To Everything There is a Time and Season

Over the last several weeks, I’ve been thinking a lot about this topic:

To everything there is a time and season.

 

You know, it seems that we often feel like once we achieve something, that should be it, right?

 

Done! 

Checked off the list! 

Moving on, never to deal with this again!  

 

Sound about right??!

 

Yet, here’s what things usually look like on the journey:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And then, we may feel we have reached our goal, only to have to go through similar (but different) journeys with the same types of goals again (and perhaps again and again).  Some feel like this is failure, which is often coupled with a sense of shame.  We can’t figure out what’s wrong with us because we are comparing ourselves with the curated scenes we see of people on social media, in magazines, and on television.  They look like they’ve got it all together.  Reality check:  it’s simply that we don’t see the whole picture!  They’re not really any different than you or me.

 

So are these experiences with the same or similar goals failure?

 

I certainly don’t see them that way.  The first reason being that if you’ve experienced something that did not turn out as expected in the end, or you find yourself needing to achieve a similar goal again or needing to redevelop a habit, you have an incredible learning opportunity on your hands. Although some feel as though they’ve gone back to step 1, or are even further behind, the experiences themselves cannot be discounted, nor the opportunities to succeed again.  Just remember the words of Thomas Edison in response to a question about his invention “failures”:

 

“I have not failed 10,000 times—I’ve successfully found 10,000 ways that will not work.”

 

As long as we learn from our experiences, and allow them to inform future events, we have succeeded!!

 

The other reason I don’t believe in these experiences being failures is because there is a time and season for everything.  Things change.  We are not static beings.  And if we are truly experiencing life, we will experience different stages along the way.  That’s really the beauty of life.  Without these changes, we tend to take for granted the beauty around us.  You see, it’s in the contrast that we can start to see what we really want.  If we didn’t experience sadness, we wouldn’t truly know the joy of happiness.  If we didn’t experience sickness, we wouldn’t know the true miracle of health.  These contrasts help to bring us to a deeper level of gratitude!  

 

So, know that there will be a time and season for…

 

•  weighing a little extra and for being more fit and trim

 

• training hard and for dialing it back

 

• feeling 100% and for not quite feeling your best

 

• crying and for smiling

 

• getting really busy with a passion project or caring for a loved one and for devoting more time to ourselves

 

• hustling and for UNhustling

 

• a few extra treats and for cleaning things up

 

• sleep deprivation as you care for an infant and for more restful days ahead

 

• and more…

 

So, if you’re feeling down about the season you’re in, you’ve got a few choices.  You’re in charge.  Dig into YOUR core values and figure out what’s most important to you RIGHT NOW.  Maybe it’s simply time for a shift in priorities.  Or maybe you’re right where you need to be at the moment.  Often the choice to put something on the back seat isn’t an easy one, but sometimes it’s the temporary right one.  And when you’re ready, and the season changes again (which it will), you’ll be in the right place to give that goal or habit the attention it deserves.  Take a breath and embrace the season, or help it to change!

 

 

What season are you in right now?

If you’re having difficulty prioritizing your life and health goals,

finding alignment with your values,

and maintaining a sense of overall peace, health, and happiness, let me help you!