It’s summer and the living is easy.
It’s fall and you are preparing to ramp up.
It’s winter and the days are short and dreary.
It’s spring and you long for sunshine and the lazy days ahead.
Well, that takes care of another year and the accompanying seasonal blocks. Of course your excuses may be more elaborate yet the result is the same; no action plan and an abundance of self-judgment for dessert. A less than nourishing meal for anyone, in fact, it is a recipe for continued inertia topped with a hint of boredom as a chaser.
“Life is a one-way street. No matter how many detours you take, none of them leads back. Once you know and accept that, life becomes much simpler.” – Isabel Moore
Have you been sleepwalking through your life, waiting for the next thing to happen, only to react when “it” inevitably does? You see, there are only two ways to face the future; with apprehension or with anticipation. Add avoidance to the mix and you are looking right into the yawning face of fear, fear that you may lose control, fail and more. We create multiple ways to manage what is yet to happen and spend so much time living in the future that we may miss the present entirely. The analysis paralysis is a common default behavior for women in particular.
Picture this scenario. Five frogs are sitting on a log. Four decide to jump off. How many are left?
Answer: Five! It’s the difference between deciding and doing
Who do you want to be? Who are you choosing to be?
It’s been said that there are 3 kinds of people in the world.
1. Those who wait for things to happen
2. Those who make things happen
3. Those who wonder what happened?
Who do you want to be? Who are you choosing to be NOW!
Changing your mindset is not like changing your shirt. Preliminary to making a change is choosing a goal, creating a plan and committing to a course of action. Having good intentions does not get the job done and it is far too easy to lapse back into old actions that supported old behaviors. Once you set the intention, you must schedule the actions and honor the intention to incorporate change into your revised routine. Your calendar, like your road map is the tool you will use for incorporating new activities/destinations that resonate for YOU into your master plan.
Our thoughts determine our feelings and hence, our actions. When we remain in the present and not the future land of worry we can refocus our energies to better serve us.
According to Marshall Goldsmith, author and speaker, “MOJO is that positive spirit that starts inside you and radiates to the outside. You know your MOJO is peaking when you are experiencing happiness and meaning in what you are doing and communicating to the world around you!”
Check-in with yourself. What is the season of your greatest contentment? What if you could expand the feelings associated with that time beyond the traditional calendar months? What do you need right now to make the present your favorite time of year? For example, taking a summer course might be a burden to some, yet to others, it is an opportunity to get a jump start on preparations for the fall. Or you might know that in the past, you have been most inspired when outdoor activities are limited and as a result, there are fewer distractions to tackle a major project. Remember, just as some of us thrive on seasonal changes, others may require a tangible connection to what will serve our long term goals and plan accordingly.
Identify what you need right now. Perhaps this is your season for recharging, reshaping and recognizing that it is a “time out” from traditional work and you are best served by the break. On the other hand, if try as you might, you cannot access your MOJO despite your best efforts, consider these techniques as you create your customized low tech roadmap:
Music – listen to old favorites or for a real change, listen to tunes from a friend’s downloads Movement – get going – even moderate activity can shift your perspective Memories – bring out the photo albums for a fresh look and addition of new pictures Mood– can be influenced by these modest behavioral changes
Remember, while your season may not correspond with the traditional calendar year it doesn’t mean you are out of sync. The challenge is to identify when you are most energized and adjust accordingly. After all, who couldn’t benefit from a personalized approach to the 4-seasons!
©MWeisner2014