The significance of “lasts”
We said May is a season of celebration.
It’s also a season of “lasts”.
The ending to important things.
Seasons are designed to have a beginning and an end. At least it’s supposed to be that way.
(Maybe my chocolate pick-me up snacks should have an ending, too?)
Here’s what’s also true about seasons:
-You’re sad to see them go
-You’re relieved to get closure
-You feel like you’re missing out
-You can’t wait to move on
-You wish you didn’t have to
Talk about disorienting. No wonder I feel like this 😵💫 right now.
No matter how amazing the next beginning is, leaving things behind can feel incredibly hard.
People everywhere are celebrating lasts:
- School years
- Lower school
- Middle school
- High school
- College
- Masters
- Being single
- Being married
- Moving out
- Sports teams and the sweet families that go with them
- Friendships
- Making this list, I noticed it covers the gamut of events. While I have peers who are graduating their amazing kids from masters programs, I’m still in the early stages of middle school.
Maybe that’s why I’m getting the gravity of milestones in a new way. Or maybe I’m just noticing them for the first time.
When I think about what matters about “lasts”, two important things come up:
1. Celebrating the end of a season is critical.
- It provides a sense of accomplishment
- We build relationships when we celebrate
- This boosts positivity, morale and motivation
- Celebrating promotes gratitude for what’s GOOD
- The experience enhances overall well being
If we’re willing and patient (my biggest challenge), we can learn so much from what was hard and great in closing a chapter.
AND.
2. We get to look forward to what’s next.
- It’s a fresh start
- We decide how we want to set the tone (we call this having agency)
- New beginnings are full of inspiration and dopamine
- We get new learnings
- Beginnings give us momentum
In other words, there is A LOT to look forward to.
I really hope you’re sitting in the moments of your “lasts”. I don’t “sit” very well, but I’m working on this, too. You all inspire me!
After you do that, I hope you’ll focus on what matters about your next thing.
Sometimes the next things are obvious and sometimes we need help identifying them.
This is one of the moments we hear from clients most. So if you need a partner in the journey of your next thing, we’d love to help.
Book a call to learn more about our flagship course, Emerge (which is all about navigating your next thing) or about 1-1 coaching opportunities.
Our goal is to help leaders love their life and work again and we can’t wait for the opportunity to hear from YOU.