28 Apr Seasons of Personal Development
Hey, welcome back! You made it, it’s finally Friday. Go ahead and reward yourself for a job well done! It’s been a great week, but I’m definitely looking forward to spending a few days at home catching up on things around the house and spending time with family.
Today was slightly different than usual. I took the day off work to help get my wife to and from her appointments, and then took care of some additional errands. But, I’ve been super productive since I got up at 04:00am, and I’ve been working hard in all the moments between the action. Jackson and I also had an appointment for hair cuts. And, as usual, Jackson steals the show with his stunning good looks and a killer hair cut!
I can’t tell you how grateful I am for the weekends. I used to dwell on the burden of the work week and mentally labor through the times between the weekend. The weekends allowed me to live and be who I wanted to be. Occasionally, I would make some irrational decisions for the sake of “having a good time”, and fortunately I incurred no major repercussions.
Looking back, I realize that my life has gone through several seasons of personal development that have shaped me into who I am today. Each season resulted in some form of personal growth through good and bad experiences. Until recently, I never took the time to analyze the significance and importance of the events that transpired. Let’s take a look at the “seasons of my life”.
1. First, there was a season of purity when I was a child, between 6 and 13 years old. I was naive and innocent. Most of my morals and values were installed into my mental programming and are still the main construct of my identity today. During this time, I was attending Mass regularly with my Grandmother and my Uncle. I was active in school sports and learning the vital lessons of self discipline, teamwork, and dedication. I was impressionable, and the members of my family were my role models. I had good influences, great influences, and some that were pretty questionable. No harm no foul. I came out of this season well rounded with respect, integrity, and lots of energy.
2. Then, there was a season of discovery, between 13-21. I had entered the beginning of my teen years and peer influences were in greater supply. In the beginning, my blueprint from the previous season provided me with enough sense to avoid the seriously bad influences and guided me along the path of safety. But, then something happened. I wanted to fit in. I wanted to be accepted by everyone, which meant I had to do what everyone else was doing. I ended up dropping my shield of my morals and values and allowed my self to become a victim of the crowd. I made mostly good choices at first, but quickly gave in to influence and bad choices began to compound. Fortunately, I made it out of this season mostly undamaged with no lasting consequences.
3. Around the time I turned 21, my career season, I finally began to ask myself what I really intended to do with my life. I knew I had to make some serious changes or I’d end up in a pretty dark place. So, I turned a new page and shifted my focus from partying to finding a good job. Eventually, I found overhead power line construction and it helped me get back onto the straight and narrow. However, it wasn’t long until I gave in to influence and the partying resumed. I would work hard all week, party all weekend, spend 90% of my income, and feel accomplished when I went to sleep Sunday nights. There were moments when I would pull my life together, save some money, and attempt to be healthy but I wasn’t doing those things because I wanted to. It wasn’t more important than going out and having fun, yet.
Thankfully, I am now in a season of personal renewal and professional growth . The equation of my life finally became so unbalanced that the only solution was to abandon it completely and start over. I had finally hit my mental rock bottom. I recognized that my life was careening for disaster and I was in need of life changing advice. I found it in a book. I never read a single book until that point. Since then, I have been so captivated by the words of others and their ability to inspire me to be more and serve more. I read everyday, even on the weekends. In this season, I found clarity, sobriety, and my purpose. Now, I leverage the weekends to do the things that build me up and benefit my family!
So, this weekend I challenge you to look back at your life and the seasons you’ve been through. Then, ask yourself, what season are you in now? Are you in a season of growth? If you’re not, what will it take to get you there? And, what are you going to do today to move you closer to your goals?
I hope you have a great weekend!
Cheers to your success!
No Comments