Plant Your Seeds in Spring.

It’s Jan 2, 2025. Toronto, Canada…

Temperature a brisk -1ºC. There were 9 hours of sunlight today. The sun set at 4:51pm. Dark streets filled with sleet, snow, and frozen slush. Nearly 2 months into a long Canadian winter. A few more months to go.

Most every living creature has begun to hibernate. Bears are in their caves. Squirrels subsist off the nut reserves they diligently created in the warmer months. For most humans, it’s a time of rest.

Except for one man…

He approached me on the street in the biting winds, unphased by the dry freeze harassing his face. He wore a giant hat, big blue jeans, quintessential red Canadian plaid, and had a weird piece of straw or wheat or something hanging limply out of his mouth…

“…tinkin’ of growing corn this year…” he mutters. But it was what he asked next that shocked me…

“Do ya reckon I plant it tomorrow or next week?”

“Is this guy psychotic?” The question flashes in my head. It’s ridiculous to plant seeds in the Canadian tundra in winter.

And yet… blinded by my surprise and the veil of my hypocrisy, I carried on… for not two days ago had I finished planting seeds of my own—psychological seeds—New Years Resolutions.

Resolutions are perhaps the greatest failure society participates in each year.

It’s not a mystery to anyone. 90%+ failure rate.

Of course they do… why would you plant seeds in winter?

You might imagine there to be a meaningful difference between seeds of corn and seeds of exercise habits. There isn’t. 

It’s harder to bring the seeds of identity/psychological change to fruition than a stalk of corn. And all change is identity change. All habits are deep psycho-spiritual-emotional processes. 

And yet… everyone’s out here planting during winter hibernation. It’s preposterous!

I wonder how much the success rate would improve if everyone—changing nothing else—started their resolutions on April 1 instead of January 1.

Here’s how resolutions look now (assuming you live in a place with seasons and winter):

• Last minute braindump some good-but-not-too-hard ideas while hungover in the uncanny valley between Christmas & New Years.
• Commit to ~1 of these as your resolution.
• Realize it’s a miserable endeavour to go to the gym and look awkward and be sore and tired while it’s dark and freezing outside.
• Drop it after 4 attempts.
• Forget about everything by the time spring comes ‘round.

It doesn’t need to be this way.

Aligning lifestyle change with seasonal cycles brings environmental factors onto your side, making change easier, instead of having to overcome them like an obstacle.

• SPRING: I feel a deep sense of change. I see it all around me. The snow is melting, the sun is out longer, and it’s getting warmer. Green is starting to return and I feel like I’m ready to grow too. I’m still a bit awkward at this new thing, but that’s alright because all of nature is still waking up, finding its legs again after a long winter slumber.
• SUMMER: I’ve got momentum and a real habit formed now! The days are beautiful and I feel a sun-like radiant pride in myself for doing something new and difficult, and now I get to enjoy having this great new thing in my life.
• FALL: Wow, I’m seeing results—the first harvests from my new habits have arrived! Now I know why ancient peoples always had harvest festivals. I’ve got a book draft written, I’ve lost 15 pounds, and my meditation practice is going well, whatever it is. I don’t have to put energy into making the habit happen anymore, and I notice when I don’t do it. It’s become a part of me, and I’m already dreaming about what seeds I want to plant next.
• WINTER: Instead of being an obstacle and a source of negativity from failing, my new habit/behaviour is helping me through the long winter months. It gives me energy, structure, and satisfaction, and I know I’m going to come out even stronger on the other side. I can’t wait for spring.

If you are going to plant seeds of change… plant them in the spring.

With love,
EB.