Welcome to the Seasons of Transformation blog takeover!
Seasons of Transformation, my next book and my first foray into the fiction genre, will be released on 11/1.
Seasons of Transformation follows Kate, a high-performer climbing the corporate ladder, as she encounters a surprise harsh personal winter. Through her journey, she will learn about the power of goals, life coaching and perseverance during her unexpected midlife transformation.
With the 11/1 release date rapidly approaching, the Operation Melt blog will be featuring a Seasons of Transformation takeover for the month of October. For the four weeks leading up to the release of Seasons of Transformation, the blog will feature topics inspired by the story I share in the book.
Click here for more details about Seasons of Transformation, including a free downloadable chapter. Please consider joining my Operation Melt email list to be notified when the book is available.
Amuse-Bouche Before we jump into today's post, I offer you this "dad joke" as a light "amuse-bouche" to entertain your mind before we get serious. Like any other amuse-bouche, you may hate it, but it is worth every penny you paid for it, right? A skeleton walks into a bar. He says to the bartender, "give me a beer and a mop."
Harvesting Success: The Proven Hidden Life Lesson of Fall
Surprise Life Coach explores the goal success strategies, tips and mindsets found in the most unlikely places. From television shows to movies to music to books and more, life coaches are all around us, hidden in the most unexpected places. We simply need to pay attention, and we can reap the rewards from this free coaching.
After spending the past few weeks discussing spring, summer and winter, this week is (predictably) about fall. More specifically, let’s explore the most teachable life lesson hidden inside pumpkin spice season. This lesson is particularly poignant as we head into a big week in my life.
Confession time…
I have a confession to share: I love fall.
Of course, I enjoy summer and springtime, and winter, while not my favorite, has some redeeming qualities. Despite all the other three seasons have to offer, they can’t hold a candle to fall. It is easily my favorite season.
Here’s a rundown of a few things I love about fall.
Changing leaves provide a symphony of color and add a crunch texture to my walks.
Pumpkin everything! Pumpkins are pervasive, and I love their color, variety of shapes, sizes and colors – and I love pumpkin flavor. From sweet to savory to caffeinated to alcoholic, I love consuming every pumpkin treat I can each season.
There is a slight chill in the air while not being “cold” per se. This means I can switch from shorts to jeans (a better look for me), long-sleeve tees, flannels, and vests. The cooler air means that running feels easier, and I perform better. It’s also the perfect time to warm ourselves with a bonfire as we wrap up our lake season each year. Sounds cozy, right?
Halloween!!! My favorite holiday is smack dab in the middle of the fall season. I love all the trappings of Halloween, including the music (yes, I have about four different playlists), the horror movies and the décor. I particularly like that first watching of Rocky Horror Picture Show each year – it makes me quiver with antici….
My birthday! The day after Halloween is my birthday – I was born nineteen hours too late to be a Halloween baby! While I don’t particularly look forward to getting older, I like my birthday. My birthday and these other items tend to make autumn a time of reuniting with friends and family after everyone finishes their respective busy summers.
Beyond the customary celebrations, I have another reason I like my birthday. As I have shared in previous years, I treat this day as my own version of New Year’s Day (see my explanation in Happy New Year!?). It’s the ideal day to reflect on a year of ups and downs and to set intentions for the year ahead.
Fall is a season full of “all the feels” and unforgettable memories; for example, I finished my first half marathon in the fall. Is it any wonder that I love this season so much?
Harvest Festival
I left one item off my list of fall highlights: autumn is a time to celebrate the literal fruits of our labor. Let me explain what I mean.
Fall is harvest time, the time to reap the benefits of hard work.
- Farmers harvest their crops after a long, arduous growing season.
- Home gardeners pluck the last fruits from their vines before the frost zaps the life from them.
Harvest isn’t limited to fruits and vegetables. I often experience a harvest season in my running. All my personal record races have occurred in the fall. Hard work running in spring and summer build up to those record performances.
This fall is another example of a personal harvest season for me. This week, I am experiencing the fruits of my labor and releasing my new book, Seasons of Transformation. How’s that for a harvest?
Once the harvest is complete, it is often followed by the all-important harvest festival. These festivals are a long-standing tradition and celebrate a successful yield for farmers. In addition to traditional festival festivities, modern harvest festivals often focus on charitable giving, specifically sharing food with those who do not have access to basic provisions. Harvest festivals have been celebrated for successful harvests since pagan times.
These harvest festivals can be a template for our goals and an essential life lesson hidden in the fall season.
Goal Success Secret: Celebrate Your Wins
A harvest festival is the celebration of the hard work required for a bountiful harvest. While the size and quality of the crops often vary year to year, the festival still follows. There is always reason for celebration and space for gratitude.
Do you have a festival to celebrate your personal harvests?
When you reach the finish line of your goal or have a similar personal victory, do you stop to celebrate your win? Alternatively, do you simply check it off your list and move on to the next task?
No matter how big or small your win, it is worth celebrating. The magic of these celebrations is two-fold:
- When you embark on a journey to a goal, plan ahead for how you will celebrate when you cross the finish line. Your celebrations need not be extravagant, but they should be meaningful to you. Your planned celebration will help keep you motivated through the hard times you will face on your journey.
- When you celebrate your wins, you give yourself a reward and a dopamine release. This makes your brain crave continued wins and helps you maintain momentum.
The power of celebrating your wins will help you become an unstoppable goal-crushing force, which brings you one step closer to creating the life of your dreams.
How will you celebrate your next win?
Celebrating your wins is an excellent way to help you enjoy the journey to your goals. Enjoying the journey is perhaps the most crucial step in my Project Manage Your Life approach, which will help you build the life of your dreams. Are you following these strategies?
- Commit to smart goals
- Build a plan that works for you
- Measure progress every day
- Expect and plan ahead for problems
- Don’t go it alone
- Enjoy the journey
If you are ready to unlock your goals to build the life of your dreams, I can help. I am a life and health coach who helps project managers and other left-brained high-achievers set and achieve their goals to build the life of their dreams. Are you ready to work with me? Click here to learn more about my coaching services.
Don’t forget Seasons of Transformation launches on 11/1. My fourth book, and first foray into fiction, is one woman’s story of goals, life coaching, perseverance and unexpected midlife personal transformation. Grab your copy and let me know what you think.
… pation!
Meet Coach Tony
My name is Coach Tony, and I am a coach, author and project manager on a mission. I am working to build a world where no goal ever dies of loneliness.
I almost allowed one of my biggest life goals to die without ever being attempted for forty years. My goal almost died, not of failure but of loneliness. But, I took a risk and leveraged a simple, logical process that helped me wildly exceed my goal.
I transformed my life, and you can do the same with the help of Operation Melt.
Operation Melt provides engaging, practical content and hands-on coaching to inspire, motivate and equip project managers and other left-brained high-achievers to pursue and accomplish their biggest goals.
Breathe new life into your goals
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