Alternate Perceptions Magazine, March 2024
Seasons of You
by: Stan Prachniak, MBA
We are all familiar with the seasons of each year, but have you ever given thought to the seasons that occur within your life? More specifically, the changes that occur within you throughout your life. There are a few different concepts about the seasons of life as they pertain to people. One is based on age, another on emotions and life experiences, and yet another on marital status and parenthood. I will not go into the details of each, but would like to intertwine all three of these examples because of the impact that each can have on your journey in life.
Navigating the seasons of life can be challenging at times. And it doesn’t matter if you are young, old, single, married, or have kids. You will certainly have a different perspective on things depending on your specific circumstances, but you can work your way through the challenges of life by controlling what you can—yourself and your actions. When the seasons of your life change you can decide to use past experiences to help guide you and your actions, or you can choose to let the next season take control. Although you will not experience the same stage of life (baby, child, pre-teen, teen, adult, etc.) more than once, you may experience a season of life multiple times. You could find yourself single after being married for several years, or suffer a loss that take you back to a certain season. You will likely endure emotions-based seasons multiple times in your life. In instances such as these it can be easy to let the season take control, but it’s a good idea for you to decide where each season will take you. It is possible to prepare for the seasons you will face, but it isn’t always easy. When you were younger, you probably had some people in your life who tried to prepare you for what was to come. People like parents, grandparents, teachers, and older siblings likely gave you some advice and told you what to expect as you approached your next season. If you were like most kids/pre-teens/teens, you probably had a hard time listening to them because you believed you already had it all figured out. And then you realized that you didn’t. The more accepting you are of advice and experiential learning, the better equipped you will be to handle changes in your life. Identifying and planning for coming seasons is a way to discover and/or create your path in life.
Freedom To Change offers a way for you to navigate the seasons of your life by learning to control what you can control and letting the rest go. For more information on the Freedom To Change materials, visit www.freedom2change.org.
