Spring Awakening
The awakening of Spring is the perfect time for the awareness of self. Many of us may have lost touch with who we are, what we desire and what enlivens our senses with the doldrums that winter can bring. We have seasons in life that induce necessary change to ensure that we don’t get stuck. However, it’s the delicate balance between them that determines our enjoyment, improvement and fulfillment.
Going into a winter slumber is part of life and how we deal with it determines whether the doldrums cause us to live with our eyes closed, or view as an important contribution to growth. As much as we are meant to grow, change and evolve, we are also meant to rest. It would be downright exhausting as many of you who burn the candle at both ends can attest, to continuously evolve without a break. We often get caught up in trying to keep up with what we think “everyone else” is doing. Whether it's people we follow on social media or those in our daily lives who preach that success is all about the hustle that cause burnout. Taking breaks and allowing rest sets us up for reflection and recovery to course correct if we are getting off track. It does no good to race through life especially when we are headed in the wrong direction. And if we don’t stop and pause to notice, we end up lost. However, that slumber is best served when temporary. If we stay asleep too long, next thing we know, life is passing us by. This is where Spring comes to the rescue.
As the weather in the springtime shows us, this season for growth, budding and blooming is done with balance. You will have glimpses of what is to come on the warm, sunny days to prepare us for summer’s heat and reminders of the need to rest and recover on the cold, wet, gloomy days sprinkled in. As they say, April showers bring May flowers. It is a process that happens for a reason. Life is lived best with that same delicate balance of growth and rest so enjoy each season for what it has to offer but know that change is not only inevitable but needed in order to grow into the person we are meant to become at a pace that makes sense naturally.
Too much growth, change and evolution can pull you away from your authentic self. Not only do we need small breaks, we need it at a pace to stay true to who we are naturally. Building upon that is one of the reasons I resonate so deeply with the CliftonStrengths. They show us that putting our energy into traits that come naturally is what makes us shine. In our society, too much emphasis is placed on weaknesses and putting time and effort into improving them which only leads to mediocrity at best and not to mention the mental and emotional stress that comes with focusing on the gloomy all the time. They exist so that we can be aware of what not to do or how not to go about things for ourselves as individuals. We are not designed to be and do everything. A strong self-awareness that comes with emotional intelligence teaches us that very important lesson.
So as you experience Spring, be sure to wake up to your own growth, budding and blooming that self-awareness brings and know that understanding the mix of sunny and gloomy is necessary to move you forward to the next season ahead so that you don’t go through life asleep at the wheel. I am here to help if you get stuck along the way.
