Seasons

I live in Canada and one thing you can be sure about about in Canada is the seasons. It is very clear what season you are in because they are so distinct. But seasons apply to more than just our weather. In fact, understanding seasons is important as we walk into our dreams.  

An ancient teaching about seasons says, 'there is a season for everything and a time for every purpose under heaven' - things like being born and dying, planting and harvesting, weeping and laughing, building and tearing down, searching and giving up, keeping and throwing away, speaking and being silent. There is also a season for putting different pieces of your dream together

The nature of seasons is that when things are in season they tend to go well. When they are out of season, they may not work at all or it may take a lot more effort to get the same result. 

Early in my career I was hired into a new environmental position at a progressive city north of Toronto. There were very few staff in environmental positions in cities at that time and I remember discussing with other staff how much effort it took to get any environmental initiative to move forward. It was early in the season. 

Years later, progress in the environmental field was so rapid that we had to be selective about which environmental initiative to support because there was so much happening all at once. The season had changed. 

Our response to seasons should be to try to learn to recognize and work within the season we are in rather than trying to force the season to change. Just like a farmer watches and waits for the right signs in the spring to prepare fields and plant, and waits for the right conditions to harvest in the fall, each season for your dream will have its own signs that you can learn to recognize.  

People with a dream who launch it without first taking the time to prepare the ground or think about whether the conditions are right should not be surprised when there is very little growth. In contrast, paying attention to conditions and preparing for your dream during the right season is like collecting empty containers.  When the season changes and the conditions are right, you can expect rapid growth towards your dream. In fact, one of the most productive strategies for growth is to recognize and be ready to respond when a season is about to change.

There are some things that there is never a season for - like passivity and blame. Passivity and blame are escapes that need to be closed or they will get in the way of being able to recognize and respond to changing seasons.  It is important to remember that our responses to seasons may be different, but they should always be active.