It’s 6 am, on the dot, as you pull the front door shut behind you and pause for a moment. The crisp fresh air made you pause and reminded you to take a light jacket along for your daily exercise walk. The sun has been sleeping in later and later and the temperature has been dropping steadily. It’s never just one thing, but a combination of little things, building up until a tipping point is reached and you find yourself at the start of a new season.
You’ve been sensing the change, but have not prepared for it and now your morning routine is disrupted by finding “that jacket” from last winter.
A change of season in life can represent a promotion at work, a career pivot, job loss, health challenge, empty nesting, new baby, etc. and can be for the better or worse… for a season. Either way, on reflection we recognized the signs, yet did not prepare for it, until the tipping point day arrived.
The goal to transitioning well to a change of season is to prepare for it early, the very reason why summer and winter are bookended by spring and autumn. Recognize what things from an outgoing season needs to be kept and what needs to be discarded, cleaned up, organized or given away. In my street just about every tree drops its leaves as it transitions to winter season, only to flourish again in spring. Likewise, there are things we need to release from one season in order to embrace that of the next.
The key is not to wait until the last minute and to schedule in certain life review moments.
What skill sets do you need to add? It can take time, especially if it’s reskilling to a new career area. Not something you want to do during a time when you may, for some reason, find yourself without an income and with the pressure that comes from that. Added to this, is reviewing your resume, networking platform and professional reference groups.
From a crises perspective, a review of your paperwork from time to time is important, so you can clearly think through things on blue sky days, that’s almost impossible to do when they are not. You are also able to seek good advice and consider it over time, not to make rushed and costly decisions. Some boxes to tick, are insurance, pension fund, investments, savings, debt, your will, letters to guardians of your dependents, list of all passwords, especially social media accounts and email accounts.
In a nut shell, what do you know that those you may leave behind and who depends on you, do not?
How ready are you to move if the opportunity presents itself? The real estate market could swing upwards and the upkeep of your property will have a direct impact on the return you could achieve if the conditions to sell are optimum. Keeping things neat, uncluttered and well maintained at home will save you from a lot of avoidable stress when opportunity knocks on your door. It may actually become the reason why your door is the one selected.
Time to take stock. Reflect on the areas that needs attention and make a list. It can be a bit overwhelming when you realise the scale of the project, which is exactly the object of the exercise. Next choose a period of time over which you will be attending to your list. What’s on your list?
I’m currently on day 12 of 40 days and have been working on bits of the list every day. In my case, it included some fitness goals, books I’ve been wanting to read, short courses for new skills, organizing, discarding and reviewing lots of paperwork, including insurances, goals and the next year’s budget. With winter season drawing to a close, today was also the first day that felt like spring and a change of season plain.
On the other side of preparation for a change of season is the new you. Once your list review is complete, divide the 40 day workload over the next 12 months and schedule in the regular review points, so you live ready as your default.