The 4 Seasons Of Life

“While the earth remains, seed-time and harvest, cold and heat, winter and summer, and day and night shall not cease.”

We have just finished the first half of 2022 and have turned the corner into the second half. It has been a year unlike any other, as the world is opening up. As we embark into the second half of the year, it is also a good time to consider the seasons that are part of our life and financial planning journeys.

Seasons come and seasons go naturally with the predictable transformations that our world endures. We all are aware of the four seasons of the year, but do you understand the four seasons of your life?

The seasons of life are about the transitions we go through and how they impact our mindset and actions. The amount of time it takes to move through each season is a reflection of your state-of-mind.

Spring: Season Of Preparation

This is the time to act, the time to take risks and the time to grab the opportunity.

Spring brings a window of opportunity. It might come as meeting new people, a new job opportunity or an opportunity to start your own venture. It is important to understand that the risk is part of the opportunity. If you want to skip the risk, you will have to skip the opportunity and you will not benefit from the upcoming seasons. Massive action in spring is necessary for the massive success in the next season. So, if you want to have a great harvest, you need to act now.

Just as the farmer takes advantage of the increasing warmth and times his tillage and planting accordingly, we have to take advantage of every opportunity.  Spring is not the time to rest, but to commit to preparing the soil for the best success in future season. 

This season begins for most graduates when they begin working and earning. While they have not yet made it to their prime earning years, the spring is no less important for financial planning. In fact, it is a critical time to build a solid foundation for lifelong planning. After all, trees need strong roots to grow.

It may seem like spring is a difficult time for graduates to plan as they are being pulled in many financial directions. But that is exactly why it is important to begin planning in this phase. By tracking accumulation, budgeting for needs like student loan and mortgage loan payments, saving for emergencies, and establishing life goals, graduates begin to anchor their roots in this spring season. It is this period of time that allows them to best prepare for the future.

Summer: Season Of Protection

This is the time to nourish and protect.

Summer is the time when your efforts begin to show promise and the path to your goal looks clearer. But success in any part of our life, like in love, career, relationships, or development is not easy. It requires consistent effort and overcoming obstacles with persistence. Even though things might look promising in summer, this is not the time to relax. It is the time to fertilize your good habits and pull out the weeds of bad habits. Make sure not to be fooled by the energy and momentum of the summer, your goal is still not accomplished yet. Your progress is vulnerable and needs protection and regular nourishment. Do not get blinded by the distractions summer brings with it. Keep the focus on your goal and its fruit. Summer is the time where nvaders may want to take advantage of your efforts or ruin your progress. Protect your progress like a farmer protects his crop from weeds and pests.

As summer comes, the farmer pays close attention to his crops: feeding, watering, and eliminating pests and weeds that could inhibit growth. In the summer of your life, you have to pay attention to the individuals or businesses that are close to your heart. Focus on your closest friends and family members to stay at the top of their minds.  Nourish those relationships, and take care of any barriers to future growth. Focus on building value and service. Cast a vision for your life. 

Summer is the prime earning season for working adults. Many become stable in their careers during this phase, advancing in their roles and enjoying the added income their expertise and seniority provides. This high-earning time is an opportunity for them to make the most of their income as they bear and store the fruit they will need to live comfortably throughout the autumn and winter seasons.

Autumn: Season Of Harvest

This is the time to reap your harvest.

Autumn is the moment of truth. In autumn we either enjoy it or we make excuses. Autumn brings the result of your efforts. If you have taken the right action in the other seasons, then now you will see the result far greater than your effort. If you have procrastinated and avoided consistent effort you will not have the desired outcome. The law of cause and effect is universal. It applies to every living being alike and in this season you see it with your eyes.

Remember, when you reap well, make sure to save appropriately for the winter. Wise men save first for the winter and then spend what is left.  It is in the autumn we discover how pleasant the winter will be.

If you have planted good seeds and cultivated those relationships, maybe even taking a risk or two, your harvest will be bountiful. Your attitude and your willingness to stick to your values and your commitment to your goals is going to give you reason for celebration.

Autumn is the retirement season of financial planning. Many choose this time to plan for spring and new beginnings for others by planning their estates. By preparing to pass assets — monetary and otherwise — to friends, family members, charities, or other causes they believe in, retirees can give a fresh start to their beneficiaries, allowing them to reap what they themselves have sown and continue the cycle.

Winter: Season Of Rest

This is the time to rest, recuperate, and relearn.

In times when you experience winter in your life, things might look difficult and maybe hopeless and out of control. Now as winter arrives, we are in two situations: either prepared or unprepared. If you have followed the seasons and harvested successfully in the autumn, winter might be easy for you and you may take more time to rest. But if you did not harvest well in autumn, then you must use the winter to prepare for the upcoming seasons. Remember, winters are the best time to prepare.

There will be times of decreased activity, fewer prospects, and dormant projects. You take stock, evaluate, increase your knowledge, and create a plan for the coming seasons, because you know that spring will be coming.

Following your financial plans remains important for those in this stage. It is necessary to continue adjusting financial plans as necessary throughout winter season as needs change. Active estate planning is necessary to leave gifts to our beneficiaries. Continuing to live comfortably — even if the winter is harsh — is what we have planned for throughout earlier seasons.

The only constant is change.

Although we cannot control the economic climate, we know that it will change, as will our lives.  We cannot change the seasons, but we can change ourselves. Seasons are not in our control, but our actions are in our control. It is up to you to work with the seasons of our lives, and make it successful. 

Each season brings exciting changes. With a holistic life planning, we can prepare for each change and the legacy we will leave behind. No matter what season you are at, let us working alongside to give you the guidance you need as you grow through every season — and the peace of mind to weather any storms that may come along the way.