Accepting Things As They Are

 

With all hands on deck, I bet we can secure a 100% consensus that ACCEPTING THINGS AS THEY ARE is the most difficult thing to do [and I'm referring to failures, incidents, tragedies, frustrations, name it.  And almost everyone of us, regardless of our faith or religion, surely a good majority would pray that there's likely something happening that you wish, deep down in your bones WASN'T happening OR was unfolding in a different way.  And lifting from the pages of the experts, there's one key attribute that matters most💧💧💧

And as per the experts, one of the 'foundational principles' of mindfulness is ACCEPTANCE and every expert concurs that it is one of the most difficult phases to navigate in any one's life.  As life is a full of situations that SHOULDN'T be the way they are, sometimes we can fix those situations BUT sometimes we CAN'T.  Accepting things as they are in a powerful way to cope with situations that you DON'T want OR that SHOULDN't happen.  Indeed, many things in life are beyond our control.  Obvious examples are that chronic traffic, 'mother nature' and even the untimely death of a loved one, things we DON'T want OR need to happen BUT by nature, they are just bound to happen💥💥💥

Sometimes [and I'd say, many times], people try to gain that semblance of control by trying to make changes, even if they are unlikely to help.  Other times, people would attempt to regain the feeling of control by simply ignoring as to WHAT is really happening [ouchhhh].  The sad plight here is that trying to change something we CAN'T [or DENYING it] only leads to more exacerbated pain and suffering, sadly😡😡😡

Again, ACCEPTING THINGS AS THEY ARE means to let go of your expectations of HOW things should be.  Instead, let us allow things to be WHAT they are.  BUT I'll play devil's advocate here.  WHY is ACCEPTANCE so important?  Firstly, trying to change reality is a battle we're guaranteed to lose.  Thereafter, that leads to the feelings of bitterness, anger and sadness, sometimes all rolled into one.  Secondly, acceptance will allow us to to recognize and face the actual problem.  This can allow for problem-solving.  LIKE if you're unhappy in your career,it is impossible to make changes before we face reality of our current situation.  And denying reality will prevent us from problem-solving and may lead to more consequences, and in that case, you can be assured of more years of dissatisfaction with your career, ouchhh.  Lastly, accepting thing as they are leads us toward a sense of peace and calm💚💛💜

Our takeaway:  I've witnessed first hand and up close numerous instances WHEN someone DIDN'T ACCEPT THINGS AS THEY ARE.  And allow me to share what were the ramifications and consequences I did bear witness in those exceptions:

• Most of their situations turned from BAD to WORSE
• And as things worsened, their willpower significantly waned
• And before they knew it, thing 'went south' as swift as it went
• And the more things worsened, the more they got stuck & stalled
• And with their back against the wall, their options at hand dwindled and as pressure was building up right in front, at the rear and from all sides, they realized they were hapless and helpless

Insight here, IF and WHEN your best option is to ACCEPT THINGS, take that pill, even if's hard to swallow because that too shall pass and later [if NOT sooner], you'll be over the hump😄😄😄

[Where Possible] Let's NOT Take Things Personally

 

Very true, it is natural for us to keep wanting to be respected.  After all, we humans are social animals and numerous studies show that we humans are social animals and we want to be valued by our fellow tribe members.  WHICH explains WHY it is only natural that criticism can sting and somehow cause emotional pain on us.  And almost all studies till to date ended up with the same conclusion that criticism hurts📗📙📘

In various researches, criticisms that hurt were found to be NOT seriously offensive as many remarks were more 'off the cuff' ones rather than premeditated.  BUT psychologists tell us that if we find our feelings are hurt more often than not OR we tend to assume that some people do mean to cause eomotional harm on us, there is that likelihood that we ourselves are prone to taking things personally💚💛💜

