The Changing Seasons of Life. 6 Important Questions to Consider When Evaluating Your Life

By Jackie White

As the leaves begin to fall from the trees we begin to see the change in season. However, before the change there is one last celebration of fall color that sweeps the landscape. The vibrant reds, oranges and yellows are a symphony of color playing the last hurrah of the season before the trees go dormant for a period of time.

If we look at fall as a reflection of how we too are moving into a new season of life, we too should be excited about this last hurrah. It’s a great time to celebrate all that has been this past season and prepare for what is to come.

No doubt that the pandemic has laid a thick coat of heaviness over the last year, but that doesn’t mean there is nothing to celebrate. Maybe you have a new outlook on life and it’s preciousness. Maybe you have become closer to those who you live with or perhaps you have a new found gratitude for the things you may have taken for granted in the past. Those indeed are all reasons to celebrate.

As a child collects their favorite brightly colored leaves to press them in a book, you too, should be collecting the bright memories and lessons that have fallen in your path this past year. Pick each one up and examine its beauty and importance to your life story. If nothing else, this past year has put more meaning into all that we do. It’s time now, to review and seek to learn each lesson.

What’s great about using this metaphor to examine your life’s lessons is that you get to keep the favorite ones to review time and time again in the memory book of your mind. The not so favorite memories will also be filed there and can be called upon if needed.

And Now For A Scientific Minute...
Once the cataloging of these memories and lessons have been done, the time is right to lay the foundation for renewal. If we think of how a tree lies dormant during the cold winter months, it actually is preparing for the spectacular budding in the spring. It is an amazing process that the tree goes through to change its internal structure to accommodate the cold and not freeze it’s living cells. So, too, you must do the same. How can you prepare now to stimulate personal growth and development in the coming year? 

Now is a great time to think about what you want the next year to hold for you. How do you want to show up?  Do you have special hopes and dreams you have been holding close that need to begin to blossom this year? Now is the time to take that inventory so when you arrive upon the threshold of a new calendar year, the time when many of us wipe the slate clean and start again, you will be very clear on what 2021 will hold for you.

It’s not too early to begin because this process of budding into the new you starts with celebrating the you that you are today. It’s important to be proud of all that has gone well and also to acknowledge the things you want to improve upon. 

The 6 Important Questions about Life to Consider

Grab a cup of coffee, find a quiet spot and take some time to evaluate where you have been, where you are and where you want to be. When answering the questions, just put down what feels right and not what you think others think you should answer.

What am I doing well?

What do I need to improve on?

What is my “why”? (This is referring to what is it that you feel in your heart is your purpose)

What are my core values and am I living in alignment with them? (Get your core values worksheet here to help you with this one https://lp.constantcontact.com/su/v84aAjV/corevalueslist)

Where do I see myself in the next 1, 5, or 10 years?

How happy am I today and can that be improved?
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From this evaluation, there should be a few things that become obvious, things you need to either start doing, stop doing or keep doing. From there, you have a great foundation for moving into a new season of life!

As the leaves fall and you enjoy their riotous color, take some time to enjoy your own bouquet of color! Keep the good stuff moving forward and shed that which is no longer serving you. Begin the season of contemplation and plan for the new year blossoming into the life you have always imagined!

Happy Fall and Shine On!