Just like the weather, our lives are made up of seasons. And soon, whether you like it or not, you’ll be in a new chapter of life.
One season you’re single, and the next you’re married. One season you’ve got a baby, and another she’s out on her own. One season you’re hustling to get your career or business off the ground, and another you’re retired.
Each stage of life brings with it a set of changes. But in the midst of all the changes, there’s one thing that will continue on from season to season: the person you’re becoming.
When the last child moves out, you may be officially be in the ’empty-nester’ season of life, but the person you were before they moved out and the person you were after they moved out didn’t automatically change because of this shift in seasons.
When temporary becomes permanent
Even though the season of life you’re in is temporary, the kind of person you become in the midst of it will continue on after the season has changed. Which means, regardless of the season of life you’re in, it’s important to pay attention to the kind of person you’re becoming in the midst of it—because who you are will continue on into whatever comes next.
One reason this is important is because it’s possible for us to adopt certain practices or habits for the current stage of life, with the intention of doing so for just the current season. But if we’re not careful these habits can form our lives in ways that persist long after the season has ended.
For instance, I’ve heard numerous stories of those who work incessantly for a season to “get ahead.” But when they finally reach the place where they can slow down, it’s become almost impossible for them to do so. The busyness has becomes a way of life, although the pace was originally only suppose to be temporary. The kind of person they became in the long run wasn’t an intentional choice, but the byproduct of the habits and decisions they made along the way.
Practicing what you want to become
So, regardless of the season you’re in, one primary question to consider is, What kind of person do you want to become? Then, with that in mind, find ways to practice living that way now in the season of life you’re in.
Say you want to be a generous person. Let’s also say you’re in a season of life where you don’t have much. It may be tempting to delay being generous until you have more resources to give—until another season of life. But waiting won’t make it any easier in the future. Rather, the longer you wait, the harder it will be to change this pattern down the road. It’d be better to find small ways to practice being generous now, even if they seem insignificant. Because every time you practice now, the easier it will be to do the same the next time around.
The same holds true for any character trait you may want to develop. And once these traits are established, they’ll stick with you even when the season you’re in comes to an end.
What do you want to become? And how will you practice living that way today? These are great questions for us all to consider. Because what we choose to do today will have an impact on the kind of person we are in the seasons of life yet to come.
This will be the final post of the year. More to come after the holidays.