Good morning, good afternoon or good evening depending on when and where you are tuning in.  This is episode 16 of The Blue Collar Executive podcast.  I am your host Lewis Taulbee, Jr.

Life is like the changing seasons.  We cannot change the seasons, but we can change ourselves.  There enlies our opportunity for an extraordinary life.  Tis the season for this pod so let’s go.

Last week I was finally able to plant my garden.  I don't think I've ever had to wait until June to get my garden in, but the rain in May just never gave me an opportunity.  I planted sweet corn, green beans, cucumbers, zucchini, peppers, and did I mention sweet corn?  Yes, we love our sweet corn so I planted plenty.  We have a problem with deer out here so one year I asked my 92 year old neighbor what he did to keep the deer out of his corn.  He just grinned and said I just plant enough for both of us.  That's what I've been doing every year.  As I was dropping those seeds in the ground, I began thinking about how awesome this process is.  The seed set in a bag on my counter and didn't sprout.  As soon as they hit the soil they came alive.  I mean, they would have sat in that bag on that counter for years and wouldn't even try to sprout, but they will start popping up within a week of being in that ground.  I have been planting gardens since I was a kid but I never really gave any thought about how miraculous this process is and what we can learn by it.  We were created from the dirt.  If we really think about it there must be some magic sauce in the soil.  It's the key ingredient that makes us, makes our vegetables, flowers, trees, and grass.  Here's another cool thing.  Nothing will grow until it's season.  I could drop these seeds in exactly the same dirt in March and they wouldn't sprout until their season.  In the winter grass doesn't grow and trees and flowers do not blossom.  I know landscapers that believe planting grass seed in December or January is best because the freezing and thawing helps get it into the ground.  I don't know if that's true but my point is that it doesn't matter when you plan it.  It's not going to blossom and grow until it's season.  Everything only grows in its season.  Since God grew Adam out of the dirt just like I grow my sweet corn, it only makes sense that he gave us seasons.  Oh, wait that's exactly what the Bible says.  In fact, in Genesis right after it tells us how God created us it says he created days and nights so that we'll have a season.  Then in Psalms 1 he says and he shall be like a tree planted by the river of water that bringeth forth fruit in his season.  His leaves will not wither and whatsoever he does shall prosper.  There we go.  That explains so much.  For years I've heard motivational speakers and preachers talk about our season is coming, but now I fully get it.  Just like those beans I just planted will be ready in July.  Those pumpkins I planted at the same time won't be ready until October.  We all have different seasons.  Of course, I'm not talking about spring, summer, fall or winter.  I'm talking about the seasons we live as human beings.  We all have individual DNA, gifts and purposes.  It only makes sense that we also have our own seasons.  We have to enjoy every season we are in.  Be happy for those that may be blooming around us in their season and continue to be patient and cultivate our gardens in preparation for our season.  You know most of the work in my garden is done long before I drop a single seed.  I plow the ground, disk and fertilize the dirt, till the dirt and then hoe the rows.  If I didn't do all of that the harvest wouldn't be nearly as great.  While we may not always feel like we're in our blooming season don't get discouraged.  I know a hundred percent in my heart that the one who planted us has taken all the necessary action to ensure we bloom in our season.  Take a professional athlete with all their God given ability.  They are going to come into their season at an early age because that's when their gifts are at peak.  While say an author may come into season very late in life because they need a lifetime of experience to have something to write about.  Success in a business may come at a very late time because it takes years of cultivating.  I've only spoke about the blooming season, but Ecclesiastes says there's a time for everything.  Everything has a season.  Life happens in seasons.  We got good seasons, bad seasons, productive seasons, growth seasons, seasons of decline, seasons of mourning, grief, seasons of laughter, jubilee.  There are seasons where we have more obstacles than opportunities but they're often followed by seasons where we can't find enough time for all the opportunities.  There are seasons of growing love and then other seasons where love is tested.  There are seasons of blessings and then other seasons where it feels like we've missed the blessing train.  There are seasons of discovery.  I know I sound like Bubba Gump talking about shrimp, but I could go on and on.  As you can see, there's a season for everything.  We have a saying here in the Midwest.  If you don't like the weather now just wait an hour.  As parents, we have lots of seasons.  The season where you can't get everything done and the kids are just driving you crazy.  Then other seasons where the house seems empty and you long for those cluttered floors of toys.  Again, I hope all of my analogies are making sense.  This for me was really an aha moment.  It's important to understand that seasons occur and to always know which season we're currently living in because when we don't understand the concept of seasons, especially the bad seasons, we could begin to believe that seasons never change.  We may stop trusting, dreaming, and taking risk.  When we understand that life comes in seasons, seasons do change sometimes quickly and sometimes seasons even overlap each other.  We can be more productive and ultimately more successful.  Let's talk about the seasons.  First we have to endure the winter.  