I don’t know about you, but for me the last three months have been pretty full-on. It has been a long and hard winter here in the UK, and I’ve felt as if I’ve been in a dark, if fun and productive, little cocoon.
It’s still biting cold. But driving back from the farmers’ market this morning, I could tell that spring is undeniably in the air. There are buds appearing on trees, lambs skipping in fields, and daffodils carpeting grass verges.
I’ve been looking forward to this UK Bank Holiday weekend as a chance to push back a little and have some well-earned rest. At the same time, I want to use the turning of the seasons as an opportunity both to acknowledge my gratitude for the one just leaving, and to anticipate the possibility in the one ahead. To experience things coming into being for me after a winter’s gestation. To feel myself at a point of further growth and potential. In short, to use it as a way of fostering my own and my business’s development.
The last months have been awesome and I feel really grateful for what they’ve given me. A chance to settle better into country life; the space to do the hard work to diversify my business so that it has more of a social media slant to it; the opportunity to form such incredible connections with people online who are making all of this such a joy.
At the same time I feel excited about what’s ahead. I have the prospect of building The Manifesto for New Work Pioneers, in collaboration with you, beginning just next week. And there are other irons in the fire too about possible speaking and other engagements that are going to help me connect on this and other themes that matter to professional people who are choosing to take a conscious approach to their working lives.
To flesh this out further, and get the full benefit of the spirit of the seasons’ handover, I’ve written myself a handful of self-coaching questions I’m going to be reflecting on over the weekend. As I haven’t yet come across virtual chocolate, I’d also like to offer them as my Easter gift to you. They won’t make you fat and they may even help you get yourself in a good mindset for the months ahead!
- What has been gestating for you over the last three months?
- What shoots of growth and change are you seeing in your life and in yourself as a result?
- What has enabled this, and for what are you grateful?
- How do you want things to grow and change for you from here?
- What do you need to do, think and feel to ensure that you give yourself the best chance of manifesting your picture in the way you want and deserve?
I’d love to hear whatever you have to share. Meantime, have a good Easter.
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Twitter: IAC_Heather
It’s the final two weeks of tax season here in the US. As an accountant, I don’t really feel like it’s spring until this season is behind me. However, I am looking forward to having more time to work and nurture my various business and projects.
Thanks for virtual chocolate! (I do hope for some real chocolate too.)
.-= Heather Villa´s last blog ..If you are successful, you suck! =-.
Hope you managed to get some time off – and indeed some chocolate! – over the weekend. It’s the end of the fiscal year here too and many of my accounting friends and clients have been busy like yourself over the last couple of months, so I can well empathise with you. Still, I can also imagine how you’ll enjoy the shift in focus when you get to be able to see the end of this season for you.
Twitter: HeavenandEl
Great virtual Easter present Christine. Thank you
(As aside, I found some actual virtual chocolate eggs for you. I’ll send you one when I’ve finished writing this 
)
The last three months has been enormous for Give A Brick and myself specifically. Like you, I’ve met so many friends online and started to write a lot more regularly too. It’s also been a fantastic season for seeing Give A Brick start to get ‘out there’.
And like you, I have a real sense of anticipation. I’m looking forward to seeing Give A Brick raise the final £69,000 in needs to get the first project up and running. And personally, I’m looking forward to developing my new business venture.
As you may have gathered, I love the changing seasons and the sense of freshness they bring. Thank you for reminding me of this.
.-= Eleanor Edwards´s last blog ..Friday Friends: Hanging my head in shame =-.
I’ll look forward to the virtual eggs, Eleanor. How resourceful of you!
It sounds like the last three months have been terrific for you. I can feel the energy you’ve built from them as I read this comment! What terrific foundations to have developed for your blog and hence your charity.
As you point out, changing seasons bring a freshness with them. It’s great that you’re in sync with this and using what these times can give you.
Twitter: lionslinger
In the last months, I have been working on myself. I try to discover the part of me that needs improvement and slough off the unwanted. I came to realize that I’m making my own world, what I think and do reflects on my reality. The more I improve myself, the better are my chances for a meaningful existence.
Great point, Walter: “What I think and do reflects on my reality”. I admire your dedication to the process of your own self-improvement!
Timely post Christine. I don’t know what is different about this spring for me, but I have definately been much more aware of the change of seasons this year. I have shared my answers to your questions below:
What has been gestating for you over the last three months? My site. My mentoring work. Developing my writing.
