How to Know What You Want and Take Advantage of the Seasonal Shift
As we transition from Yang to Yin with the current seasonal shift from summer to fall, the autumnal equinox marks the midpoint between the longest and shortest days of the year.
This seasonal shift is challenging, as I am refreshed and full of vital energy from the bright and long Nordic days. Knowing we enter the dark, long fall and winter nights reminds me of the short days that fade with the long nights for half a year.
However, this time invites me to unwind, calm down, and prepare the ground for next year’s life.
It is a good time to be aware enough to choose what to pay attention to and how I might construct meaning daily in the direction I see myself going.
If one does not know to which part one is sailing, no wind is favourable.
- Seneca
Choosing direction. Setting the goal.
Let’s experiment with three approaches.
The first way is that if you leave home and need to know where you want to go, you have no guidelines on which to base such a decision.
Here, the goal needs to be narrower, and the path needs direction.
The second is that you have a clear definition of your goal and the route to take you there. If you fix everything beforehand, there is no room for new experiences and insights.
Here, the goal is narrow, and there is much focus.
The third and last approach is that you have an idea about your goal and how you would like your route to be.
Here, you know the general direction of where you want to go, but you leave room for new experiences and insights. You then ensure you have a goal, but keep an open mind about the road. So, there is an objective with opportunities and focus in balance.
Which journey would you decide on?
Approximately knowing where you want to go is challenging. We have to be honest with ourselves to understand what we truly want.
What are the activities that give you energy? And what are the ones you are best and worst at? What actions have you added with thought? What are the ones that bring vitality and wealth simultaneously?
Make a list, review the list, and be honest with yourself. We, as creatives, enjoy many different activities and can do those things well. However, there is a focus on which we should move. So, pick up three activities from the list you want to do most.
Create your competence
Draw three circles that each overlap. In each circle, you write one of the things you would most love to do.
Now, looking at what emerges in the parts where two circles overlap will be interesting. What is the common factor between the two things you would most love to do?
That leaves the middle part, where all the three circles overlap. What is the common factor among those things? It’s you!
The total overview reveals who you would be. The most interesting parts are where the circles overlap. Here, they form a great combination—something unique about you!
In that place lies your growth and happiness.
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