Phases of Life

So I found myself the other day sifting through a personal development section while browsing through titles on an online bookstore. There was an endless list of titles and topics from “8 Steps to Success for Dog Trainers,” to “Opening an online CBD Hemp Oil Store.” It seems like we are literally overwhelmed with titles and topics about anything that we want to learn about…..but what about a book on “How to Manage the Unpredictable Phases of Life.”

Obviously there is no one size fits all book or manual, or even an online course that we can take… but it would be great to at least have a system for dealing with the challenges that organizations and individuals face whether in business or life in general.

One thing that is consistent…one thing I know for sure to be true. It is important to maintain your competitive edge and positive attitude… regardless of the Phase of Life you may be going through. This means that often you must successfully work through the challenges of temporary setbacks and disappointment…even failure. Yes…you will fail because you are not perfect…no one is. When you set a goal and you’re putting your all into achieving it sometimes it feels like you are in a literal fight with a professional boxer in an alley way. You most likely WILL get beat up. Anytime you take a risk there are going to be setbacks because that is the only way that you grow in life. But remember that it’s not the major steps…but rather the small steps that make the difference between winning and losing.

The other thing to keep in mind is….the very term phase indicates a stage of life that you are going through and not going to…in order to stay. Unless you personally chose to make something permanent it will be a milestone and a growth opportunity, but you must make that choice personally.

In general….there are four stages of life in the Human Cycle (1)

Stage 1. Play, Imitation and Education
Stage 2. Self-Discovery, Enterprise, & Adventurousness
Stage 3. Dedication, Contemplation & Benevolence
Stage 4. Retirement, Wisdom & Renunciation

The significance of these four stages is that as we examine each stage and begin to understand their significance in our life, pattern of behavior, and thoughts….we can hopefully avoid the trap of stagnation, that which hinders our personal growth and development.

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