The Seasons of Life

The great philosopher Jim Rohn taught a simple but profound metaphor: life unfolds in seasons, just like a year. There are winters of hardship, springs of opportunity, summers of effort, and autumns of harvest.

The seasons don’t ask for permission; they simply arrive. You cannot change them. You can, however, change what you do. Learning to act with wisdom in each season is the key to navigating everything life throws at you.

Here are four essential rules for the seasons of your life.

1. You Reap What You Sow (The Law of Spring)

Spring is the season of opportunity. The ground is ready, but it won’t plant itself. This is the fundamental law of reality: you cannot have a harvest in the fall if you do not plant a seed in the spring.

Don’t be fooled by the ease of the season. Spring demands action. This is the time to start the business, learn the skill, make the call. If you spend this window waiting for perfect conditions, you guarantee an empty basket later. The work must be done.

2. Think of Summer All Winter (The Law of Winter)

Winter is the season of hardship. The ground is frozen, progress seems impossible, and the warmth of success can feel like a distant memory. The winds of loss, disappointment, and delay will blow. They always do.

This is the time to build your character. While the world outside is cold, you can get stronger inside. This is when you read the books, study, reflect, and build the internal strength needed for the next opportunity. You must hold the vision of a future harvest in your mind to keep you warm through the cold. Remember the promise of summer while you endure the winter.

3. Think of Winter All Summer (The Law of Summer)

Summer is the season of abundance and growth. The sun is shining, your efforts are paying off, and everything feels easy. This is the most dangerous season, because it’s when we become complacent. It’s easy to forget that another winter is always coming.

The wise person uses the sunny days to prepare. While enjoying your success, you must be disciplined enough to mend the roof, save a portion of your profits, and strengthen the foundations of your life. Don’t be so intoxicated by the sunshine that you forget to prepare for the inevitable storms.

4. Understand That Sometimes, It Hails

There is a final, humbling truth. You can do everything right—you can plant in the spring, protect your crop all summer, and be fully prepared for winter—and then, just before the harvest, a hailstorm can come and wipe it all out.

This isn’t fair. It isn’t right. But, as Jim Rohn said, it’s just that kind of planet. Some things are out of your control. The hailstorms are part of the deal. The measure of your character is not whether you can prevent the storm—you can’t—but whether you have the resilience to get up and plant again when the next spring arrives.