Somehow it still surprises me whenever the seasons change. I see it coming on the calendar, but fail to prepare for the real life process of letting the weather, my wardrobe and the family activities shift into a new experience.
In our work lives, we go through different seasons as well – times when we are intently focused on building greater security, times when we crave riskier passion projects or times when our personal lives will require more of our attention. Yet often, our circumstances shift and we fail to notice that a new season has started. We may continue plowing along with mismatched expectations for the role work can and should be playing in this new phase of our lives.
Your life stage and your work dreams are intimately connected.
This week’s intention
Assessing your unique work needs requires spiritual reflection and there is no “one size fits all” plan for what you should be doing in any particular life stage. I’ve known people to birth successful businesses or thrive in demanding jobs in the midst of life circumstances that would make me pause on my work aspirations, while they aggressively charged ahead. So don’t assume the stage dictates the changes you need to make. Instead, set the intention to take time to consider whether the seasons of your life are shifting and how that impacts what you need from your work.
What has changed or will soon be changing in your life? Some examples may be:
- You are exhausted, managing a family crisis, have a high-needs child or are taking care of an aging parent – is it time to take a safe or more stable assignment to refocus your energy at home?
- Your children are older, your parents are gone or you’ve stepped back from another significant obligation – is it time to birth a new dream with your expanding capacity?
- You’ve finally saved enough to be reasonably secure or you’ve grown bored with the status quo – is it time to take more risk in your work life?
- You’ve been battered by grief or weathered a personal crisis (health, financial or emotional) – is it time to use the wisdom you’ve gained toward a new purpose?
These are only examples of shifts you might be going through.
My intention is to examine my life and assess the role work is meant to play during this season.
This week carry this intention with you throughout each day. Bring it to your prayer and meditation time. Set aside time to journal specifically on this topic. Ask God what is next for you and expect to hear the answer.
More on this next week!