Author: Steve Hickman
As I sat drinking my first cup of coffee this morning it dawned on me, literally and figuratively: that spring is on its way. I have become accustomed to having that first cup in the embrace of pre-dawn darkness but today I found myself able to make out a tell-tale view outside my window in the emerging light.
The days are getting longer now and as that realization hits, we all may feel the first stirrings of an emerging energy that springtime brings. Like bears coming out of hibernation, humans also step out from the extended wintry period with a rejuvenated sense of purpose and motivation to create, to change, to explore new options and to re-commit to the things that are most important in life.
A very apt quote by Mary Oliver in her poem The Summer Day – “What will you do with your one wild and precious life?”
Pause, reflect, reset
It all sounds very poetic and perhaps even idyllic and lofty, but take a moment to truly pause and reflect on how it feels at this point in 2025 – your career, your time on this planet. In so many ways, we are more often human doings rather than human beings that we often just let the momentum of our busy lives (both work and personal) carry us forward as if we have no control on how we spend our time, what we pursue or what gives our life meaning.
What if you used this tiny space between the stillness of winter and the beautiful tumultuous blooming of spring to pause and take a look at your feet? Which way are they pointing just now? Are they aligned with the things that are most important to you personally and professionally, or have they been diverted by other intrusions or obstacles?
Things will always come up that pull us away from our true calling, our core values or the things that we treasure the most. But we can always put our eyes back on the prize and realign ourselves and reconnect to the things that matter most.
Noticing where you may be stuck
Sometimes we are pressed into service on projects at work because we have certain talents or experience that are needed to address a crisis. Maybe you once successfully bailed out a colleague with your accounting expertise and now you’ve become the company “go to” person for similar financial crises. If that’s your jam, then maybe that gives you satisfaction, but if you’re really more inspired by strategic planning initiatives than being typecast as the “accounting savior”, this reputation can be really constraining you and frustrating to you.
Modern life is complex and complicated in so many ways, and it’s easy to get stuck or lost, the same way you could wander in the forest and be caught up in the beauty but lose your way and find yourself stranded or confused, or even in danger.
What really matters?
What if – you dedicated one day, or even one hour, to pausing, taking a deep breath (or ten or a hundred!) and assessing where you are standing just now. Take the time to consider what are the things about your work or your life that really move you, inspire you, and guide you. Are you a leader or a follower? Or you an innovator or a workhorse? Do you thrive on human connection or work better as a lone wolf? Are you a lifelong learner who challenges yourself to new adventures or do you like to go deeper into the things you already know and understand them even better?
These are the questions that can become your compass in life, help you make decisions, choose options and generally navigate a life with purpose and meaning.
When you know what you value and treasure and have it front of mind all the time, then slowly but surely you will find your way to a path of satisfaction because those values will inform the decisions you make about how you spend your time, which job opportunities you pursue, who you seek out to work with or play with, what you read or study, etc.
The transition from winter to spring can be a tremendously fruitful and rejuvenating time for getting back on track, finding your joy, letting go of the things that aren’t serving you, and breathing new life into longstanding dreams and deeply-held values.
Find your feet, check which way they’re facing, and make your next step one that leads you to your heart’s desire.