When I break down my work life I divide it into four seasons, much like farmers do with their crops. I have creation, growth, harvest, and fallow. Sometimes I’m busy pursuing a goal, working on a mission, or creating new things, but there’s other times where I celebrate or even take time off. Each piece is important to me finding success, not burning out, and having balance between work and home. I hope that my four seasons can be applied to your life as well and will help you find balance and success.
Creation
This is the season you are probably most familiar with in your work life, it’s when you’re creating new things. I like to think of this as brainstorming, or starting out a new project. It takes lots of time and preparation before something can be launched, and that all happens in the creation phase. Even if you have an office job or something more traditional than a self-employed gig you still create in your daily tasks. Creation is important because it’s the start of something new which brings excitement and challenge.
Growth
One of the more overlooked seasons is growth, but it happens every day! Think of a farmer for a second, first they create by prepping the field and planting the seeds, then they tend to the fields and soon they have growth. While we don’t always have physical evidence of our hard work, there is always growth. That project you brainstormed and created is growing every time you put effort into working towards completion. This season can be applied to work and at home because we always have goals and tasks we’re constantly working towards.
Harvest
As you can see both creation and growth require a lot of work. To start something from nothing requires hours sorting out details and creating a game plan. Then to make that thing grow into something substantial takes even more work, but harvest is when all that effort can be celebrated. When you achieve a goal, whether it’s getting through a work week, launching a new product, or reaching a personal goal you should definitely celebrate your success. Harvest is when all the crops are picked and either sold or stored for food. You have completed something and now you need to celebrate it. Harvest is important in life because if we don’t stop to reflect on our accomplishments how are we ever going to set new goals?
Fallow
There are seasons that farmers don’t plant any crops in a field. This is to allow the nutrients to be restored to the soil in order to grow high quality crops. You too need to have a fallow season occasionally. This is a time to restore yourself and replenish after all that creating and growing. Fallow season can be a longer vacation, a break from working on a goal, or even a month off. It’s important to take time to reflect but also realize where your efforts are going and how to adjust to allow for the most productive and rewarding life.
Helpful Resources:
Chalene’s Courageous Confidence Club: www.courageousconfidenceclub.com
This program gives you the tools you need to build confidence in every area of your life. You are supported by a group of people who are going through the program with you and are a sounding board for decisions and opportunities. This program will get you unstuck from your current situation and will teach you the steps needed to get your life in the direction you want!
~Chalene