BUT all the experts counsel us that instead of keep asking as to WHY people want to hurt us emotionally, let us face the music, face the mirror and let us drill and dice and figure out WHAT causes us to TAKE THINGS PERSONALLY?  Experts advise us that NEGATIVE SELF TALK is the #1 common culprit as we constantly tell ourselves that we are NOT good enough OR it's always our fault, so in the face of those 'ugly comments', we easily fall prey to negative things about us❎❎❎

UNTIL perfectionism creeps into the picture as perfectionists have a hard time WHEN others talk about their flaws as they have unrealistic standards about WHAT they should be.  Once we figured out the very root cause, an equally bigger question is HOW TO KNOW IF WE'RE TAKING THINGS PERSONALLY?  Experts advise that a typical scenario is WHEN we receive positive compliments BUT instead of appreciating it, we unnecessarily spend time finding for shortcomings of people😖😖😖

Our takeaway:  Take it from the experts, HOW can we veer away from ending up taking things PERSONALLY [most of the time]:

• DON'T depend on that 'STAMP of APPROVAL' from others
• DON'T believe & take to heart all those harsh comments about you
• DON'T lump your honest mistake to reflect as your character flaw
• DON'T develop that 'people pleaser' attitude as it may 'trap' you
• DON'T hesitate to say either a feeble OR loud 'NO', if needed

Lastly, allow me to quote the experts:  EVEN WHEN IT SEEMS PERSONAL, RARELY PEOPLE DO IT BECAUSE OF YOU AS THEY DO THINGS BECAUSE OF THEM [and NOT you]😡😡😡

Life's INS'T A Race [So You're NOT REALLY Far Behind]

 

Life ISN'T a race.  YES, that means, YOU'RE NOT REALLY FAR BEHIND.  That's the thing.  Life often seems like a pyrrhic race, we're always sprinting towards our next goal, our next goal after next, BUT in reality, NEVER feeling fulfilled WHEN we [finally] arrive at our 'next destination'.  Sounds familiar?  YES, this is a very normal and recurring refrain, cutting across cultures and careers.  WHEN we tend to view life as a contest, we seem to be always rushing to keep an eye with everyone else.  BUT dude, as it's often explicitly declared, life is NOT and will NEVER be a race.  Problem is, many of us tend to constantly embrace that misguided, ending up to [wrongly] think that he's lagging behind and got to catch up???

Problem is, WHEN we view life as a race, as a contest, our tendency is always to be rushing to keep up with everyone else [in the race].  BUT again, there is NO race at all!  :Problem with that 'race' mindset is that once we approach OR get close to the FINISH LINE, we tend to move our goalpost because many times, we really DON'T know WHAT we'll do once the race is over.  Let's look at real life stuff.  Everyone of us did utter this in the past.  We wanted a new car [then a higher-end car].  We wanted a modest house and lot property [then we wanted a sprawling bigger house].  We wanted a job role [then we started eyeing a bigger and more prestigious role with a bigger organization].  NOT to accuse our own selves BUT the undeniable fact is that we literally use ANY excuse to justify our fast-paced lifestyle, a race that is NEVER won in the first place because it NEVER ends💚💛💜

BUT the bigger question looming behind us is this:  WHAT HAPPENS IF WE SLOW DOWN?  YES, this reminds me of the late Jamaican singer Bob Marley [WHO died at a young age @36] WHEN he was widely quoted "THE DAY YOU STOP RACING IS THE DAY YOU WIN THE RACE".  And there was the narrative from American skater Dan Jansen WHO started competing in the Olympics as a 16 years old.  And yet, for the next ten years, the gold medal he's been targetted continued to be so elusive until that 1994 Olympics came and he told himself that will be his last shot, last chance to win, if at all.  With one event left [an event he considered himself to be weakest], the pressure was building up.  Then voila, he won the gold medal!!!

