Next Chapters

Next Chapters

Grow.

The beginning of the end...or the end of the beginning?  You get to...you have to make that choice in the different facets of life.  At times, you'll likely find that one door is closing and another door is opening.  Other times, you'll end up so sick and tired of being sick and tired that any action or change is viewed positively when compared to the status quo.  As you look at the different parts of life, it's important to remember that we get to/have to make decisions on which chapters we'll start, stop, or continue.  

Life goes by...
try to keep up.

In many ways, without stewardship and work on our status quo, we tend toward chaos.  In a marriage example, without continued leaning in...we tend to drift apart.  As we go through the seasons of life and change ourselves as we go...we have to remember that our choice on the next chapter is really up to us.  My wife and I are not the same people we were as newlyweds...or as new parents...or as the parents of toddlers...and so on.  As these next chapters have come and gone, we've had to ask ourselves (consciously or otherwise) if that chapter is the beginning of the end...or the end of a beginning.  Hopefully for you and yours, you continue to choose to make your last chapter set you up for an even better next chapter.  

Dreaming with
Olympians.

To continue our marriage example, the paradigm of the end of the beginning means that you're investing in the now for tomorrow.  In other words, activities such as routine date nights, making time for meaningful conversations, praying together, connecting with families in the now and next chapters, and so forth help us make smoother transitions.  By prioritizing and creating time (through saying "no" and making sacrifices) we help ensure that we're prepared for the next chapters as they show up.  

Homework with a 
periscope.

When we stop making the decisions necessary to lean in, we tend toward falling apart.  The term "slippage" has been used to describe the disconnections that are small...but pile up like an avalanche over time.  Just as no single raindrop is responsible for the flood, small disconnections with our spouse add up over time.  Much like "failing to plan is planning to fail," by not making the decisions proactively to be ready for new beginnings, we are inherently choosing to let our now be the beginning of the end.  

Long jump.

As you think about the next chapters and the paradigm above in terms of other facets, we can similarly apply the ideas.  When we look at our parenting roles, it's perhaps more clear that new chapters are around the corner...because our children get older whether or not we're prepared.  Our job is to try to help make sure that they (and us) are ready for those inevitable transitions.  When we're getting closer to the natural breaks - junior high, high school, adulthood, grandparenthood, etc, we can help set our children up for success and prosperity.  At each next step, it's far easier and smoother if we come prepared as opposed to being reactionary after we arrive.  

Make the most of 
all the moments.

For us, one of the next chapters of life will be the empty nester phase.  I worry that we've poured so much into our "little kid years" that we could end that harvest season with blank fields for the next season.  In other words, we're proactively injecting shared habits and conversations about dreams when our daily lives aren't wrapped around the business of child-rearing.  In that absence, many folks around us end up realizing without the shared bond of parenting that they've grown apart...and when the kids move out...so do they.  In order to prevent the negative outcomes that we can see on the horizon...we've got to do the things in this season that ensure a positive outcome.  

Chunking axes.

Similarly, this model can apply to other parts of life, like finance or retirement.  Things like new home purchases can be full of blessings, setting off a new chapter full of great memories...or can be a stressful kickoff to an "in over our heads" race toward bankruptcy.  Likewise, if done right, our step into retirement can be a new beginning as opposed to a finance-restricted countdown to the end of life.  By making the decisions along the way, like living on less than we make, investing wisely, and staying away from debt, we set ourselves up for a meaningful and fulfilling retirement journey.  

Passing the 
baton.

We can also apply this paradigm to new jobs, volunteer roles, or special projects.  With the end in mind that we're plowing and planting a field that will return fertile harvests, we approach our daily work with more passion that translates into more prideful results.  With practice of routinely, habitually asking ourselves if we're on a journey that is the end of a new beginning...or the beginning of an end, we'll hopefully make more wise and future-focused decisions that help set us up for a lifestyle that is far more rewarding.  Best of luck with seeing life in a new way...and here's to new beginnings.  

With you in the arena, from ours to yours...Happy Trails!

Call to Action: 

• Pick out a couple of parts of life that have been heading toward "the end" and inject ways that add new beginnings.  
• 1 - ___________________ 
• 2 - ___________________
• 3 - ___________________
• Discussion: Consider what you/your family could/would/should (level of commitment) and start/stop/sustain (action) that you can do this week as a family to double down on planting seeds for a better ending.  

Further Reading, Motivation, and References:

- Begin with the end in mind - Stephen Covey