218 – Seasons Of Change, You Are In Charge - a podcast by Alf Herigstad

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Seasons Of Change, You Are In Charge…
Summertime is upon us.  This fact is more evident in some places than others; Phoenix was 119 degrees yesterday and Seattle was 75.  On the other side of the world in the Southern hemisphere they are heading into winter, but all over the earth people are experiencing the change of a season in one way or another.Yesterday, June 20th, was actually the summer solstice, the longest day of the year if you are in the Northern hemisphere.  Now every day will get slightly shorter than the day before until we arrive at the shortest day of the year, which is in December.
As humans we don’t think about seasons in the same way we used to.  Our lives aren’t as affected by the weather and temperatures as they used to be.  I believe however, that season changes are a natural time for us still, to take stock of our lives.  To take a look at the path we are on and make the necessary adjustments. For our ancient ancestors the seasons and the weather were one of the biggest considerations they had.  When the summer solstice came along it was a huge reminder for them to tend their crops, to do everything necessary to ensure a good harvest.  They had to make sure they had enough fuel and food because the days were getting shorter and that meant winter was coming.  With the winter came darkness and cold, sometimes death and starvation.  The fact that you exist today is proof that your ancestors did a good job, they survived so that you can live.
Nowadays we barely notice the changes from one season to the next because we continue to eat and live the same way all year around.  That doesn’t mean the seasons are not still significant…it only means our perception of them has changed.  I am suggesting that as men we can still use the seasons to galvanize our action, to focus our efforts and attention onto the things that matter.For example, now summer is here.  What are your plans for the summer?  What do you want to accomplish before Autumn gets here?  How will you make the best use of your time in the next three months?  It’s a great time to take a minute and reflect on your life.  Get a piece of paper and write down what your summer goals are.  Then write down how you plan to accomplish them. 
Use this summer season as a tool, a device to accomplish some positive things in your life.  Every day when you look outside you will be reminded that it is summer, and then you will remember that you have summer goals.You can do the same thing for every season;  fall, winter, and spring.  It’s a very natural thing to do because it is the way our species developed.  Your summer time goals may be more inclined toward outdoor activities, while your wintertime goals might be more cerebral, and carried out indoors. 
It might be a little tougher if you live somewhere like San Diego where it is basically summer all year around.  The idea though, is not just to be influenced by the weather and changing seasons, but to break the year up into parts that are more easily managed.  The seasons are just an effective way to mark these breaks.Can you see how it might be beneficial to sit down four times a year and make plans and goals for the next three months?  Do you understand that if you were to do that, that you will maintain more control of your life.  You will stay on top of things, nothing will slip by you, and you will be living an intentional life.
So that is my suggestion.  Use the four seasons of the year as a time for life planning.  Write it down, because when you write things down they become more real.  I need to do this better myself.  I always make plans for the upcoming season, but I try to keep it all in my head.  I need to get better at writing these things down because it will increase the chances of my success, and it will for you too.The reason this is all relevant to Being A Better Man, is because the more control...

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