This is something we all neglect to prepare for because when everything's going perfect on a beautiful summer day, the last thing we want to think about is winter.  Then when hard times hit our business struggles, we get a bad report from the doctor, or we start having marriage issues or a pandemic we're caught off guard because we didn't prepare.  Whether we like it or not winter is always coming and we can't stop it.  So while we can make hay when the sun is shining, we still need to continue to be like that squirrel stuck in his tree with nuts for the winter.  Then we have spring.  That's when we foresee an opportunity and need to start working toward it.  Just like when a farmer needs to cultivate and plan his field.  This is when we should be the busiest.  I'm in a spring right now with my business because due to the recent pandemic there's a tremendous amount of investment opportunities.  I'm busy looking for those because I know if I don't do it now, opportunity is going to pass me by and I'm going to miss my season to plant.  Just like if a farmer doesn't get his seeds in the ground in the spring he's going to be hungry come harvest time.  We should always be looking for ways to improve ourselves and strive for bigger and better.  If you're in a job earn your keep.  Give an honest day's work for an honest day's pay, but always be working for your future.  Whether it's a business opportunity, job, whatever, always remember it's not what you're getting it's what you're becoming.  We should always bust our butts in our spring so we can reap the benefits of becoming more during the harvest time.  This brings us to summer my wife's favorite season because she loves the heat.  Well, as it relates to us, it's the season of rest.  Remember God didn't make us just to work he wants us to enjoy life.  He does tell us to work hard in the spring and stay strong in the winter, but he knows that as humans, we also need rest to recharge our batteries.  He made us so he knows exactly how far our batteries will take us.  He gave us a season to relax and demanded that we do so.  There's a good example of this in Leviticus when he told the Israelites the seventh year is for rest.  He said do not plow your fields or prune your vineyards.  I will send such a blessing in the sixth year that the land will yield enough for three years.  You see it's really important that we take time to rest and relax.  We've been given a season to do that.  I'm guilty of not enjoying downtime.  When I have nothing to do, I'm scrambling around looking for something to do.  Many times my wife has to remind me to just relax.  Whether it's for an hour, a day or even a week family vacation, it's very important for our health, minds, and relationships.  So when you feel like you're in your summer season, don't be afraid to stop and enjoy it.  Then we get to the fall.  Now this is my favorite season.  This is the harvest.  Just like the farmers harvesting what they planted in the spring this is our season to harvest from our labor.  This is the season to prosper and you will know that you're in your fall season.  Just like I know my sweet corn is in season by the butter dripping down my chin.  Everything will go our way as long as we stayed faithful through the seasons of struggle, hard work, and rest.  We all have this season at times in our lives and the more we work to plant and cultivate in the spring, the more we're going to reap in this season, but we can never forget that winter is always right around the corner.  As I said in another episode, 65% of all professional athletes are bankrupt within five years of retiring.  This is because they got their season early and they enjoyed it, but they never prepared for the winter.  I know some CEOs out there right now that were born with silver spoons in their mouth and they are where they are because mommy and daddy did all the hard work.  Now don't get me wrong some of them are very good at running a well-oiled machine, but because they were not there during the endurance and struggles of building the company, when challenges arise, they're not prepared.  The current pandemic is exposing many of them right now.  We see businesses crashing because of exactly this.  So whatever season we are in, we should always keep our eyes focused on the higher purpose and take the necessary steps every day.  Make hay during the sunshine, relax in the shade on a sunny day, make a snowman in the winter and never be moved in stormy seasons.  Take a moment to reflect.  What season of life are you currently in?  I know I may be stretching my analogy a little too far, but I really believe we all have seasons, just like every other living creature on this earth.  If you review how every season has molded your life, I think you will agree that God never wastes a season.  Life happens in seasons and we can't change those seasons unless we get our own planet, but we can change ourselves.  Have you ever eaten sweet corn out of season?  I don't know where or how they manufacture it, but if your grocer has corn on the cob in February beware.  My point is, it's not as good.  If you're not in your season, change yourself and enjoy whatever season you're in, just be patient and your harvest season will happen.  It'll be much better than if you try to manufacture it yourself out of season.  Let's always recognize that our seasons are not always the same and be kind to one another.  Be supportive to those who may be enduring a winter season.  Lend a helping hand to someone that may be in their spring season.  Visit a while under the shade tree with someone who may be in their summer season and be happy for and celebrate with those who are reaping their harvest.  Our lives are full of sunny days and stormy skies but if we all strive to help one another, we can find happiness and success in every season.

This concludes another episode of The Blue Collar Executive podcast.  I hope you found some value in it or at the very least found it entertaining.  I wish you all great happiness and success in all your seasons.  Thank you so much for listening.