Embrace Your Own Seasons

03 Sep 2009

Did you ever notice that different types of music go best with different seasons of the year? I have a giant collection of music, but there are certain songs that I just can’t get into unless it is spring, summer, winter, or fall. I’ve got an entire lineup of songs that I have at the ready, waiting to be used when the time is right and they just don’t sound as good any other time of the year.

Oddly enough, I’ve found that life also works like that. Perhaps less consistently, but the changes are still noticeable. For instance, I’ll be extremely interested in a certain topic for months and then find that without warning, I’ve lost all interest. In the meantime, I’ll have a renewed energy for learning more about another topic I lost interest in months before that. And so it goes…we drift from focus to focus like nomads in the desert.

In the past, I became frustrated by this change of energy because I’d be knee deep in a project and be unable to complete it. Like a fly banging into glass it cannot escape, I kept hammering away until I got angry or became physically exhausted. This pattern continued for years until finally…I had one of those “aha!” moments and decided to change my way of thinking.

When One Door Closes

While I was banging my head against a wall in an effort that I had no energy for, I failed to realize that had I picked up the momentum on my other projects, those that I had a renewed interest in, I could keep working as hard as I was before. Rather than frustrate myself, I could have enjoyed myself…accomplishing more while being happy all the while.

Looking back, I can see where the changes could have taken place. Looking forward, I can predict them before they happen. I’m not suggesting that you don’t finish what you start, but I am suggesting that you keep a list of several different projects so that you can change pace without skipping a beat.

Looking through my hard drive, I have several blogging projects, several music projects, several religious projects (I’m a zen master baby), and several triathlon and running projects. When I feel the momentum grinding to a halt, I look into my pool of interests for something else that gets me excited. I might not blow through every project on my list, but at least I am always moving forward.

The Benefit of Having Multiple Personalities

I might not be the average blogger, but this is the way that works best for me. You might do better working through a single project until completion. The point isn’t that you need to do what I do. The point is that you need to understand the way that your mind and body work. You need to spend time learning about what drives you and why. You need to dive deep into those frustrating moments so that you can dissect the problem and into a more productive activity.

In my case, I’ve learned how to cope with burnout and how to manage multiple interests. I’ve learned how to identify what really makes me happy and what doesn’t. As a blogger, it is very easy to put off today’s problems for tomorrow in order to finish one more post. I dont’ recommend it. If you feel unhappy at any time, I suggest that you stop what you are doing and think about your path.

We’re all destined for greatness, but we have to get out of our own way. Embrace your own seasons and stay fluid, physically and mentally. You can try swimming upstream, but I don’t recommend it.

Recommended Posts

Like what you see here? Click Here to check out my guides and courses or make it simple and Hire Me.

Also, please leave a comment and click that cool RT button. Thanks!

Graham Hunt

Very interesting blog. I have so many projects on that i am running from one to another and have the same thing. I have also read "The Answer" and found it very useful. However implementing it is difficult.

My interest tends to run out when something doesn't work immediately. What was that Napoleon Hill line "He gave up and stopped digging three feet from gold" or something like that.
Mike CJ

I think if you work in the online world it's almost a prerequisite to be able to handle multiple tasks and to let them ebb and flow.

I hate it, it doesn't suit me, as I prefer to work one thing to death, finish it and move on to the next. I guess I just have to get used to it!
Charlotte Malycon

Nicely put Nathan - thanks for making my multi-work hats all find a place to fit! .
.-= Charlotte Malycon´s last blog ..Twitter Q&A: Just the one profile – or many? =-.
Antti Kokkonen

I like to have multiple projects running at the time too. I'm usually 99% focused on one at the time (whether that time is a minute or a week). And then I move on to work on the next one.

Some of the "projects" is just an idea at start and working on it means getting more ideas related to it and what should be done next, etc. Having multiple interests and projects mean I always something I love to work on when I have the time. Keeping it organized makes sure I'm (most of the time) doing something useful.

I evaluate the running projects weekly or monthly and see what I got done on the last period. I don't only evaluate results and that kind of things, but I look at the project with "do I want to continue on this" in mind. If I don't feel happy doing anything on the project I gotta find another way with it, leave it or pull a different angle.
.-= Antti Kokkonen - Zemalf.com´s last blog ..5 Things Yoda Can Teach You About Blogging =-.
Gordie Rogers

Interesting you're taking to Zen. It seems to be the way of many lifestyle designers. I have seen some great wisdom in there, mostly. I take from it what I can and discard the rest. That's what I, as a pragmatic Agnostic do. Lol!

Anyway, there must be ways you can level out the fluctuations up to a point if you desired to. I think meditation would be a big part in that. I'm reading a book at the moment called "The Answer" by John Assaraf and Murray Smith. Check it out Nathan if you haven't done already.

Thanks for another great post!
.-= Gordie Rogers´s last blog ..Be A Lifestyle Design Super Freak: Part 1- Take action, but don’t be attached to the outcome (up to a point). =-.
Nathan

Gordie, I'll admit that I have a love hate relationship with Zen/Zen Buddhism. I'm very driven and I have a hard time letting go, but on the other hand I realize that being heavily attached to outcomes can be problematic. A fine line to walk!