Summer – a time to slow down, by virtue of the nature of the season: holidays, kids at home, business at a different rhythm.
Also, the ideal time of the year to evaluate where you are standing in life.
Summer time
Here is some summer food for thought.
Look at what you wanted to achieve this year and where you stand today.
Surely, you made your wishes for 2015. Maybe you wrote down some New Year resolutions or maybe you made a vision board, in which case it is easier to see and reflect on where you stand. Although your mind will be attracted to the things you haven’t done yet, as my mind does, it is important to look first at all the things you have done – because that list is always longer than you think. Look at all aspects of your life: family, relationships, work, friends, personal growth, hobby, whatever you wanted to give more attention to. Look at how long your list is and congratulate yourself on that. Breathe that in! Celebrate it!
Next step: Which aspects do you feel you haven’t given as much attention to as you wanted?
Though your list of achievements is no doubt long, maybe some areas haven’t had enough attention, if at all.
Maybe you wanted to become or stay fit but haven’t exercised much. Perhaps you wanted to enroll on that yoga course running in your neighbourhood.
Maybe you are bored at work and have filled your life with other great things but work is still a drag.
Maybe you wanted to spend more ‘quality time’ with your family but didn’t because there was always something else to do or to finish.
How do you feel overall about the first half of the year?
What are the biggest lessons you have learned?
Once this is clear, let’s move on.
Now comes the fun part. What is it you want to do in the second half of the year?
Make that list. Look at the areas in your life and describe what you want to aim for. It is important to be specific so write down everything you actually want to do and even better take immediate action if possible.
My list involves learning Portuguese, following a training (learning skills and/or personal growth), planning a couple of trips with family and friends.
As far as learning Portuguese is concerned, I decided to stop kidding myself of not ‘having time’ to learn Portuguese but started this summer – last week to be precise. As for the trips, when and where, is a work in progress. One of my New Years resolutions was to plan one weekend with a good friend every year – no husbands or kids, just me-time. At the time, I asked a friend whether she would join me and she agreed. The trip has not been planned but a couple of weeks ago we reminded ourselves of it and restated we were going to do it. We are exactly at the stage that we need to actually make it happen.
I do believe it is crucial to be specific in describing your intentions. If you don’t, chances are that your intentions remain intentions. On the other hand, we often want to realise or improve many different things. In order to avoid making it unrealistic or becoming overwhelmed by it all, limit your intentions to three, for example. Define which three to give priority. What concrete actions can you take to work towards achieving your goals? Put them down on paper.
Because here is a reality – time flies. Before you know it, you will be making New Year wishes for 2016!
Have fun and get re-energized this summer!
Happy Holidays!
