| Seasons
of Change
Early August is a time traditionally set aside to
celebrate the first harvest of summer. It's a time
when fruit and vegetables ripen in abundance.
Over the centuries, the festivals at this time of
year celebrated the end of the hungry times. Think
of it--without refrigeration, cold storage, or preservatives,
people in earlier time made it through fall and winter surviving
on the food they'd put away the previous summer and what they
could find in the moment. When spring finally came they had
a few more options, but the rich abundance didn't occur until
the fruits and vegetables ripened.
Imagine seeing fruits and vegetables taking form on the
vines, but knowing they were not yet edible! The wait for
harvest must have been excruciating.
Most of us no longer experience the hungry times
in the early months of summer, nor does our culture
acknowledge early August as a time of celebration. And yet,
the "hungry times" metaphor is one that touches
our lives as we close in on our Summer success.
In a sense you've come nearly full circle through
The Seasons of Change. Looking back you can see how
your life has changed and how you've grown. Now you are nearly
at the point of full success--but you aren't quite there yet!
- You have a clear vision of your goal and direction
- You are taking steps daily to implement the plans you
made in Late Winter and Early Spring
- You are confident you are on target
But/And...
- You don't yet have the money in your pocket from the new
client you've been courting.
- You haven't yet signed the contract for the job that's
in the works.
- You don't yet have the gold medal hanging around your
neck.
At one level you are a success--you've made it this
far! Farther than you have in the past. Farther than
many others do.
On the other hand, you don't have 100% assurance that the
deal/project will come through.
You are hopeful, optimistic, and focused on achieving
your goal. You are doing what you need to do to reach
the pinnacle of success. Everyone around you is excited about
your success and ready to celebrate.
But in the deep, dark recesses of your mind, you
are on edge: worried that something will go wrong
at the last minute, concerned you've misjudged something,
anxious something will happen that's outside your control.
Yes you are hungry! Hungry for the success!
Maybe you've been striving toward this particular goal for
a long time. You are anxious to get it done! Or perhaps you
are watching your funds dwindle as you wait for the job offer
to land or your
business to take off. You have food to eat today, but you
worry about a couple of months from now if things don't pan
out.
For all the potential in the air, it can be an unnerving
time.
This double edge is similar to the hunger inhabitants
experienced centuries ago. They could see the food
ripening (success), but it wasn't completely ready to harvest.
Until harvest, it is likely they felt a sense of uncertainty
as anything could destroy the ripening sources of food--a
storm, a fire, an extreme heat wave, or an animal passing
through.
Although your faith in your ultimate success may be wearing
thin, use the following strategies to keep your focus.
- Don't stop--continue doing what you need
to do to nurture the situation that is so close to fruition.
Make the calls, talk to people, even when you aren't seeing
the immediate results you want.
- Don't limit yourself--investigate other
angles to achieve what you want. Keep your feelers out for
other opportunities. Do due diligence. Follow up. Yes, even
if the other deal is close to closing. If for some unforeseen
reason the other deal falls through, a solid contingency
plan softens the blow.
- Dig deep--you'll need every bit of patience
you have for the home stretch. Aside from the actions within
your control, you can't hurry the timing. It is what it
is. You must do your part and allow the rest to unfold in
time.
- Keep your eye on the finish line--identify
your goal, be clear what your target is. Visualize the moment
when you pass from waiting for your harvest to ripen to
harvesting your ripe results. Olympic athletes use this
technique and you can too. What does your "medal ceremony"
look like? Don't get attached to exactly how it's all going
to unfold --you could get the details wrong. Instead focus
your attention on the emotions and feelings of the moment
when you know "the gold" is yours!
You've already done the preliminary work. This is
last stretch. You've got to give it all you've got
and allow the event to unfold as it does. If it doesn't pan
out--you don't get the offer, the contract falls through,
you get fourth place instead of medaling--you'll move on,
committed to the goal you've been working toward or you may
decide to update your goal based on what you learned. Either
way, you are still
close to a breakthrough. Hang in there for the payoff.
You've come a long way to get here and you deserve your
success.
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