What Season Is Your Life In?
Most of us try to change everything at once. Here's how to tell which season your life is in, and what that season is asking of you right now.
Every fall, my calendar fills up in the same order. School forms, games, practices, birthdays, and then the holidays come into view. Somewhere in there, I used to write a list of everything I wanted to change about my life. It was always long. By November, I had quietly let all of it go.
What I know now is that the list was fine. The order was off.
Your life moves in seasons
A life has seasons, the same way a year does. Some seasons are for setting things down. Some are for deciding. Some are for building, and some are for finally watching things bloom. A lot of frustration comes from doing bloom-season work in a season that's asking for something else.
There are 6 seasons I see over and over:
- Steady. You're carrying a lot. This season is about carrying it lighter before you add anything new.
- Choosing. Your life works, and you're asking whether it's the one you'd pick today. This season is about letting yourself want something.
- Naming. Something's next, and it doesn't have words yet. This season is about 1 clear sentence.
- Building. You know what you want, and your week was built before you wanted it. This season is about making room.
- Rhythm. You have the plan, and real weeks keep breaking it. This season is about making it hold.
- Bloom. It's working, and you're ready for more. This season is about growing from a steady base.
Why your season matters more than your goals
When you know your season, you know what to set down. In a Steady season, the most useful thing you can do this week might be taking 2 things off your plate. In a Building season, it's 1 protected hour on your calendar. Same woman, same week, very different next step.
That's why the long list never worked for me. It asked me to be in every season at once.
How to tell which season you're in
Ask yourself 3 questions, and answer honestly:
- When you look at next week, what's the first feeling? Tired, unsure, restless, or ready?
- When something new doesn't stick, what usually gets in the way? No energy, not sure you want it, no room in your week, or a hard week knocks you off?
- If you could change 1 area of your life this month, would you know which one?
Your answers point to your season. If you'd like a clearer read, I made a short quiz for exactly this.
Seasons change
You'll move through all of them, more than once. A Bloom season eventually opens into a new Choosing season, 1 level up. Every time around, you're further along.
So if you're in a Steady season right now, hear this: you're right on time for what comes next.
Jamella
