Ending Wisely

Face it; all seasons come to an end—even the good ones. The depth of our current plans can determine how successful we will be in the future. When I was preparing to graduate from college, I found out too late that I had a glitch in my plan. The small over site caused me to miss graduating with my class and taking two additional courses the following semester. We all have seasons that end, that's a part of life, but the question is are we making wise decisions today that's setting us up to succeed tomorrow.

 3 Wise Keys

1. Focus - Distractions are common when coming to the end of a season. An anticipation of what's next usually takes the primary focus of our attention. Wisdom calls for us to look ahead to see what's needed to be worked on today for the future success we desire.

A great writer once said that the race is given to the one that endures to the end. Starting strong is good, staying strong is better, but ending strong is the best! How you finish is key to your overall success. Continuing to have the proper focus on your end despite the challenges will maximize each moment towards success.

 2. Failure - Bad seasons are always something we desire to get out of quickly; however, if lessons are not learned, the unwanted failures will show up in future seasons. We must learn from our past failures and apply them to our actions of today. When farmers have a bad season, they salvage what they can, count their losses, and prepare to succeed in the next season. We must do the same with our failed seasons.

The past is over! You can't change, forget, edit or erase it. You must accept the good by applying it. Accept the bad by learning from it. Take your failures and make them your strengths by knowing what to avoid, what to do, and not to do. Prepare yourself to end your season by applying your learned knowledge into each day.

3. Transition - Coming to the end of a season means that another one is coming. It's like a track team in a relay race. They understand that positioning and timing are crucial for successful transfers. In life, how we position and time our actions today can call for success or failure tomorrow.

Calculate how your actions are positioning you to reach your long term goals. Review your timing to ensure that you are doing what you should at the right time to obtain the results you desire. Be sure to include some key elements for success - honesty, teachable attitude, respect, diligence, self-control, and responsibility. Wisely executing your transition plans will help you end your current season with the best foot forward to start a new season.

​Summary - Starting and ending seasons are inevitable for life—work to balance staying focused, accepting failure, and handling transition. Work to successfully conquer whatever seasons you're in, while continuing to keep your next season in view. That's wisdom applied.

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