New season = new opportunities — how to spot them

We are now on the other side of Labor Day, smack in the middle of September. For some of us the temperatures are getting cooler and crisper, but no matter where you live there's change in the air.

Some of us love this time of year — the excitement of new starts and a sharper focus after slower days. Some of us feel sad that summer is ending and even dread the start of fall.

I believe that every season brings special opportunities as we move through the year. Consider bringing a fresh approach to thinking about the change of seasons that is now underway.

The precious gift that autumn offers us

Coming off of summer, with school back in session, markets full of lush fall flowers, and work gearing back up, we are in a transition period.

We are entering the season of the harvest — that officially starts with the autumn equinox on September 22.

The sun will rise later and dusk will be earlier day-by day, until the December solstice. And while this gets some of us down, there is much to celebrate now.

Just as fall brings opportunities to pick crisp apples, we have the opportunity to “harvest” everything we have set up so far this year.

Looking at this time as a rich opportunity to reflect and plan is a way to move ahead with both clarity and focused intention.

What have you been nurturing this year that is ripening and may be ready to harvest now?

Take some time to reflect on seeds you have planted and nurtured over the last months. We often rush through our days without this reflection, and miss seeing the big themes.

Set aside some quiet time to sit with a journal and consider many dimensions in your life.

These are aspects of your life to explore:

• Work and relationships — these often come most quickly to mind when we think about taking stock.

Go deep here, mining below the surface observations.

In addition to your nearest and dearest, what can you observe about relationships with others in your life?

In considering your work, think about the work you have been engaged with and the seeds you may have planted to do more of what you love, or shift your focus, or move to the next level in your business or career.

• Consider your self-care. It is easy for us to forget the importance of self-care. From exercise to sleep to nutrition and our emotional and mental wellbeing, what are you harvesting now?

• The environment you have, or are creating, has an impact. This category is another that is often underappreciated. How has your environment — from the room in which you spend your work hours to the places you go to for leisure — influenced your life this year?

• Do not overlook your spirit. How have you nurtured it, and what has happened when you did? Spend some time exploring this special dimension of your life.

Take stock of your observations.

What you observed and reflected on may excite you or give you perspective on how to leverage your efforts to date so that you can take clear action to reach the outcomes you want.

Your observations may also inspire you to refocus, change focus, or add a new focus now, in any number of ways.

What you observed is likely to include fruits you expected — and, you may also find things that you did did not expect. These can be happy observations, or not.

While it feels great to consider how to make the most of the good and unexpected observations, you may feel concerned about what to do if you find yourself harvesting things that you don’t feel excited about.

This is the perfect time to move forward with intention

If you have been reading my Big Ideas for some time, you know that I believe we all have enormous creativity inside of us, and that we can all be powerful creators in — and of — our lives.

And, when you believe you are a creator, and practice approaching your life that way, you can embrace the blessings in all of what you are harvesting.

Creators can see opportunities, or consider how to to take action to make opportunities, in all situations.

If you approach the new season with this mindset, incredible things are possible.

Try this next.

I invite you to take a fresh sheet of paper and make two columns.

One side, list the items you are harvesting now with delight. Next to each, write the intentions you have to make the most of it in the next months.

What actions will you take? What mindset can you focus on that will support you to take those actions and be proud and excited about your progress?

In the other column, list the items you are harvesting now that may challenge or concern you. For each of these, note your intentions to create positive steps to take to make the best outcomes possible.

Your first step for each of the items can be to create a list of possibilities. What are the possibilities for good outcomes? What are the possibilities for the next step you can take to move in a new direction and see what happens?

When you start exploring and creating — for items on both lists — you are able to take small steps, one by one, and continue to create as you go.

I would be delighted to hear from you

Let me know what you are harvesting now, your intentions for the months ahead, and how you feel about moving forward in this season. Leave a comment here or drop me a note.

Stay safe and well, and keep creating.