Inviting Spring into the New Work World
Back in March 2017, DaySpring posted an article called “Spring Forward in Faith,” which seems to receive an annual update. In it, the author, Andrea, ends with a prayer in which she calls on God to help her see spring for what it truly is: “a lovely reminder of how beautiful change can truly be.”
The dawn of each spring offers inspiration to invite renewal and rebirth into our lives. Yet we cannot obtain such change without first experiencing our own winter—removing the old growth that no longer serves us. As Pablo Picasso once said, “Every act of creation is first of all an act of destruction.” Cynthia Occelli reinforced this idea with her own words: “For a seed to achieve its greatest expression, it must come completely undone. The shell cracks, its insides come out, and everything changes. To someone who doesn’t understand growth, it would look like complete destruction.”
With spring officially beginning on March 20, 2022, let’s take advantage of the hope and renewal of spirit it represents in the face of recent global uncertainty. Let’s turn inward and clean out the stagnating decay that might linger in our personal and professional lives so we can properly bloom into our best selves in the New Work World.
Legend of the Sunflower
Legend has it that sunflowers follow the sun, but when it is cloudy and gray, they face each other and share their energy. While this might not be scientifically true, imagine how this might apply to you and the people around you. If your company has experienced a slowdown of sales or layoffs because of the pandemic, what can you do to clear out negativity and face your coworkers with a positive attitude? Consider focusing on the uplifting activities of your company and job rather than the losses or setbacks that have transpired over the last few years.
The Enthusiasm of the Forget-Me-Not
Many tales have been spun around the forget-me-not, tying it to true love and memory. It is frequently characterized by beautiful, delicate blue flowers. Beyond their reputation and looks, however, forget-me-nots are extremely enthusiastic self-sowing plants. Not needing the intervention of outside forces, they tend to spread like a carpet wherever they are planted. Consider how you might incorporate such enthusiasm into your own life. What might be holding you back from being a “self-sower” of innovation and positive mindset? What might you need to clear out to allow your beautiful light to shine in such a way that no person or situation could keep you from growth and expansive development?
The Balance of the Vernal Equinox
The vernal equinox is a time of balance, when day and night are equal length. It’s a time to honor both the darkness and the light as they exist in perfect harmony. Look at the dimming of light in your personal or professional life as a reason to dig deep into your inner self to seek balance and fulfillment in future endeavors. Do not just fret over the darkness you may have experienced in losing a job, in working a temp position, or in changing directions. Instead, view the situation as winter—the removal of old growth that no longer supports you—and look forward to your spring of renewal, rebirth and new beginnings. Seek the balance you might have been missing, whether in the fulfillment provided by your job or in the balance between your personal and professional lives.
This spring, let’s focus on the beautiful lessons nature has to offer as the world is renewed. Just as nature must destroy the old to make room for the new, we must clear out what is not working for us in our personal and professional lives to learn who we are and what we can do to move forward in the New Work World. By turning to each other for support like the sunflowers in legend, enthusiastically self-sowing like the forget-me-not, and seeking the balance of the vernal equinox, we can clear out old growth and invite spring into the New Work World.
Mary Ann Faremouth has been a regular contributor to the USA Daily Post since April of 2020.
