Seasons change…and so do people.

There is always a certain melancholy that comes with the changing of seasons. When lazy summer nights turn into brisk fall evenings…when the hot sun is replaced by a cool breeze…when the never-ending summer suddenly reveals it does, in fact, have an expiration date…and when the season that changed your life in so many ways falls away with the leaves on the trees and becomes just another memory to keep you warm on a cold winter’s night.

Typically, when Mother Nature shifts from one season to the next, we notice a visceral shift in our own lives…nudging us gently from one era to another…urging us to always reach for the next level and refuse to remain stagnant…reminding us that nothing is permanent: not joy, not pain…not friendship and sometimes, not even love.

The Daily Love’s founder, Mastin Kipp, has this to say about moving on:

“Do not deny the sadness of moving on. Instead sit in it with a whole lot of love for yourself and the situation. No matter how much you may wish that life could be different, accept that this is what’s true for today.

There is a jewel within the melancholy of letting go. The jewel is the beginning of a new awareness within yourself and a new life. Each relationship, business venture, job and phase of our lives serve as platforms for us to grow.

Joy comes to those who are able to sit in the in between, the space between what was and what will be. Joy comes to those who do not run from their feelings but courageously embrace them in search of the new jewel of awareness.

Remember, for a new day to begin the darkness of night must fall. Each is a natural part of the cycle of life. Embrace the dark moments and remember that just before dawn is the darkest of night.

Just be with it – the dawn will break.”

-The Daily Love, 9/18/10: http://conta.cc/bXC4CC

Many times in life, it is right at the moment that we begin to get comfortable that everything shifts. Sometimes the change is almost imperceptible, until one day we wake up and our lives are completely different. Often when we transition from one season of our lives to the next, certain things don’t survive: relationships, mindsets, friendships, careers. It’s as if we take stock of our lives the same way we take stock of our wardrobe and decide what to keep, what gets to make the move with us from one era into the next, and what gets discarded because it no longer fits.

It is during these moments of life that we have a choice: Go with the flow, release what WAS, and embrace what IS…or stubbornly cling to yesterday, all the while denying the present and delaying the future.

I would like to encourage you, as you prepare for new phase of life and switch out your summer clothes for your fall wardrobe…don’t stop there.

Make this the season you trade your broken heart for a brand new start.

Trade regret. If you were meant to be there, you would be. If it was meant to happen it would have. Everything you’ve been through has brought you to the place you are now – which is right where you’re supposed to be.

Trade your plans for something bigger. Trust me when I tell you – God and the Universe have a much bigger plan for you than you could ever have for yourself.

Trade fear. Call its bluff and courageously strut your stuff!

Trade complacency. Everything you ever wanted is right outside your comfort zone.

Trade self-doubt. Stop knocking your imperfections and start rocking your imperfections. Life created only one you for all time. How amazing is that?

Hopefully clothes won’t be the only things that will be exchanged as you move into the next season of your life. It is my hope that this will be the season you walk the runway of life boldly and confidently, casting off anything holding you back or standing in your way. With fall just around the corner, what better time to let our bad habits and negative mindsets “fall,” castoff our doubts and fears, and put our most fabulous selves on display? Leave summer behind and embrace fall not just with new sweaters and shoes and fashion…but with new attitudes and enthusiasm and passion. The next level requires a certain amount of sacrifice, but when you’re meant for “Great”…“Good” should no longer suffice. So c’mon… Fear is SO last season! Figure out what you wanna give away and what you wanna keep and boldly take the leap.

The Future awaits.