When I think of the four seasons, I usually connect each with what I do and how I feel throughout them. My personal favorite is fall, where there are red and orange leaves scattered on the pavement and thundering storms in the evenings. I think of football games, pumpkin picking and (my personal favorite) my birthday! When I envision summer, I picture aquamarine swimming pool water and the sun. Some of my favorite memories remain here when my friends and I ride around town with all windows down and music blasting, and even tanning on bath towels in someone’s backyard. In the winter, I see mounds of fluffy snow and freezing icy winds. Spring though, is different from the rest.
Spring feels like a new beginning. It is a time of growth, both in nature and in one’s self, in which we flourish and recover from the chilly winter. Spring is a time of endings too. It is the time when the school year ends, and we find ourselves growing up and moving into new selves. This spring is your chance to grow, and I want to give you a few ideas on how to do so.
prioritize
When I think of heading into a new era of myself, I think it is crucial to point out what must be changed and the best way to do this is to prioritize what is important. It would be a waste of time to set goals and hope to accomplish them without knowing what you truly want to change. I know it is easier said than done, but it is definitely possible. In hindsight, this past spring I could have done a much better job at this step. I wanted to become more mature and overall happy, but because I was unable to pinpoint the issue, there was no way to create a lasting solution.
refresh
I have always wondered why cleaning was specifically tied to spring, aka spring cleaning, but now I get it. After nearly an entire school year, it is the perfect time to terminate the bad habits created as we become more and more tired. You have to have a clean slate in order to make preparations to do better in the following year, so cleaning one’s space is a step towards that goal.
implement
Having goals in mind is just one step on the road to a fresh start, the next and more difficult part is implementing changes into your daily life to accomplish these goals. Let’s say that a goal of yours after this clean slate is achieved is to keep your room tidy. It is one thing to say that this is something that you would like to do, but is another to create habits to ensure it happens. This could be as simple as making your bed every morning or wiping the surfaces every week. No step is too small! In terms of bigger and more significant changes such as becoming the person you would like to be, it can be a bit more difficult. Completing these goals is not meant to be easy, but it is important!
This spring, use the bright and sunny weather to grow and nurture yourself because if you do this, you will soon be springing into a new you!