At 9300 hundred feet in the mountains of Colorado, autumn comes early. The growing season is almost non existent. Before too long, the ski areas will start to blow snow onto the slopes. By Thanksgiving a new ski season will be upon us. One season…..summer? comes to an end and a new season…..winter begins. Autumn is quite short.
The calendar year begins January 1. It often starts with anticipation, celebration and great resolve. This year, I am going to do something different. This year I am going to accomplish all those things that have been on my list for so long. This year will be different. Yet, by March my life has settled in to its ruts of routine and and I have implicitly embraced mediocrity. I do not like many parts of the me that I am. Maybe, part of the problem is that the new year begins in the middle of a season: winter.
Maybe, we would all be more successful in living out the resolutions of our life if our new year started with the school year. In many ways, it seems like the new year really begins with the beginning of the school year. (The school year should begin with Labor Day. To start earlier is quite unAmerican.) The new school year definitely represents a new beginning. We are in a new grade, we have a new teacher, we have new pencils and we have a new opportunity to write on a clean slate. We even find ourselves buying new ‘school clothes’, with a hope that if we look good we might do good. In a similar way, the football teams start the season with a clean record and a new opportunity to impress. Autumn is a season of new beginnings!
If we look at the calendar, we would say we are at the end of Q3 and we are moving into Q4. From a business planning perspective we would say the same because of accounting and tax requirements. But from a very pragmatic, personal perspective, I would suggest we are at a beginning point. I find that encouraging and empowering.
Therefore, at the beginning of this new school year, it is appropriate to ask: What are the classes that I need to take? What are the lessons I need to learn? Who are the teachers, the best teachers, and how do I get into their class…..even if that class does not contribute to my degree program? Am I listening? Am I taking notes? Am I asking good questions? Am I getting ready for the test that is coming?
But, maybe the biggest questions revolve around one question: Am I committed to being a full time student, for the rest of my life? Learning and growing are intricately intertwined! Therefore, how committed am I to my personal growth, to my personal journey, during this new school year?
A new school year is beginning. Are you ready? Set your alarm clock, you do not want to miss class!
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