Seasons – How they come and go
So, what is a “season”? We all know the seasons when it comes to the weather, how they show up sometimes early sometimes late and sometimes it seems like they last forever. No matter what season we are in there are times when we love it and other times where we are just ready for it to be done.
How do we recognize them and use them to propel us forward to continue to learn and grow? I often think about the different seasons in many areas. There are the obvious, for instance, a child starting at birth to adult hood, think about how many seasons they move through. So many it is hard to count. With each of them there is tremendous growth that happens to move through and to the next season.
In life, many of us have experienced hundreds of seasons in friendships, relationships, career changes, single, married, parent, grandparent, etc. They can come fast and furious or at times slower, but they will come, the question is how will we know when a season has stopped serving us in a way that moves us to a new now. How can we then let go and move, sometimes grieving the loss of something that was important to us at the time but is holding us back from something even better. When we let go of the “season” how can we anchor ourselves in the knowledge that this is a good thing and not something to fear?
I often wonder how much energy is spent on trying to hang on to something that is draining our energy versus giving us energy. As I reflect on my journey, I have found that if I give my self a chance to explore and trust the process there can be gold at the end of the rainbow. Sometimes it means walking through pain which ultimately can be turned into a gift that can help another. Have you ever had the thought that “wow” that was the best thing that ever happened after you have worked through the challenge or pain? It provides us the opportunity to see how strong we really are and how that strength has provided wisdom to be shared.
I believe we all have a unique path or journey that is a gift which needs to be shared to the world as part of our purpose, no matter how small. The seasons provide teachers, when you are ready the teacher’s will appear which is something that I have found to be true in my life. In fact, I often remember the teachers, at times, not being the most pleasant, typically those are the ones that propel me into action. I remember a situation during my career when I was told that I probably was not able to develop a strategic product plan because I did not have a college degree. The result from that discussion is I earned my degree as a single parent with 2 teenage daughters when I was 40. I was called to action and found that there was a program that provided an opportunity to test out of courses based on experience, I had the experience and earned 60 credits by doing so. I am grateful now for that “teacher” but at the time not so much.
I wonder how many of you have had something similar happen and if and how you have leveraged that to propel you.
· How many seasons can you name/identify?
· How have you experienced your seasons and what teachers have appeared on your journey? Have you had the opportunity to thank that “teacher” now that you have had the chance to see where you are now?
· How can you help your clients recognize their “seasons” and the beauty of each of them?
I hope all of you find your “seasons” to be a great opportunity to move you forward on your journey.
Take Care,
Deb Johnson
President, ICF MN Chapter Back to Catalyst...