The Approach to Winter
Finish the Year Strong or Finish It Honestly?
The temperature has dropped, sunsets arrive earlier, supermarkets have turbocharged their advent calendar displays and Mariah Carey has almost completely defrosted - it’s official, winter is here. And if I wasn’t already sure, the “finish strong” sermons, newsletters, tweets etc are doing the rounds. Here we go again.
And just like that, another winter is upon us. Again. How many more do you have to get through before you start living with intention?
Around this time of year, people loosely fit into one of three categories: finish strong, continue as you are, or we go again next year. None are inherently wrong, but what I think is missing is honest self-assessment. What I observe is panic, do nothing, or procrastinate. But that’s just me though.
There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens
- Ecclesiastes 3:1 (NIV)
I’ve been binging on John C. Maxwell’s books this year and what’s been particularly poignant for me has been the concept of Self-Leadership. It’s the ability to intentionally influence our thoughts, actions, habits and behaviour towards our desired goals and values.
Essentially it’s the ability to lead ourselves well before trying to lead others.
He teaches on four seasons of life and it provides a powerful framework for self-assessment and I was keen to share it with you. He talks about life and how it moves through predictable cycles - much like the seasons - and how we need to adapt to each one.
Each season has a different set of requirements but more importantly, requires a different mindset and approach:
Winter
This is the season of stillness, reflection and calibration.
It’s slower, quieter and colder. The world gets darker and the temptation to hibernate is STRONG. But this is the best time to shine a light on ourselves. It’s a season that calls for Clarity.
Don’t get me wrong, if you have been running the race consistently throughout the year and you’re hitting the final stretch, then yes put your foot down and finish STRONG. Put your all into it and finish the year like a champion.
On the other hand, if you haven’t and you’ve been inconsistent throughout the year, now isn’t the time to carelessly sprint blindly trying to make up for lost time, nor is it the time to escape into fantasies of a future where you dream about perfection.
Winter is a time for self-evaluation. What truly matters to us? Do our actions support what we believe truly matters to us? What lessons have we learnt? What habits and patterns served us well? What habits and patterns sabotaged us?
Funny enough, we typically hate winter but it isn’t optional. It’s essential. We can’t plant wisely in spring if we ignore the lessons from winter. What resources need to be replenished? Money? Energy? Time?
Winter is also a time for vision. Remember my post Clarity of Vision Going Into 2025 from last year? Read it again to gain clarity of vision going into 2026. How did the reality of 2025 stack up against your vision for it?
Spring
This is the season of preparation, new beginnings and vulnerability.
In Spring we plant: begin learning new skills and laying foundations. Energy is high because who doesn’t love a new beginning? We’re eager, ideas are free flowing and nothing feels impossible. It’s the peak where we stare across the valley to the next mountain top.
Spring is full of possibilities but it’s ironic, they’re exactly what they say on the tin - possibilities. No guarantees. No definitive outcomes. Just hope, faith and potential. Spring is potentially the most demanding from a faith, intentionality and spiritual perspective.
We don’t see results in Spring. New Year gym-goers start strong but fall off in Spring, typically because they don’t see results. People fall off in their commitments due to the slowness to reap rewards but this is where we double down and commit.
Spring is initially full of optimism and hope. We believe the seeds we sow will eventually reap a harvest and often we find doubt at its lowest at the beginning of spring. But vulnerability seeps in when we have no reward to show for our efforts..
If anything, I would suggest Spring is the season to remind us to finish strong. Though it’s not the season of completion - it’s the season of new beginnings - we can plant the seeds of finishing strong from now, so we establish firm roots keeping us anchored when we’re exposed to the elements and vulnerable to failure.
Summer
This is the season of cultivation, consistency and maximum output.
In Summer we start to see the budding of our rewards. They’re not quite ready to harvest so we need to be careful not to rush the process, but this is the season we double down and actually look to finish strong.
Summer seasons are when good habits are firmly established, systems are well oiled and running efficiently and results are visible and tangible. Things that were painful at the beginning feel easier. Waking up early no longer feels like a burden. We actually enjoy going to the gym or running.
Ironically, Summer is the time distractions are everywhere. Society tells us summer is for holidays and taking breaks but I see it as the time for relentless, high-energy work. Summer is the period where the full harvest is right around the corner so it’s important we minimise distractions.
Summer is the season of multiplication. The good habits we’ve instilled, we can build on. We can leverage the systems we’ve built to refine new ones. Summer calls for maintenance of our core disciplines.
Funny enough, our confidence is UP in summer. We start to see results and our self-belief is back. We’re through the valley and beginning our ascent to the next mountain top. This isn’t time to break camp and chill, or leave things unaddressed because of small wins (complacency).
The summer season I submit to you is the season to push. We’re firing on all cylinders now. Summer is the time to finish strong, the harvest is way too close to end now.
Autumn
This is the season of harvest, assessment, and honesty.
Autumn will tell us if we planted well in Spring and managed well in Summer, or whether laziness, complacency and living life by default won. One of my favourite quotes is “You can’t cheat the grind”. It’s not exactly profound but it carries so much truth.
Autumn is where we reap what we have sown. This is the season where our results reveal to us whether we put in the necessary work or simply had good intentions. This is when the big wins come in - the promotions, the pay rises, the accolades, the profits, the breakthroughs.
Autumn is the season of answered prayers. This is the season where life reflects the unseen work we’ve been doing. Autumn is when we get accused of being an overnight success, when people call us lucky.
Cool your jets though, Autumn is also the season of pruning. We can’t carry everything from one season to the next and growth requires necessary endings. Though we’re reaping a harvest, we will notice some things that have grown as good as they ever will be, and it’s time to get rid of them to make room for the new.
We all love an Autumn season, but anyone with decent knowledge of how the weather works will tell you that the seasons will change. Even in Autumn, save some of the harvest for the cold winter. Reinvest what we’ve gained and prepare for the next season.
Concluding
What they don’t tell us about finishing strong is we could end up forcing outcomes that aren’t ready. Whenever I’m tempted to try to “finish strong”, I first take stock of where I’m at, focus on outlining the vision for the next chapter and starting strong.
In full transparency, it feels like I’ve been stuck in a season between Spring and Summer for the last few years. I’ve definitely had thoughts of “when’s it my turn” and “when’s my harvest” but it always comes back to “work harder and smarter”.
Sometimes we plant and try to cultivate the wrong seeds because it worked for someone else, and we get frustrated when there’s no yield. This is another reason why winter is vital. As the cold sets in and we’re beginning to go out less, let’s take stock of how the year has gone.
Finish strong if you’ve been moving consistently and intentionally. But if you haven’t, don’t burn yourself out on fruitless actions. Similarly, don’t anchor the changes you want to make in the future. Assess now and start implementing the changes now.
As always, make a decision that future you will be grateful.
Have a great weekend!
CT
