Season of Life!
Have you ever felt kind of “lost” in your life?!
Not knowing in what direction you’re going?
What next decision to make?
Let me share an amazing tool that will help you go through this time of your life! 🙂
The tool that I’m talking about was first imagined by the very famous coach Hudson. This model is called “The seasons”.
It will be really helpful because it will help you understand where you are in your life right now and where you’re heading to.
Let me go through it. You will see, it’s very interesting!!
The model of Hudson
As you can see, it’s very visual!! I’m a very visual person and I always remember images better than words and sentences.
I tried to draw it as clear as possible! 🙂
As you can see, you have the 4 seasons that we all know: Summer, Fall, Winter, and Spring.
It’s important to move in this circle from the left to the right in a clockwise motion (this is why I wrote “movement, direction” on the left next to the arrow).
In our life, we have many “chapters”, which are basically changes or new things that are happening in our life.
For example – new job, new relationship, new residence, new hobbies or habits, etc.
Each chapter of your life is made of ups and downs and of mountains and valleys.
Each one of these chapters is made of these four seasons:
Phase 1, Summer:
This is the Go for it phase. You are very positive, full of motivation and you have goals you want to achieve in your new chapter.
Actually, I’m feeling in this phase right now. I’m working on different projects that really motivate me.
I’m full of energy and feel good waking up in the morning!
I think It’s a great phase to be in because you’re feeling very confident, you feel like you’re going in the direction of doing something that is connected to your values and your purpose in life.
Phase 2, Fall:
This is the stuck phase. You are tired of the situation you’re in, you’re being negative and definitely feeling stuck. You need a change.
This phase is not too easy to be in because you know there is something to do, but you are not sure what to do and where to start.
Also, it’s not easy at all going through all these questions all by yourself.
Sometimes you may share it with your partner or anybody else that you love, but it’s not easy to find the solutions that will make YOU happier…
I remember being in this phase and feeling guilty knowing that I was in this season and not doing too much about it besides complaining that I wasn’t feeling good…
You know what I’m talking about? Feeling that you need some changes and that you’re the only one who will make the right decisions for yourself.
Also, because we can all be great procrastinators so we will say to ourselves “I need to think about this…I will think about it next weekend…”
Phase 3, Winter:
This is the cocooning time. You need time to do some introspection, you are thinking about the values that are important to you and how to live more connected to them (the direct consequence of this will be feeling happier obviously).
Being in this season was a hard time for me as I can remember.
I was 26, and people think that when you’re 26 you don’t have too many things to think about, you just need to jump! Or at least it was a belief that I used to have.
And again, NOBODY taught us to discover what are our values, what is important in our life?!
I wasn’t sure about becoming a teacher (as much as I always thought I would!) and I started feeling the social pressure of “you need to get a job, get married, settle down, etc.”
The winter phase is not an easy time at all, you need to make decisions that can truly change your entire life.
It can sound very scary also…
In my case, I eventually made decisions and even if not everyone understood, I felt better about myself!
I knew they were the changes I needed in order to feel happier.
Phase 4, Spring:
This phase is the exploration one. You are making changes in your life, meeting new people, going in a new direction, learning and trying new things.
I remember this phase. You feel like seizing all the opportunities, you are meeting new people and you like this “fresh start” which can also be scary because it’s all new.
This is the period when I started looking for more online courses and other information about personal development.
So after we went through the structure of Hudson’s 4 seasons model, here are some comments about it.
There’s no minimum/maximum time duration to each season!
I just want to add that there is no minimum/maximum time duration for each season.
I mean, Summer can last for a month, for a year, 5 years… It all depends on us in fact!
Clik Big round or small round?
In Hudson’s 4 seasons model, there are two main scenarios that you can find yourself in.
They are called the big transition and the small transition.
The big transition: Starts at the summer phase, then Fall, then Winter and Spring and again, Summer, etc.
This means that you will go through Winter and will do the introspection I talked about before.
The small transition: You will go from the Summer phase to the Fall phase and then do a few quick adjustments and arrive straight back to the Summer phase, without going through the winter and spring phase.
For example, I’ve never been a person who likes sport. I agree that you feel better after working out, you feel stronger and in good shape, but it’s never been my thing (unfortunately…).
Anyway, I remember feeling like I really needed to do some sport and feel my body moving, so after thinking about it for a long time (phase 2, Fall), I went to a dance and sports center and bought myself a card for 3 months with access to 2 lessons per week.
It wasn’t easy to start going there but I finally jumped into it (and into phase 1, Summer) and I was again full of motivation and aims that I wanted to achieve (which are to keep on going there for whole 3 months).
This model helps you know where you are!
I really like this model because as I said it before, it’s helping you know where you are, where you’re coming from and probably where you’re heading to.
At least to me, it helps me realize what I’m supposed to do (making decisions, doing an introspection, etc.) so I feel less alone when I’m going through a hard time, I really feel understood.
It’s not black and white 🙂
Also, it’s important to remember that it’s not a black and white model.
I mean, it’s not because you’re in one season that you necessarily need to feel a certain way.
For example, it’s okay not be sure about what you’re doing or feeling while going through the Summer phase, in which normally you’re supposed to be super positive and full of energy!
Ask yourself these questions to build your self-confidence
Here’s what to do practically to keep building your self-confidence when you are in a time of transition:
- In what season are you?
Have a look at Hudson’s 4 seasons model and try to understand where you are standing in your life.
When you do this, you feel a bit better knowing at least where you are standing, what is behind you and where you’re heading to. - How do you feel?
How does that make you feel, the season you are into now? What are the emotions when you think about this?
It helps to point those feelings out, this way you get to know yourself a bit better and it becomes easier to understand what actions you should take. - What decisions did you make?
Understand what decisions brought you into this situation in your life and what consequences it has on your present, reflect on those answers. - What do you really want?
Ask yourself if there is another decision that needs to be taken to get you to the next season? Or to stay in the current one that you are in if it’s something that you want? What do you really want in life? What truly matters to you? - What do you need to believe?
Ask yourself this question: what do you need to believe to get to the next season or to enjoy the one you are in right now? - What skills do you need?
Connected to the question before, what skills, talents or abilities do you think that you need to have in order to enjoy the season you are in or in order to move to the next one?
To sum up!
The season you’re in holds valuable insights into the purpose of life! 🙂
Just like chapters in a book, each season shapes your story and prepares you for what’s next.
Life is a book, and every season has its own meaning, what’s yours teaching you? 🙂