Oh yes, we DON'T need to be an athlete to understand the lesson from Jansen's race as life is all about HOW far we've come from WHERE we started and NOT WHERE you finish at the end.  So, WHY DON'T we go through WHAT life could be like if we stop chasing the next big thing [BUT only IF we free ourselves from that vicious cycle of endlessly pursuing achievements and instead, slow down long enough to see the progress we've already made.  And that should slacken things off💥💥💥

Our takeaway:  I stumbled across 'SLOW LIVING' somewhere BUT initially, I simpy shrugged off my shoulders because I personally felt it was anathema to my own adrenaline.  BUT digging deeper into SLOW LIVING, I realized that it was about being intentional with regard the speed we live our life.  In short, it's finding that 'tempo' OR right pace at which we can operate WHEREAS SLOW LIVING seems to help us avoid that 'hedonic treadmill' and instead creates opportunities for us to appreciate WHAT we already have.  Researches warned that SLOW LIVING ISN'T about avoiding speed entirely BUT SLOW LIVING is about controlling the speed at WHICH we live our life instead of us giving in to external pressures OR even societal expectations😡😡😡

Living Like A 'MOSAIC'?

 

That deep human instinct, to be adored, chosen, lauded, recognized and stand out, we CAN'T deny that's naturally embedded within us.   BUT somewhere along the way, in that act of asking [OR at least craving] for love from the world, we begin carving off pieces of WHO we are.  We end up offering fragments of ourselves, hoping that someone will say 'THIS IS ENOUGH'.  UNTIL one day we'll realize that we have become a MOSAIC of other people's expectations [BUT likely, none of it feels right, right???

On the other hand, I always admire people WHO would wear their identities like a second skin LIKE their wardrobes unmistakably theirs, many times even with their own playlists curated. On the other hard, for those WHO get 'hostaged' by others, one could end up LIKE a collage of borrowed things  Trying on versions of oneself like outfits in a fitting room, hoping that one might [FINALLY] fit.  WHAT I did learn is that people with a strong sense of identity are better-equipped to face life with confidence and certainty

Looking back, I realized WHY at times in the past, I felt quite lost [WHEN I wanted to be LIKE everyone else].  LIKE you wanted to listen to the playlist of your colleague next to your desk.  LIKE we sometimes envied the sartorial elegance of others.  LIKE at times we want to do cool things that can impress people?  Truth is, there is something bone-deep exhausting about constantly shape-shifting for the sake of belonging.  We end up becoming fluent in others' preferences💚💛💜

One realization that surprises me till now is that there is something kind of 'bone-deep' exhausting about constantly shifting for the sake of that so elusive 'belonginess'.  In the end, we become fluent in other people's preferences, like an actor WHO's learned every script BUT forgotten one's voice.  YES, we end up good at our performance BUT that performance never ends💥💥💥

Our takeaway:  This all boils down to the paradox of choices we make.  As we live in a world of infinite paths and endless possibilities, we end up LIKE we can be anything BUT choosing one thing means grieving the thousands we DIDN'T.   And WHEN everything seems possible, nothing feels certain.  In the end, we might be asking ourselves if ever we are in that 'right path' OR is there an alternate version of us, 'THAT ONE' WHO chose differently, hoping to live a better life.  And WHILE choice is freedom, in practice, it can feel LIKE a quite paralysis.  BUT maybe the point ISN'T to choose the perfect life and maybe the magic lies in choosing a life WHICH is yours [and NOT A MOSAIC]😡😡😡

Indeed, WHY Is Change Damn Hard?

 

I hate to admit this because this sounds like one of the most uttered YET most boring statement ever, that is, WHY IS CHANGE SO [damn] HARD?  NOW, before things get mixed-up, for our thread today, we can't be overly ambitious to tackle CHANGE itself as a topic because that covers way beyond the whole 9 yards.  Instead, we'd like to correlate CHANGE with our so called NOT so GOOD HABITS in life, huhuhuh💧💧💧

Let's grab the bull by its horns here.  Let's five-deep into our so-called BAD HABITS.  Of course, BAD HABITS can have a relative definition, so let's limit our discourse on the clear-cut BAD HABITS [so as to avoid a disconnect here].  Question often asked to us is:  IF WE KNOW SOMETHING  IS BAD FOR US, WY CAN'T WE JUST STOP IT?  Good question dude😔😔😔

