Winter Alignment: What Does Nature Demand of You?
The virtue of living in the moment requires more than just being aware of time and place. It calls for action—doing what is required of you in that moment, fulfilling the role nature has assigned to you, just as every other being on Earth fulfills theirs. Adversity doesn’t obstruct this process; it sharpens your ability to persevere and act wisely. So, I ask: What does nature demand of you today?
Winter is in full swing, and as the days grow shorter, I’m reminded of the quiet beauty of dark mornings and solitary evenings that held profound meaning for me last year. Sitting here now, in the same spot where I once planned for last Summer’s goals, I reflect on how far I’ve come and how much further I aim to go in 2025. These new goals are more challenging, yet they reaffirm an essential truth: progress relies on repetition—not just in fitness, but in every aspect of life.
Many of us long for the summer that’s passed or eagerly await the one to come. But we must understand that change is a constant. You can either be shaped by change or shape it yourself, steering your life toward positive growth. When circumstances are out of your control, focus on what you can control. You can’t stop the seasons from turning, but you can decide how you respond—and how you evolve during this time. As much as we may wish for eternal Summer, it is winter now, and Winter asks something different of you.
Winter asks for your discipline. It asks you to put in the work—when no one is watching, when others are seeking comfort indoors, and when it feels like your efforts might not matter. But they do. These quiet, unseen efforts are what build the foundation for future success. Private victories precede public victories.
Think about that one goal that drives you—the thing most of your actions and intentions are working toward. To achieve that goal, you’ll need to succeed in countless small ways that go unnoticed. You’ll need to win a thousand times privately before you can win publicly. The path to something meaningful requires delayed gratification. Consider the activities that provide quick but fleeting satisfaction: scrolling through Instagram, grabbing fast food, or chasing shallow distractions. Each has a more meaningful alternative—one that demands effort and investment but offers far greater rewards in return.
The longer you invest in yourself or your vision without expecting an immediate payoff, the greater the reward will be in the end. Success is not about single, grand moments; it’s the accumulation of steady, purposeful action over time.
So, as winter envelops us, ask yourself again: What does nature demand of me? And let that answer guide you in the weeks and months ahead.
“At dawn, when you have trouble getting out of bed, tell yourself: "I have to go to work — as a human being. What do I have to complain of, if I’m going to do what I was born for — the things I was brought into the world to do? Or is this what I was created for? To huddle under the blankets and stay warm?"
- But it's nicer here...
So you were born to feel "nice"? Instead of doing things and experiencing them? Don't you see the plants, the birds, the ants and spiders and bees going about their individual tasks, putting the world in order, as best they can? And you're not willing to do your job as a human being? Why aren't you running to do what your nature demands?”
- Marcus Aurelius, Meditations (5, 1).