PP 093: Seasons of Life

Quick Show Notes: Seasons of Life

If our lives could be viewed as a line graph measuring successes and struggles, we would likely see “seasons”, or distinct periods of highs and lows. In this, my first episode since taking an unexpected break, I share what the current and past seasons looked like in my life, as well as some advice to get through whatever struggles you may be facing.

Click To Tweet

Episode Transcription: Seasons of Life

Hey hey! Welcome back to another episode of Positive Productivity, this is your host Kim Sutton, and I am so thrilled to be back chatting with you all.

On episode 89, I shared a little bit about what was going on with my family at the time and then just a couple episodes later I disappeared for a few months. If you’ve been listening since before my break, thank you so much for coming back.

If you can hear those little squeaks in the background, my cat Fame during my break from podcasting managed to go out and have a little bit more fun and just last week I had five kittens. So, here next to my desk, in a 30 gallon Rubbermaid bin are laying Fame and her five kittens, keeping me company all day long. And you will be hearing more about that 30 gallon Rubbermaid bin and an upcoming episode. Trust me you will not want to miss that one.

Seasons of Life

So, seeing as an episode 89, I already talked to you about starting a manure business and how pardon of my mouth for a quick second about how the shit was hitting the fan everything was going crazy around here. I thought, I would take the opportunity of coming back to talk to you about “The Seasons of Life.” 

Back in April — and I’m talking April 2017 because I don’t know when you might be listening to this — In April, everything was going crazy. One of my two year old twins got his finger stuck in a door at daycare, and had to have it reattached with stitches, my husband blew out his back, and my daughter Nevaeh had an infection. It just seemed to keep on going on and on, and Dave and I looked at each other and we were like: “What’s next?” , “What is going to come next?”

To be quite honest with you all, I took the break because I really didn’t feel very much in the Positive Productivity mindset. The season of life that I was going through just seemed to be one of struggle. I had to fight really hard just to stay positive. And that was not something that I wanted you to be feeling and hearing through my voice.

So it took a few months off, and let me tell you those few months off were revolutionary. Maybe revolutionary isn’t the right word. If you know what the right word is, can you please go to TheKimSutton.com/PP093 and let me know what word I’m looking for. But they were really life changing.

To give you just a few examples about what happened in the past few months: My client roster shifted tremendously for the first time in five years or in the whole five years that I’ve had my business, I am finally working with a complete client roster that I absolutely love. Every team that I’m a part of, and we just match so well.

Seasons of Life

But that came after a little bit of a journey. The journey started when the Positive Productivity Podcast launched, but there was still a ways to go. Just so you know I am on this journey of Positive Productivity right with you. Yes, I’m sharing experiences I’ve had, but I still have to make strides every day in every way, to keep on moving forward.

Seasons of Life: The Season of Yesses

I realized in the past few months, that I was still saying “yes” to opportunities which didn’t serve me, and I really needed to get out of that mode. I was saying “yes” to opportunities, because I was afraid that if I said “no” that we wouldn’t have income when we needed it. But then I realized that I was saying “yes” to opportunities that I really didn’t like. And I hate to say it but, because I was not passionate about them, I wasn’t doing my best with those opportunities.

So that season of “Yes’es” current into a season of defined “No’s”. Seriously I think I’ve been out of podcasting too long, I can’t really figure out how to for how to verbalize that.

However, what I’m trying to say is I’m no longer in the season of saying “yes” to everybody else, and then sacrificing my own happiness. I’m in the season of saying “yes” to myself, by saying “no” to others.

Seasons of Life: Relationships

I’ve also taken a journey from a season of staying in relationships, because I saw something to be gained for myself, into staying in relationships or leaving relationships, if the integrity was not there. If you are only in relationships to gain something for yourself, and not to help the other person – that is not a good reason to be in a relationship. Whether it’s a personal relationship or a professional relationship, both sides of the relationship should be two sided. You should have something to give to the other person, along with an expectation of receiving, if the expectation of receiving is there. While it’s painful at times, there have been a few relationships in the past couple of months that I’ve ended, just because I realize that they were not a good fit.

Seasons of Life: Self-Care and Family

And finally the past season also included a slip back into work, and a lot more than I should have. From very early on in the Positive Productivity podcast I’ve been talking to you about how important it is to get an ample amount of sleep every night. However, I myself was slipping back into the routine of staying up until 1:00 am to 3:00 am working, and getting back up at 7:00 a.m. I was also working way too many weekends, and sacrificing time with my family that I really shouldn’t have.

My kids are only going to be 2, 3, 11, 14 year old once, and by giving up every single weekend and sacrificing time with them so that I can make another dollar — I don’t want to regret that time in the future.

So, this season has meant that nightly and every weekend my Skype is going to yellow or I’m going invisible. I’m not a slave to my email anymore. And I’m not a slave to my business. If you’re at the point where you are growing your business and you’re finding a lot of similarities to what I’m talking about, especially in the past season, you might be thinking: “Wow! well that’s brave you’re probably giving up work” But let me tell you, making the shift from saying “yes” to everything, and from being available 24/7, to not saying “yes” to everything and to having limited availability, has not caused a decline in my income. In actuality my income over the past three months has quadrupled.

Seasons of Life: Faith

Now I’m not shy about sharing my Christian faith with any of you, and I know that you, my listeners, may not all be Christian or may have no religious affiliation whatsoever. But I want to encourage you that in a time of struggle you have to stay positive. You have to put your faith somewhere, whether it be in the universe or in God or into whatever higher power that you may converse with. You had to let go of the stresses, and you have to move forward confidently knowing that it’s going to get better, if you’re putting all your thought and effort into climbing out of the struggle. That’s all you’re going to be doing and think about it as a wall or a hole, maybe a pit in the ground. If you’re constantly trying to claw your way out of the pit, all you’re doing is making the pit wider. But if you can just sit back and focus on what you really need to be doing. And on the positivity you can eventually find your way out.

Now I’ve been reading a lot of Joel Osteen lately, and I’m I’m reading “The Power of I am” right now and a section in here says when you’re upset and trying to force things to happen, God is going to step back and let you do it on your own. It takes faith to say: “God, I know you’re fighting my battles. I know you will make my wrongs – right. You promised that would work out for the good. So I’m going to keep my joy and stay in peace.”

This is exactly what I’m talking about. No matter what your spiritual background. Just step back and stay in peace. Whatever season of life you are in will feel a lot better when you’re not stressing about it. I know you may be thinking: “Kim, that’s crazy. There’s no money in my bank account. How am I going to survive?” Friend, I have been there and as we move forward in the Positive Productivity Podcast, I’m going to be sharing a lot more about what happened over the last few years in my family, in my business, and in my personal life.

Seasons of Life

You’re not alone in whatever struggles you’ve been in. And I ask that if you have a story to share that resonates with any of the podcast episodes, please go over to TheKimSutton.com/podcast and share it with us. I want each and every one of you to know that you are not alone. Every season of life, has its challenges. Even the best ones, but it’s our job to move forward with positive productivity.