I have the honor and privilege of training leaders on how to align your life and business with the seasons and cycles so that you are more successful, more in-the-flow, and all-around happier.
Whenever I teach this, the room is blown away by the power of living and working in attunement to the Earth.
It is life-changing.
And inevitably there is also some initial disbelief on what the cold, dark, bare Winter could ever teach about life and business.
Most folks shun the Winter and the dark, anxiously waiting for the warm, pastel days of Spring. But the truth is that there is a wealth of gifts the Winter has to offer you, and you are absolutely missing out on a lot (plus literally stunting your business growth) without honoring and attuning to this powerful season.
Here are some of my favorite lessons from Winter:
Rest is Sacred and Necessary for Re-Birth
Nature created a full season dedicated to very short days and very long nights – a signal to all of nature to rest, to hibernate, and to honor sleep. Winter gives permission to take time off from working and outward growth to regenerate.
Yet, as human beings, we skip over this.
We think that if we slow down, if we take time off, that everything will fall apart. That our business will take a hit. That we’ll lose everything we’ve worked so hard to create.
But in fact, the exact opposite is true.
When you don’t take enough time off, when you don’t truly and fully rest (instead of just giving it lip service), you:
- become disconnected from your inner wisdom and make bad decisions
- stop enjoying the work you do
- aren’t fully present and in all your power & brilliance
- If you honor the Winter and the deep biological, spiritual, emotional, and mental need for rest (and occasionally for extended rest), you are able to approach your life and your work with your full wisdom, brilliance, and energy…and everything flows much better.
Dreams and Visions happen in the Dark
Successful businesses are rooted in your ability to have a creative, effective and aligned Vision. And at each phase of your business growth, you are required to dream up the next level of your vision.
So many people love to vision, yet they forget this powerful Winter lesson:
When do you dream the most? In the dark, at night, when you’re not so BUSY, and when the daylight doesn’t make things so clear.
Clarity is wonderful, but clarity also has clear boundaries and limits. The dark has no boundaries and has no limits. You can dream up new, bigger possibilities.
Less is More
When you look at a tree in the Wintertime, you think it’s dead because it’s not growing any blossoms, and it’s let go of all its leaves.
In fact, trees are very much alive and grow the MOST in the Wintertime. It’s when the roots grow the quickest, underground.
That’s because the tree has released and let go of any excess weight and functions it no longer needs. The bare trees are bare for a sacred and important reason.
Same is true for your business.
Think about how many “unnecessary” things you hold on to in your business: offerings that no longer reflect who you are, clients that annoy you, team members that aren’t aligned anymore, old ways of doing things.
I’m sure the tree has some momentary fear of letting go of its beautiful leaves. But it “knows” that the leaves have already served their purpose, and that they would simply be dead weight if they weren’t shed. The tree knows that without the excess baggage it can get to the deep work of growing its roots.
Can you imagine what you could accomplish if you did that in your business?
