Autumn is a great time of year to seize control, reflect and to make decisions that deliver what you want for the rest of the year.

So you’ve had a great summer….you have enjoyed the sunshine and the longer days, the summer holiday, if you had one, the quiet time at work if you didn’t. If you are a parent you might have enjoyed having some fun times with the children and not having so much structure in your days; there is less need to control everything, the lunches, the homework even the bedtimes!.

 It all ends now. The nights are drawing in, there is a chill in the air, and autumn is here.  It’s back to school, back to work. Do you choose to feel sad, down and prepare to hibernate for the autumn and winter – waiting for the same next year?  Maybe this a time for getting rid of what you don’t need; unhelpful thoughts, feelings, behaviours and beliefs.  You can learn from what you enjoyed about the summer and decide to do things differently this year and into the next, can’t you?

So what is it that you could learn from the summer season that you could take forward? Give some thought to what you have enjoyed most and begin to understand the reasons for this. Was it good not to be in control all the time? Did you enjoy having some space for you or having fun with the children? What else?

Whatever has been different, pay attention to that. Begin to explore new ways to put some positive changes in place in your life. If you want to make changes you can, you just have to want to and be prepared to override your natural tendency to maintain the status quo.   Adapting and changing is something that we are innately good at as human beings. I bet you are not the same person you were a year ago or five years ago.

I have decided to take more exercise this autumn. I found myself saying ‘ I would like to but…I haven’t got time, it’s too expensive’ .  I decided to change the self talk to ‘Can I make time? Yes I can.’  ‘ Can I do it relatively cheaply? Yes I can’.  I can cycle, walk or jog for free. I am choosing to focus on the possibilities and finds ways around possible hurdles because I know the benefits this will bring for me.

So make a decision to change if you want to. The choice is yours.

There are many ways of going forward, but only one way of standing still.” Franklin D. Roosevelt