LIKE what statistics tell us, about 70% of smokers do admit that they do want to quit smoking.  Surely, you did hear that same sentiment maybe amongst your relatives, friends and even neighbors.  BUT sadly, they DON'T have a monopoly of that dilemma [I'll call it F-R-U-S-T-R-A-T-I-O-N].  Statistics also show that even drug and alcohol abusers do struggle to give up those addictions that hurt their bodies and even tear apart families and friendships.  And we need to admit that many of us have unhealthy excess weight WHICH we ought to shed off [for health purposes]💥💥💥

WHAT seems so obvious BUT rarely causes to spread out the consciousness and awareness amongst us is that habits can arise simply from REPETITION.  YES, they are a normal part of life LIKE waking up every morning, having a shower, comb our hair and freshen up even without being aware of it.  We can drive along familiar routes on mental auto-pilot without really thinking about their directions.  YES, habits can also develop WHEN good OR enjoyable events trigger our brain's 'REWARDS CENTERS'💚💛💜

Our takeaway:  Oh Oh, experts warn us that, that can set up potentiallh harmful routines LIKE overeating, smoking, drug OR alcohol abuse, gambling and even compulsive use of computers, social media and YESSSS, that movie binge that could last till the wee hours of the morning.  BUT experts have a good news for us with the fact that we humans are NOT simply creatures of HABITs, so all it takes is that WILLPOWER to manifest that SELF-CONTROL.  And do we reinforce SELF-CONTROL?  Experts tell us again to go back to that REPETITION of that SELF-CONTROL till that GOOD HABIT now gets embedded in us😃😃😃

Little-Little Missteps Can Impact Us 'BIG TIME'!

NOT to nitpick OR beat around things because besides being imperfect, I'll be the first one to admit that I am NOT at the 'nineties' percentile of even the 'near-perfect' ones because even as we speak now, on a bad day, I could be as imperfect as anyone else.  YET, this Quora.com post from Ayaz Ali grabbed me by my lapels, so please allow me to share his hodge-podge list of "DANGEROUS HABITS THAT MAY BE [KILLING] US"  [Note that 'KILLING here is a hyperbole so please DON'T take it literally😡😡😡

Reposting herein Quora.com post from Ayaz Ali:  Overworking [at the expense of your health?], NOT relaxing [and you keep kicking the tires?], EXCESSIVE food [LIKE famine is coming?], SKIPPING sunlight [unless you're now in the Nordic countries?], NEGATIVE thinking [because everything has to be ideal & perfect?], skipping exercise [because it keeps raining & you DON'T have any option for indoor exercise?]💚💛💜

TOO MUCH screen time [because it's so comfy to keep browsing], sitting for hours & hours [all because of work?], spending BEFORE earning [because the online retail sites are luring you with the promos for 7/7, 8/8, 9/9, 10/10, 11/11, 12/12, sleeping either TOO less OR TOO much [because you like it], excessive alcohol [because everyday someone pays you a visit?], being aggressive most of the time [because it has to be YOUR WAY OR NO WAY?], indulging in one too many processed foods [because it's so scrumptious?], having those tempting milk teas [because it's famously from Taiwan?]??? We can go on and on, this is infinity NO LESS because the harsh truth is, much as there are antagonists from time to time in our life, many times more though, we are our own nemesis💥💥💥

I remember one quotable quote from American writer James Clear:  YOU DO NOT RISE TO THE LEVEL OF YOUR GOALS.  YOU FALL TO THE LEVEL OF YOUR SYSTEMS.  Again, so what if our longevity ISN'T about breakthroughs OR biohacks BUT instead, those tiny repeatable choices?  The truth is, many of us [and I have to admit up front that many times I was a guilty party] simply ignore or look the other way around even WHEN sometimes we do realize we get off-tracked.  BUT WHY?  We'll reason out that those are tiny-whiny stuff NOT worth to ponder.  Seriously???

