Happy fall friends! I’m loving all things apple, leaves that want to turn but it’s just so darn hot, and everyone else’s kids going back to school. I live vicariously through all of those kids. I loved school, and the fall brings back the best high vibe memories. It was always a fresh start, of sorts.
I’ve been thinking about fresh starts lately, because as adults we don’t really get them. Unless they are “forced fresh starts”. I think that’s why in GE, the organization wanted everyone to change jobs every 18 months. There’s a certain energy in those restarts that build motivation and potential. The truth is, a new start every so often is present all around us and if we tap into that, it can really support sustained energy levels and motivation.
A few examples….
- The new moon each month is a fresh start for the moon.
- Waking up each morning is a fresh start for your body.
- The new year is a fresh start to the calendar.
- Fall is a fresh start to the school year.
- January or July (or whichever month your accountant chose) is a fresh start to the fiscal calendar.
- Spring is a fresh start for nature.
The practice of tapping into fresh starts has been on my mind lately. I’m learning all things cyclical through the teachings of Kate Northrup, and it’s really helping me identify the subtle energy shifts. This allows me to maximize times where there is a natural momentum (usually around the time of those fresh starts), and release the times where the momentum is not there. It’s been SO interesting to pay attention to this, and I can’t even tell you how much energy it has freed up for me!
Here is one simple experiment that you can try out:
- Identify when the new moon is for the month you’re in (or the closest new moon to the timeframe you’re working with)
- Highlight the two weeks between the new moon and the full moon. This is the time when nature’s restart is moving with the most momentum.
- Utilize that window to start a project or task that you’ve been wanting to work on.
Traditional business practices would tell us this is “unproductive” or the wrong way to approach things. Level things out, it says – with concepts like standard work or standard processes. (Side note: someone mentioned ISO 9000 a few days ago when I was on my Atlanta sabbatical – whoa did that bring back memories!)
I’ve experienced the level of burnout that type of thinking creates. I was in the throws of pushing, hustling, and go go go for so long that I literally couldn’t get out of bed. The truth is, nothing in our natural world works this way – day to night, seasons, stations of the moon. All of the things we are made of have cycles.
Once I started noticing these cycles and releasing judgements about certain phases, a whole world of flow started to open up for me. The best part? It was all internal. I didn’t have to tell anyone, or change anything about anyone else. This is an extremely personal and internal process that we each deserve to explore for ourselves.
Try out the experiment and let me know if you notice any subtle (or not so subtle) changes. Come find me on Facebook or Instagram and say hi!
(Photo credit: Alisa Anton)