Good and Bad for Every Season

 

 

As I type this on a Sunday afternoon, I'm looking out the picture window in my living room at the "explosion of Spring". I'm in Arkansas, it's almost mid-April and the greenery is everywhere. My goodness, I've even already mowed my yard for the first time of the season two days ago.

 

I LOVE SPRING!

 

But as I look out my window I notice, very clearly, one of the "downfalls" of Spring....POLLEN. The wind is blowing and the pine trees are sending out "clouds" of pollen as the wind blows through the branches. The oak trees are doing their job in pollination as well and there is pollen EVERYWHERE. This is the time of the year that it would be very nice to open the windows and get fresh air into the house but, if you do that you end up with that yellow powder all over the furniture and floor.

 

Some people suffer terribly from the pollen in the Spring.

 

Then comes Summer - I LOVE SUMMER!

 

I love to go to the lake and either get IN the water or ride on TOP of the water. I love the long days and all that comes with this time of year. I love to get out on my motorcycle and ride where ever the road takes me.

 

But, in Arkansas, as the Summer goes along the temperatures get very warm and we also have LOTS of humidity that comes along with it. Depending on where you live, the mosquito's become quite a nuisance as well as ticks. On top of that the electricity bill soars due to having to run the air conditioner pretty much non-stop.

 

Ahhh, then there's Fall - I LOVE FALL!

 

The cooler temperatures after a very hot and humid summer along with the fall colors make this one of my favorite times of the year. I don't have many down sides to fall except for the fact that winter is on it's way. However, there are others (some in my family) that really struggle with allergies that come from mold in the fall.

 

Oh, too....I hate it when the time changes and we turn our clocks "back" in the fall and it gets dark earlier.

 

And then there's WINTER - sorry, I'm not a big fan of winter.

 

Some people love the winter and I do like at least one "good" snow. When my boys were young and at home I always wanted at least one good snow for them so that they could enjoy getting out and playing in it with each other. For me, one good snow that comes and is melted and gone quickly is just perfect! I do not like the cold temperatures (I know, I'm in Arkansas and, comparatively, it doesn't get as "cold" as other places) and, again, the dampness in the air makes the cold even worse. I don't like the fact that, in the middle of winter, it's dark by 5:00 p.m. and I also don't like the fact that there is no color due to the fact of everything being bare.

 

But, I know some people that absolutely LOVE winter.

 

Here's the thing - I notice the "we" tend to complain about whatever season we happen to be experiencing while talking about how much we are looking forward to the next one. Then, once that season arrives we complain about some of the things I listed above.

 

There are things that we LOVE about each season and then there are things that we don't like so much about parts of each season.

 

Is that a fair assumption?

 

Friend, so it is with life.

 

You can apply that to different stages (ages) of our lives or even different stages of our careers and business desires. You make the application.

 

With every progression - whether in age or business/work - comes new and different challenges.

 

WAKE UP AND REALIZE THAT!

 

Let's be careful that we don't find ourselves griping and complaining about the very thing that we longed for before. It's easy to do but it's also a sign of a lack of gratitude. Wouldn't you agree?

 

So, yeah, there are good things about every "season" and there are also bad things - or things we'd rather be different - about every "season". That's life and that's progress in and for our lives.

 

Think about this: any other way would be very BORING!

 

So, I want to encourage you to ENJOY and FLOURISH with each and every change and challenge that comes with each and every "season" in your life.

 

And, as you do so, be sure to...

 

"Make it an AWESOME day! (Who else is going to do it for you?)"

 

Mike

 

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Life's Patterns

LIFE'S PATTERNS

They are all around us.

Wow, that kind of sounds like the trailer to some new horror flick, doesn't it?

But it's not and I'm talking about "Life's Patterns" and the fact that these patterns are around us each and every day.

Think about it and see how many different types of these patterns you can come up with before I start to mention some in this blog. (Note: If you already listened to the podcast - NO FAIR!)

Obviously, from the picture above, the changing of the seasons is one of those patterns that we see take place year after year. (And, by the way, I forgot to mention this, most obvious one, on the podcast).

Yes, I understand that in some parts of the country and the world the seasons don't vary much, if even at all. However, whether the weather conditions around you change much or not does not have any impact on the fact that the seasons come and go year after year.

Think about this life pattern - when you are a baby you rely on others to take care of all of your basic needs such as food and cleanliness. We slowly work our way towards independence in these areas and then, if we live long enough, we slowly revert back to the beginning stages of relying on others to provide all of our basic needs.

Sad, but true. One of the patterns of life that many face.

You can even see these patterns in the commodities and in the stock market. Those that pay close attention to these things can look at charts that show these patterns over a period of time and this will help them make wiser choices.

And then there are these patterns in our own everyday lives...the good days and the bad days. The days when everything seems to be going in our favor and also those days that it seems as if everything is working against us.

There are the times that you are happy with the job of your dreams and then there are the times that you have been "let go" and find it hard to connect with a new job. There are the times that you stand before a group of friends and a minister across from that "person of your dreams" with promises of "forever love" and then there are the times that this union comes to a crashing end.

Wow.

Friend, I'm calling these "patterns of life" because they are all A PART OF LIFE!

So, how are you doing with these patterns in YOUR life today? Are you in an "up" cycle or a "down" cycle?

What are you doing to change the situation if you find yourself in a "down" cycle and what are you doing to PREPARE yourself for that "down" cycle if you currently find yourself in an "up" cycle.

Patterns, remember?

Tomorrow I will make another analogy that I think you will be able to relate to in a very powerful way. Be sure to join me then and also to share this with others.

Until next time...

"Make it an AWESOME day! (Who else is going to do it for you?)"

Mike

www.MichaelSpillman.com