When I think of life, I can’t help but notice that it is very repetitive, and predictable to a certain extent. If you see with a curious eye and grasp with an open mind, you too will understand. 

I don’t mean that we can predict what things will happen. We don’t know whether tomorrow will be a good day or a bad day. We can’t say the same about the upcoming weeks, months or even years. But we can say with utmost certainty that no matter what happens, there will come some good times. We will inevitably encounter days that are going perfectly, we feel our best and even people around us are behaving supportively. And as certain as the sun will rise up tomorrow morning, there will also come some bad times. You will find yourself into a pit of emptiness, or chaos. Where nothing will seem to be working or getting better. Neither the people around you will be helping nor would you be feeling the energy to make things happen yourself. 

And as God is my witness, after some time, the good times will come back again. You WILL eventually find balance and sort through the chaos. You will create new structures in life that will help you solve the current problems. 

Dear readers, good times and bad times are cyclical, all throughout your life. This cycle is inevitable. It is prevalent all across. It’s almost like the seasons in a year. You can bet your fortune on the fact that no matter how sunny the summers are right now, winters will turn right up at your doorstep in some months. And will then pave way for the great spring to blossom. Just like in nature, our life also has seasons. 

BUT what does this mean? How is it helpful?

Here I would like to introduce the adage of a wise farmer. This poor farmer is diligent, hardworking and loyal towards his work and family, but he is subject to all the hardships that life brings with it. He too comes across good seasons and bad seasons. Some seasons are ideal for sowing seeds, good for the harvest. But some seasons are merciless and rain on his parade every time he invests his blood and sweat into the land. 

But the farmer is wise. He knows that he cannot always change the nature of things. But he knows that he can align his own actions with nature in a way that best benefits him. Therefore when the season is right for sowing, he blocks out every other impulse/temptation/commitment from his life. He moves out of his house and sleeps in a tent. And he pours all of his heart and soul into sowing as many seeds into the ground as his hours allow. This farmer knows that if he sows to his maximum potential when the season is right, he will not have to starve during the season; that’s merciless to all the other sincere yet clueless farmers. He knows the power of timing and the importance of investing all that you’ve got when you see the perfect opportunity. 

Moreover he also knows during the drought that no matter how bad the winds & the skies look, he doesn’t need to worry or judge his own capabilities. Because soon enough a favourable season will arrive. And until the time it doesn’t come, he and his family can feed off his labour from the last good season. That’s the definition of ‘wise’ according to me. 

So next time when you’re going through a rough patch, remember this adage. Remember, by keeping calm and not judging your capabilities, you can conserve the strength and energy you will need when times get good again. And times WILL turn around, for sure. 

When they do, roll up your sleeves, forget about the past and put in so much work, so much dedication, so much focus and sheer commitment that by the time that season is over, you will have created enough results to last you and yours for many seasons to come. 

Just remember, when it’s winter, some people hide inside their homes, unable to move about. While some people come out and play with the snow. 

“Don’t wish it were easier, wish you were better. Don’t wish for fewer problems, wish for more skills. Don’t wish for less challenge, wish for more wisdom.” – Jim Rohn.