Now's The Time to Act
A 2-Minute Read by James Ward.
Today we celebrate the end of “Winter” (I put this in quotations because we don’t experience much Winter weather here in Texas) and the First Day of Spring, aka the Vernal Equinox, aka the Spring Equinox.
In his book, When: The Scientific Secrets of Perfect Timing, Daniel Pink describes using temporal landmarks like these as an opportunity to shift us out of the minutiae of day-to-day thinking and focus in on the big picture. Much like you might do on a birthday or at the end of a calendar year, I recommend that you use this changing of the seasons as a temporal landmark to pause, reflect, and adjust your plans.
Just like animals, we experience the changing of the seasons and our sense of motivation is unconsciously impacted. Consider the agricultural calendar:
Winter (December-February) is a time of reflection around the results of last year’s harvest and a time of planning for the crops of the new year. These are the coldest and shortest days where little grows as Mother Nature tends to hibernate in preparation for the coming outburst of life.
With Spring (March-May), comes the time for planting and action. For most creatures, spring means more warmth and more daylight making animals become active – arising from their winter sleep, migrating, and breeding because with the warmth, plants grow and food becomes more abundant.
During the Summer (June-August) perspiration is necessary to keep the crops growing. Thankfully the hotter and longer days also provide more time for recreation.
And finally, Autumn/Fall (September-November) brings the harvest and mild temperatures as nature prepares for Winter.
As we transition from Winter to Spring, consider this an opportunity to transition from planning to planting in your own life. Think of that specific outcome you’d like to achieve – you know, the juicy one you’ve been thinking about all winter...
What is the absolute minimum action you could take toward making it happen?
Now, what would be the maximum action you could take?
And finally, what action(s) would be in between the two?
The sweet spot is right there – striving for ideal, being okay for the days where you only accomplish the minimum and most of the time landing somewhere in between.
That idea you’ve been meaning to implement? Now’s the time to act.
That business opportunity you’ve been thinking of pursuing? Now’s the time to act.
Whatever the case may be, if you’ve been looking for a sign, this is it. Now’s the time to act.
I dare you.
Winter 2020 will come whether we’re prepared for it or not, the question is who and where do you want to be when it arrives?