Reviewing Life’s Inner Seasons
The traditional annual review is a rather dry assessment of the past 12 months. While fun for reliving memories, it fails to capture the essence of our lived experiences. The problem is that our lives do not follow a linear calendar. Instead they unfold in personal seasons, each unique and filled with unexpected lessons.
My own review uncovered three distinct seasons punctuated by major events.
The year started with a push into business expansion, marked by the focus on financial sustainability as an entrepreneur. I call this Spring, as characterized by the hope to connect with diverse people and make the most of my remaining time in San Francisco.
Spring came to an abrupt end in late April when Olivia and I were cratered by her father’s cancer diagnosis. This catapulted us to Winter in Houston (where it was ironically over 100 degrees), a period of endurance and hunkering down for mere survival. The lessons gained were around resilience, resourcefulness and grit. They were all focused inwards.
Six months later, Olivia’s father passed. As her mother flew back to France, she took with her our original reason for being in Houston. This signaled the beginning of my current season: Autumn.
Autumn’s quality is change. It’s navigating new uncertainties, replacing have-to’s with want-to’s, and trusting my emotions to guide me out of residual burnout. It’s the season of one-way flights seeking answers to the inner questions born in the depth of Winter.
My personal Autumn coincided with that of nature’s. The daily sight of yellowing leaves falling into the bayou reminded me of my own internal changes.
Graceful adaptation
The key is to recognize the nature of each season, from its overall feeling to major events and signs of change.
Just as nature's seasons prompt adaptation, our personal seasons require a shift in mindset to thrive. Like wearing summer clothes in winter, clinging to old seasons leaves us unprepared and miserable. By shifting our mindset to match each phase, we can find meaning and opportunity from all of life's phases.
I noticed that it takes a few weeks to two months for each new season to fully emerge. During this transitionary period, recalibration is essential to finding our footing.
Between Spring and Winter, I went from pursuing personal ambitions to supporting family. Now that I’m shifting into Autumn, it’s about making space to tap into inspiration once more.
Had I lacked awareness of these seasonal catalysts, I would have struggled to adapt amidst the changes. My relentless wartime behavior is too tense and structured to heal from burnout and take advantage of fluid peacetime opportunities.
No guru can map out these inner journeys for you – they require self-examination through experiments to discover what feels right. My strategy is to use two-week sprints as mini seasons to test new approaches. If something feels off, I adapt.
This ever-changing process has shown me the power of sensitivity – to my own needs and to the seasons that color life’s landscape. Rather than resisting change, letting go of expectations and flowing with each season positions me to harness its offerings - in whatever form they may come.
When we harmonize our mindsets with our circumstances, we can find equanimity and purpose regardless of external conditions. By embracing life’s nonlinear ebb and flow, we unlock its full depth and meaning.
Let me know what you uncover in your own seasonal review. May this exercise help cultivate your sensitivity towards change.
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