What shoots of growth and change are you seeing in your life and in yourself as a result? I am noticing my ‘writing voice’ is becoming stronger and I am trusting myself and my intution much more.
What has enabled this, and for what are you grateful?
Having my website as a channel for my creativity. Support of my fanily and friends and the amazing online community I am part of.
How do you want things to grow and change for you from here?
I want to keep developing my site and my writing.
What do you need to do, think and feel to ensure that you give yourself the best chance of manifesting your picture in the way you want and deserve? I need to keep going, keep believing in myself and keep trusting myself to share my thoughts with the world and continue carving my own niche.
.-= Jen´s last blog ..Five beautiful things =-.
Wow, Jen! Thanks so much for sharing what’s been going on for you over the last months and where you are in your process.
It’s interesting that you’ve been resonating with the seasons changing too this year. For me, I don’t know whether it’s because I’m living in the country and not the city now, but I am feeling it in a way I haven’t before and I’m enjoying being in sync with the natural energy that’s out there. I think when we are emersed in busy lives it’s so easy to cut ourselves off from all of that, and forget that we too are part of nature.
I’m very much seeing a change in my seasons Christine.
After a supersonic start on my blog, things have calmed slighty over the past few months as I’ve been out nearly every day speaking in schools, motivating kids to success. With the coming of spring I’ve found that I am now growing again after a slow few months.
My speaking has grown and developed after weeks of relentless on the job practice. My mind and notepad are full of great new ideas of content on the blog and for my forth coming book. It’s a very exciting time.
.-= Ben´s last blog ..This week’s Personal Development Homework =-.
Doing lots of speaking, motivating kids to success, is terrific work, and I’m glad that you’re being so open in sharing that you have this string in your bow.
I can imagine that it prompts lots of ideas and thoughts for you, and I’m really looking forward to seeing what’s coming out of it all for you!
Really appreciate your sharing all of this!
Twitter: JulieWalraven
Hi Christine, as you know, I have been changing everything up this year. I changed my focus to solely focusing on my resume writing and career business instead of pairing that with non-profit operations and event management.
I recreated my website using Headway and have been blogging much more. I have been writing for Examiner.com as the Wausau Resume Examiner.
I traveled to Baltimore for the Career Thought Leaders Conference, met great colleagues, learned cutting edge resume writing, social media job search strategies, and career coaching strategies.
I even hired a contractor to put in a new ceiling and lighting in my office and complete the fireplace finishing to make the office more comfortable for me to work in and for the face-to-face clients to enjoy the space.
Looking forward to increased business now that my ducks are in a row so to speak…
.-= Julie Walraven | Resume Services´s last blog ..Getting in the door: Using LinkedIn =-.
Hi Julie
That’s a terrific list of things to be grateful for – you’ve had a fantastic first quarter! I hadn’t appreciated that you wrote for the Examiner, so I must check you out on that!
With all these fabulous foundations in place, you’re well set up now to taking things to the next step, and it’s great to be connected with you as you do so!
Twitter: RyanHanzel
Hey Christine,
I am glad everything is going great for you!
-What has been gestating for you over the last three months?
Well I have been constantly developing a strategy to shift my goals and strategies to re-enter civilian life from the military. I have also been playing with some idea’s for my blog.
-What shoots of growth and change are you seeing in your life and in yourself as a result?
Since everything that I am applying right now is still in it’s youth I have not seen much results but the reality of my goals is seeming more and more real.
-What has enabled this, and for what are you grateful?
My drive to do what I think is best for my family and to be successful in all aspects of the definition.
-How do you want things to grow and change for you from here?
I want things to be booming and in the very end I want to leave as much as I can for my children to continue with after I am gone.
-What do you need to do, think and feel to ensure that you give yourself the best chance of manifesting your picture in the way you want and deserve?
I need to be dedicated and aggressive in my strategy (not ruthless) as well as understanding.
.-= Ryan Hanzel´s last blog ..Breath of fresh air =-.
Hey, Ryan
What an awesome response to the self-coaching questions and thanks for sharing.
It’s clear from what you’ve said here that your direction is shaping up really well. I’m glad it’s starting to feel more real for you. Your drive feels really solid!
Do you have a timescale you’re working to on re-entering civilian life? Does the military offer you any support in doing so? Just curious!
Really keen to see how things shape up for you!