What season is it, anyway?
“There is a time for everything,
and a season for every activity under the heavens:”
– Ecclesiastes 3:1 (NIV)
Yes, it’s January 1 and most people have moved forward from the Christmas celebration to celebrating the new year with fellowship, food, football, and more fun. We say Merry Christmas, Merry Christmas, Merry Christmas on only one day.
There are many cycles in life, many forces that impact our lives, and many calendars, traditions, and schedules that govern our day, our routine, and our activities.
Many of us are planning new goals, new resolutions, and new habits for the new year, feeling that this is a time of new beginnings. Certainly, that’s true, even though statistics show that a high percentage of New Year’s Resolutions are not successful. Many of those resolutions are not successful due to the same reasons our personal and organizational goals are not successful – lack of specificity, lack of accountability, and lack of capturing our passion for the value that success means for us and those we influence.
So, then, maybe January 1 is not a new beginning after all. Maybe every day is a new beginning. Every day is a present to unwrap and explore. Every day is also the PRESENT. It’s today that makes a difference. We have a chance to begin anew each and every day. It’s a process of planning, evaluation, revision, and recommitment – a continual process.
Leaders are fundamentally:
- People who get things done
- People who know how things get done, and
- People who influence others
We live in a world in flux. We respond to times and seasons. We plan our lives around the calendar that is important to our culture.
Remember last year at this time. Remember your wishes and goals. Evaluate what happened and why. Seth Godin has a great post about this year vs. last year: Seth Godin’s Blog
Why did I wish you a Merry Christmas? Well, today is the 8th day in the season of Christmas by the Christian liturgical calendar. We are in a season of celebration and renewal. We continue to celebrate the gift of Jesus Christ in our lives as a new beginning and a new promise.
As leaders, we pay attention to what is happening around us. As leaders, we follow the vision in our hearts. As leaders, we do not compromise our values and principles. As leaders, we forge new paths to success.
On this first day of 2013, I wish you well in your leadership challenges. I wish you well in implementing and achieving your vision. I wish you well in connecting to the traditions, schedules, values, and seasons in life that matter most to you.
Merry Christmas. The celebration continues!
Hugh Ballou
The Transformational Leadership Strategist
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(c) 2013 Hugh Ballou. All rights reserved.