Our takeaway:  Enough of all these though.  Instead, HOW big of an effort will entail for us to GET SUNLIGHT BEFORE SCREENS [so that our circadian rhythm DOESN'T start with caffeine BUT with light instead]?  And HOW about having a much smaller window for our MEALS?  Because, hearing from the medical experts, WHILE we DON'T need to fast all day, we need to give our gut a break, that's it because per sage advice from the experts, even a 10-12 eating window [like 8am-6pm] can improve our insulin sensitivity, sleep quality and digestion.  And YESSSSS, we are egged to WALK 10 minutes after eating because as the doctors tell us, one small walk can lower blood sugar, reduce inflammation and aid digestion.  Ooooops, sometimes I'm guilty of this too BUT I GOT TO RECTIFY THIS, no excuses dude😡😡😡

The Tide Always Comes Back

 

Is your boat stranded ashore because of low tide?  No worries, THE TIDE ALWAYS COMES BACK!  Awhile back, I came across this Quora.com post by Mona B [posting EN TOTO].  A young girl (college age) was behind me with a Mason jar 1/3 filled with coins. I commented to her that she was supposed to wait until it was completely filled before cashing it in. She said that she didn't have any money in her account and that she had to cash it in now (it probably totaled $5.00). I remembered being a poor college student myself 30 years ago at BYU. So, when I got to the teller, I told her to withdraw $50 from my account and when the girl came up for her transaction, to see to it that my $50 was deposited into her account with her coins.  The teller asked me, "Why? Do you know her?". I replied that I did not but that it seemed to me she needed the money more than I did and I was just "Paying It Forward"📗📙📘

The teller told me that was one of the nicest things she had ever seen. I left feeling good. And, I secretly asked my Heavenly Father to bless both the young lady and myself because I have bills too.  Tonight, at the end of my work week, my last customer was the answer to my silent prayer. Their dinner check was only $49 but they tipped me $50...the same amount that I had given to the young lady earlier this week! They tipped me not the usual 18% - 20% but a full 100%! Someone "paid it forward" back to me! Karma! I felt blessed! Remember, "Paying it forward" will eventually come back to you! Everyone have an awesome week ahead"!!!

Indeed, sharings like this are very real-life stories.  While I am neither pious nor philanthrophist as per definitions, I humbly admit that through the years, WHEN someone needed something and giving it out will NOT negatively impact me, I DIDN'T think for a second more to extend that needed helping hand.  Two years ago WHEN I spent like 3 weeks for minor home renovations with around 5-8 workers, even as I was working-from-home then, I was stretching myself to ensure that I served their AM and PM snacks everyday [that's besides stocking myself with enough provisions that lasted 3 weeks]💧💧💧

If sometimes we will venture just along the shores, we might get to see a boat that could appear stuck in the sand BUT besides being glued to that boat, I remember once WHEN I watched the tides lunge onto the beach, I was quite spellbound by the ocean's unrelenting struggle, a timeless reminder that life requires mighty endeavor.  THAT we were NOT meant to be beached and just be useless because WHEN the tire turns [as it will surely will], even that tiny boat will be lifted to dance upon the waves as it was intended.  WHILE the loss of a job, a home OR a loved one can give us reason to fear the future, there are ageless certainties that give us far more reason to believe and remain hopeful based on the assurance which I always believe that one day, there will be that returning tide that will definitely buoy our disheartended spirit💚💛💜

Our takeaway:  It's worth listening to heartwarming sharing like that Quora.com post by Mona B.  Thing is, almost everything in our life would go through their respective cycles.   Even at one's lowest point, eventually the tides will rush back ashore, the water levels go up and your small boat probably stuck for some time, can resume its life journey.  NOT to sound aggressive or agitated, if we imagine a reversal of roles WHEREIN everything is ME ME ME and FOR ME, I really commiserate with that mindset because that will haunt you back over and over again, your very own shadows that seem to be constantly lurking behind you.  Even if we are in the deepest tunnels down below, trust me, one day, that faint light will gradually shape up because THE TIDE ALWAYS COMES BACK to lift us, to extricate us, if at all😌😌😌

Just Stop Chasing!

