
For many it is a time to say good bye to children going back to school -- with the polar reactions being either “Finally!” or a sense of sadness as our children grow up much too fast and leave the nest.
For others it is a time to say good bye to this glorious season – goodbye to warm breezes, an abundance of flowers, flip flops, outdoor meals and summer drinks. I have frequently referred to Fall as the ‘f’ word, as I am at my peak of joy in the summer. So each autumn is a challenge to let go of what I love and what I am most comfortable with in order to be open to the possibilities of the next season (the beautiful fall leaves, the chilly air of a quiet walk on the beach at dusk...)
The same is true as we hold onto our work – the job or careers that we have chosen, or have just fallen into over the years. Even though we know there are important benefits to saying good-bye to the “old” work, we are comfortable on some level. Many of us just stay where we are because it is the known, and this sense of ‘comfort’ is perhaps the most compelling thing that drives our decisions and feelings (I’ll be writing more on that in a later blog).
We often stay where we are because we are afraid to jump into the unknown (which we equate with scary). We may tell ourselves it is too hard, we don’t have the energy, or a million other reasons and excuses do avoid making the change.
So at this time of letting go of summer and stepping into a new season, I would like to challenge each of us to embrace something a bit unknown.
Just take a few baby steps (for me, I’ll even buy some Mum plants and pumpkins). On a deeper level, as you are thinking about what you might love to do with your life, start a journal online or in a new notebook, and write down what it is you have always loved to do – what brings you happiness and joy. Write about what you loved as a child, and what drives your energy now.
You will be surprised at the patterns you start to see, giving you hints about what you might want to do next in your life. And you will know that you have made a fresh start towards letting go of what no longer works for you, by taking the first steps of moving to a new season in your life.
There are many more ideas and a process for you to use to make this change happen. Go to our Discovery Programs page for information on my tele-seminars and to sign up for the newsletter to get even more information and inspiration to keep moving forward – on purpose.