great clarity to where you are and create the space for a new chapter that is calling you.
My husband and I just did a reevaluation of where we are in various aspects of our own business.
And, even though the business is highly successful and I am very happy with what I’ve created, we know there is MORE that we can experience… more ease, pleasure, joy and fulfillment.
So, first we agreed on all of the good and great things in our business and life that do not need to be changed, just nurtured. These are our foundations.
We concluded that even though it has been my desire for a long time to travel the world and to leverage today’s technology to work with complete geographic freedom, these plans have been “on hold” for a while. We weren’t ready and were afraid to do both at once: grow the business and travel the world.
Could we have done it sooner? Perhaps… but the time definitely feels right now. We are ready to step into this new cycle of life.
How about you? Have you asked yourself the challenging questions?
What parts of your business and/or life (think in terms or Business/Work, Home, Relationships and Self) are in the:
New beginnings phase?
Growth and expansion phase?
Maturation?
Completion phase? Time for renewal or rebirth?
I invite you to consider where you are in each aspect of your life.
What about your relationships? Which are new and exciting? Which ones need some new energy? Which need to be brought to completion?
What about your health, self-care and well-being? Your home and domestic life?
Other important parts of your life?
I’ve personally gone deep into this process during my last retreat. It required three steps:
- Bringing the awareness of where things are and taking the journey within
- Journaling to put thoughts on paper to allow the mind to “see” it
- Sharing new realizations with a partner, mentor or coach; this is a powerful way to condition the new awareness and become committed to it.
Today I invite you to take the journey for yourself to discover your truth and allow yourself to live it.
Remember that each aspect of your life has its own cycle. They do not always (and often do not) work in tandem. So, analyze each of them separately. Then focus on the ones that need the most attention.
Happy reflection and journaling!