 

Often, we hear from motivational coaches, KEEP CHASING KEEP CHASING and KEEP CHASING  Whether it's our dreams, our goals, our dream girl, our dream job, OH YES, our dream car, we are reminded to KEEP CHASING because that's WHERE happiness revolves around.  Seriously?  Me thinks, happiness in this world comes incidentally.  Tried making it the object of your pursuit???

WHAT happens next?  It leads to that common scenes of a 'wild-goose chase' and is never attained.  BUT hold on, can we take a moment and ponder this question:  HOW important is happiness to you?  Would we say that we value happiness above all else?  IF NOT, WHAT is more important than being happy?  And you are akin to a majority OR at least plurality, that possibility of happiness likely influences most aspects your life💚💛💜

BTW, it's NOT just you.  Happiness is highly valued across all our societies.  A recent survey of Americans showed that 81% would rather be happy that achieve greater things in life.  Let's ponder and think about that for a moment.  Happiness indeed is so important in our society that it can rank over achievement.  If you skim through advertisements, it WON'T take long for you to see that many companies cater to this emphasis on happiness.  They present their product as a means to an end❎❎❎

True, being happy feels really good, so of course you place a high value on feeling that way.  Happiness has been shown to be good for our health as it makes us feel less stressed and according to medical experts, it can even boost our immune system as it even helps us with our decision-making and creativity.  Indeed, one too many benefits to happiness.  So, the $64 question is:  Should we place a high value on happiness to make people happier😃😃😃

Our takeaway:  One troubling question for me till now is as to WHY DOESN'T chasing happiness work?  WHAT's the problem with chasing happiness anyways?  Experts tell us that we usually overestimate the happiness we think we'll experience through an event OR getting WHAT we want.  Thing is, the way we value happiness can be counterproductive because as it turns out, one aspect is avoiding pain and WHEN we are hyper-focused on happiness, pressure builds up.  Can we JUST STOP CHASING dude😡😡😡

Not All The Time Trying The Hardest Is The Way To Go

 

All along, we keep harping that we need to DO OUR BEST.  Do I take back those words now with our blog today that WHEN WE DON'T TRY SO HARD, THE BEST THINGS COME WHEN YOU LEAST EXPECT THEM TO?  NO sirrrrrs, WHILE I agree to this poster, both propositions do hold water.  NO sirrrrs, I'm NOT turning back from my spiel that we should give our best in every endeavor we do undertake.  Having said that, one narrative that has happened many times is that sometimes, the least expected things do happen📘📙📗

 

At this point, I believe we can piggy-back on Science WHICH explains that WHEN we get injured, our body knows WHAT to do and mends itself automatically.  In short, we DON'T need to try by 'maxing out' ourselves.  To quote an UNKNOWN one-liner, TO HEAL A WOUND, YOU NEED TO STOP TOUCHING IT.  Many times in the past, I'd been trying harder and many times pushing myself [sometimes way beyond WHAT I can handle sometimes].  BUT many times I also realized that as I redoubled OR even tripled my efforts and worked harder, the more I pushed harder to be within grasp of WHAT I wanted to achieve, that thing just became farther and farther💚💛💜

And if I had a late realization then, it was the fact that by forcing myself and desperately trying to make things work, I observed that somehow I unconsciously did cut off my inspiration and even energy [maybe at that point, from a battery perspective, I'm experiencing a 'LOW BATT' and from an energy viewpoint, I'm simply drained no less].  And then, frustraion seeps in and WHEN that happens, I realized that my struggle, my internal fight just became much harder.  Then the domino effect comes into play WHEN frustration kicks-in, your motivation takes a hit, and your previous inspiration must have gone out of the window!!!

