I dread the end of Summer. I can already feel it in the air. Back-to-school season has begun, and work projects have picked up. I’m not ready to say goodbye.
In business, we use a Sunset Clause to create a peaceful ending. With a Sunset Clause, all parties agree to an ending date.
It’s simply not fair that Summer ends before the agreed-upon calendar date of September 21.
We need more universally honored Sunset Clauses. Summer is just one example of an ending that comes long before an officially stated date. It happens all the time. We can feel the ending of a job or a relationship long before the actual severance date.
No one teaches us how to create a peaceful ending. It’s usually just dread and drama. No one knows how to negotiate a breakup. No one discusses an ending at the beginning. We don’t think about the sunset during the sunrise.
Wouldn’t it be wonderful to have a breakup without the heartache?
Sunsets and sunrises are both equally beautiful. Endings are not failures. Sometimes the day has simply run its course.
A Sunset Clause forces a healthy conversation about endings. The seasons change. We change. Every change brings an opportunity for new choices.
Most people wait too long to discuss the changes in the air. They ignore the signs. They stuff their feelings. They don’t say anything until it's too late.
Honest conversations shed light on what needs to change. Start with your own small, daily habits. Be willing to discuss the small changes and small feelings before they become too big to manage.
Tragically, I have seen far too many clients and friends wait too long to talk about the little changes. They wait too long to make the small course corrections necessary to create a happy life. They hang on to past mistakes. They store hurt feelings. Accumulated pain is difficult to unpack.
Small, unresolved issues become big problems. Big problems lead to dramatic endings.
There is great wisdom in weeding a garden.
It’s not always our relationship, our job, someone else, or something else that needs to change. Sometimes, we need to change. The little pains and harmful habits will add up if we don’t weed them out.
A Sunset Clause is a conversation about change. It can happen in business, relationships, and all areas of life. Sometimes the old has simply run its course, and it’s smart to talk about it.
A Sunset Clause starts by recognizing that change is inevitable and growth is a choice. It’s an understanding that the future is not promised. It’s choosing purpose over pain.
Wouldn’t it be great if we could just choose a Sunset Date to end all past pain and harmful habits?
What if that date was today?
All of us have something in our life that needs to end. What are you doing that is preventing new life from growing? What isn’t working in your life?
What needs to end?
A Sunset Clause and a Sunset Date have power. We can peacefully pick a time, date and place for an ending and a new beginning.
Endings can be as simple as a change of seasons. No more dread and drama. Summer ends on September 21, and I''ll be enjoying every moment until it runs its course. And then, I’ll fully embrace Autumn on September 22.
The same holds true for my relationships, my work, and all areas of my life. I’ll finally stop grieving, regretting, and dreading endings. I’ll enjoy every present moment while I shine more light on the future than the past.
We all need a Sunset Clause to make room for something new to grow.
Endings don’t need to be losses. They can be as simple as a change of seasons. Sunrises and sunsets are equally beautiful.
