Autumn: is this a good time to reflect?

'If winter is slumber and spring is birth, and summer is life, then autumn rounds out to be reflection. It's a time of year when the leaves are down and the harvest is in and the perennials are gone. Mother Earth just closed up the drapes on another year and it's time to reflect on what's come before.'

'When is it a good time to reflect? - I was inspired by the above quote which arrived in my inbox a few days ago. Many people view autumn in a negative way, seeing and feeling the approaching darkness and cold of winter. I like the idea of autumn being about reflection and I think that we often take January as a time to reflect and plan ahead, but there is something to be said for reflecting as we go through the year, perhaps with the changing seasons.

If you tend to suffer from the winter blues, then the December 2007 edition that I wrote on ‘Do the winter blues affect performance?' will be of interest to you. Click here to read that edition.

Apologies for those of you reading this in the southern hemisphere – just keep hold of this edition for another six months and refer to it then!! Or take the quote's idea that spring is about birth and reflect on new ideas, new beginnings and creativity.

The final push forward before the end of the year – You might well be someone who reflects on a daily, weekly or monthly basis on how your year, your goals, outcomes or determinations are progressing. However, many people rush through life, juggling so many plates that they don't take time out to reflect.

I always see this time of year as a chance to reflect on how things are going and perhaps have a final push or renew my determination about what I want to achieve or do or even how I want to be, so that I can end the year in the best possible state of mind!

What do you want to reflect on? – There can be many things that you might want to reflect on right now:

• Your goals or the outcomes you set for yourself this year.
• How you have been: your mood and motivation throughout the year.
• How you have coped with obstacles, challenges and the unexpected.
• Your family life, friendships, the ups and downs.
• Your health, wealth and wellbeing (physical, mental, emotional and spiritual).
• What has stopped you doing what you wanted to do or achieve?
• What can you learn from the past few months to help you in the coming months or next year?
• Are you on the right track? It is never too late to change direction.
• Turning poison into medicine – perhaps a redundancy can be taken as a chance to live a dream, do things differently, live differently.

What does your reflective time need to focus on?

‘If your train is on the wrong track, every station you come to is the wrong station.' Bernard Malamud

Can autumn be a time for new beginnings? – Even though I don't have children I always associate this time of year with the start of the school year and new beginnings. Perhaps reflecting over the summer, there are new activities that you would like to get involved with. Having played badminton for the first time this summer with my nephews and discovering it might be the only ‘ball' game that I might be able to play I am investigating local places to learn to play it properly over the winter.

Are there new activities or goals that you want to pursue? Perhaps something creative or fun to do on those long winter nights!

It is never too late to change – One of my clients has been made redundant and part of his package was to have some coaching sessions with me. They were unsure about what they wanted to do in the future but are certain that it will be something different. Sometimes redundancy or other big changes in your circumstances can bring about unexpected, positive results.

As 2010 has progressed I have been very aware that 2011 is the 20th anniversary of running my business and of my Buddhist practice and I feel that something significant needs to change to tackle a few on-going challenges that seem to have been hanging around my life for far too long. With renewed determination to change I am pushing onwards and upwards, taking action in various realms of my life.

‘Let us learn to appreciate there will be times when the trees will be bare, and look forward to the time when we may pick the fruit.' Peter Seller

Do you need support in reflecting or realising your goals? – We can provide:

• 121 coaching support
• Team development programmes
• Strategic reviews

For more information about Grovelands visit our website: www.grovelands.org.uk or call Melanie on 01865 377334 or email by clicking here.