Change: Embracing the Significance of a New Season

Well, if you are anything like me, I am sure you are thrilled to be entering one of my favorite seasons which is fall or autumn. With every new season comes transformation and transition that we all have to navigate. We are officially entering the fourth quarter of the year. That means that we have only three months left in 2024. I want you to make the most of the time you have left. If you did not hit your third-quarter goals, then make some adjustments and take action in the direction of your goals. Ultimately, the rewards of this season will be determined by the investment that you are willing to make.

1. Take some time to audit the last three months of your life. I don’t know about you but the last three months of my life have been filled with excitement and chaos all at the same time. While I have made extraordinary progress on my goals and experienced some remarkable breakthroughs, I also had my share of setbacks, disappointments, and failures. For decades, I have always taken time to audit every quarter of my life. I think some of this has to do with my financial background. However, if you move through a calendar year and never assess your performance then you are probably not making much progress. I know that hearing the word audit may scare you. Personally, I see auditing your life as a form of cleansing your life of everything that would attempt to threaten your clarity and the change you so desperately want to see in your life. It is only when we are willing to audit our lives that we are ultimately empowered to elevate our lives. To audit your life is to eliminate everything from your life that is threatening the efficiency of your life.
2. Deconstruct your life in order to identify what is not working. Honestly, the last three months of my life have been exciting and challenging. I know that may confuse some people so let me provide a little bit of context. Over the last three months, I have had the pleasure of traveling, spending time with friends, achieving some major goals, and experiencing some big wins in my business. At the same time, I have had some moments of frustration, disappointment, and failure. The thing that separates me from other people is my paradigm. I never look at failure as a defeat. Ultimately, I see failure as a defining moment that ultimately shapes what happens next in my life. Instead of falling apart when something does not go according to plan, I have learned to deconstruct my life piece by piece. If you never identify what is broken, then you will never build the life that you desire. Deconstruction means being willing to take your life apart to ultimately transform your life. Deconstruction is not about the destruction of your life. Deconstruction is ultimately about bringing greater depth and greater effectiveness to your life. It is only when you identify what is not working that you can hit the reset button on your life and upgrade your life.
3. Learn how to dress for the season you are in. Traditionally, the fall is a much cooler time of the year. The thing I like about the fall is that it gives me the opportunity to wear my favorite sweaters, jackets, and even my boots. You have to understand that I live in the South and the summer can be brutal. On the other hand, the fall brings considerably cooler weather. It would be odd for me to come out in shorts and a T-shirt when it is only about sixty degrees outside. I am sure all of us understand that analogy. However, for some reason, we cannot seem to understand this principle when it comes to our lives. You have to learn how to dress for the season that you are currently in. We cannot turn back the hands of time but we can seize the present moment. Show up focused, prepared, and dressed for all the opportunities and possibilities that await you in this season of your life. Leave the third quarter behind and welcome the fourth quarter with intention, excitement, and clarity. There is nothing more self-defeating than the inability to exit a season and embrace a new season in your life.
4. You must embrace the significance of a new season. As I stated earlier, it is officially autumn and there are only three months left in this year. To take advantage of this season you are going to have to come into this season with clear intentions and a clear vision. Otherwise, the next three months will simply be a repeat of the last nine months of your life. What I have discovered is that in order to embrace the significance of a season you have to define the season. To define a season you must know what you want, where you are going, and how you plan to get there. Ambiguity will lead you everywhere but to your expected end. The significance of this season will be defined by the meaning that you give to it. So I want to challenge you to establish your goals, have a clear vision, and devise a plan that will set you up for success. Nine months have passed and you do not have the ability to go back. At the same time, you have three months to set new goals, establish new disciplines, and achieve new results. What do you want out of this season of your life? If you will take the time to define this season of your life, then there is no challenge or opposition that will have the power to defeat you.