Of course, WHAT's the reality in life?  People around you keep egging you to TRY HARDER, TRY HARDER and I have to admit, WHENEVER I heard those unsolicited words before, I would cringe everytime it gets into my eardrums.  For some reason, it sends the message that you just AREN'T doing enough to make it [WHATEVER it seems to be at the moment] happen.  It does also suggest that you are giving it all BUT then, it's NOT JUST GOOD ENOUGH.  At tha point, WHO else will get more motivated and inspired???

Our takeaway:  If I have to admit something that gets me conflicted, it's the fact that I am NEVER the type of person that believes in NOT trying harder or NOT pushing through the pain [even WHEN the cards are stacked against me] BUT admittedly, there were points WHEN my energy-level was near NIL and my INSPIRATION [which drives my motivation] just dissipated in thin air.  I then realized that NOT ALL THE TIME TRYING THE HARDEST IS THE WAY TO GO [even if that's NOT your conscious thought]😡😡😡

What Comes After NEXT Is NEXT

 

WHAT comes after NEXT is NEXT.  Sounds right?  Many years back WHEN I was experiencing a major corporate burnout, I kept asking myself WHEN will all the tough times end?  Unfortunately, our life cycle CAN'T be mapped with the sequence of biological changes in a typical life cycle.  On the other hand, the life cycles of many species are synchronized with the life cycles of other species.  It's true technology has brought us many benefits BUT it has disconnected us from nature and even country life.  The law of cycles teaches us that death is inevitable and that it is necessary to remove the dry leaves for the plants to develop stronger.  WHILE life cycles are defined by big and traditional moments, both joyful and sad, it is the moments and memories in between those times that define the ebbs and tides of life's current.  So, WHAT COMES AFTER NEXT IS NEXT, right???

English poet T.S. Eliot was widely quoted:  WHAT WE CALL THE BEGINNING IS OFTEN THE END.  AND TO MAKE AN END IS TO MAKE A BEGINNING.  THE END IS WHERE TO START.  The proof of a true cycle is shown as in nature itself, there is a cycle that endlessly returns to its beginning.  As the seasons of the year is, spring is the time for new beginnings, summer is the time for growth and action, autumn as the time of harvest and reckoning and winter is our time for rest and renewal.    YES, we can find the same cycle, zoomed out OR zoomed in, in the shifting energies of a 24-hour day, in the lunar cycle , the seasons of our lives cycling over again💧💧💧

YES, the archetypal energies of birth and emergence, growth, full bloom, harvest, decay and even death and dormancy and rebirth are ever-present regardless of WHERE we live.  YES, that's the universal cycle of life.  Sometimes it is indeed literal and obvious, things are born OR germinate from planet earth, new ideas and endeavors are begun all over again.  YES, things are born OR germinate , thiings grow and peak  until things will slow down.  YES, NEXT COMES AFTER NEXT💥💥💥

IF we pay attention to these cycles and align ourselves with it, the cycles of life brings us into balance between light and darkness, between beginning and endings, and between taking action and harvesting and eventually resting and renewal.  It is those relationships that endlessly keep on renewing and harmonizing between the masculine, sunlit forces of growth and doing, and those moonlit forces of undoing, resting and preparation for redoing things all over again, nothing less than a linear trajectory of endless youth and endless growth💚💛💜

Our takeaway:  Frankly, the dominant culture on our planet earth today does NOT align itself with the cycle of life either.  We seek to be always in the light and action of the 'spring and summer' seasons, always 'ON', always busy.  So, we tend to be deeply uncomfortable with that inner reckoning of 'autumn' and the stillness of 'winter'.  Maybe some other time, we can explore how the seasons of life keep cycling because what is expected is for us to be constantly preparing as to WHAT NEXT COMES AFTER NEXT😡😡😡