It is the start of spring. It is an exciting time in nature. It is the start of new life. It is the sign of change. New buds appear on the trees and bushes. They have been dormant through the winter. We see these changes in our lives as well. They may not follow closely to the seasons of nature, but we still have seasons. Have you attended a seminar and walked away motivated to change a part of your life or an approach to something at work?
How many of you have decided that now is the time to eat healthier and get your bodies in better shape for a trip to the beach this summer? You have been dormant during the winter and it is now time to get some new life. I relate it to trying to put the bad parts of the past season behind us. I am glad that the cold winter weather is gone.
Think about some of the bad habits that you have and you want to shed. Now is a good time to concentrate on developing better habits. How have you treated your co-workers lately? Do you treat them with respect? Do you lend a helping hand when needed or an ear during times of struggle? Now would be the perfect time to change the season in our relationships with our teammates.
I have struggled over the years with my weight. I feel I can look at food and gain weight. It is amazing how skinny you can be as a teenager and your early twenties and eat everything in sight and then as you get older, the pounds keep building up. I decided during the covid shutdown to go on a strict diet. With working from home, I knew I could manage what food was bought and available for me to eat. I love to cook, so could get very creative with the restrictions my doctor had suggested as part of the plan. I managed to lose 40 pounds in 4 months. The next “season” came and I started traveling extensively with work. With that came eating out at restaurants a lot. I managed to gain back 15 of those pounds. Ugh!!
OK, there it is. There is one of the bad habits that I want to shed. I need to learn how to, or I could say, commit to eating healthier while traveling. That is important, but it only affects me. I need to do a self assessment of what I do, or not do, that affects others. Are there things that I can do to help others? I am not just talking about giving money, feeding the poor, or lending a helping hand. I mean providing emotional support, encouragement, or acknowledgement of what they are doing well. I had a conversation last night with some coworkers. They shared experiences of going up to an employee and thanking them for what they do everyday. Telling them how important their role is in the company. Those people said it meant so much to hear that. Just a few words made such a difference. Do I use enough of the right words in my conversations with others?
In the third chapter of Ecclesiastes it says “To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven.” We can look to God for direction in our lives. Where does He want us to change? What are His expectations for us in the next season? How much are we aware of what He wants? We need to turn to Him in prayer and ask for His guidance. Then, we need to act on that guidance.
I saw the weather forecast late last week and it called for another chance for snow for some of you. Even though we are in a new season, sometimes part of the past season comes back temporarily. This happens in our lives as well. We start into the new season and then something from the past comes back to discourage us. Stay positive. Just like springtime, there will be more pleasant days than cold ones.
What are you doing this spring to make a positive change in your life? Leave your comments below so we can learn from each other.
