What do you want to hold onto from summer?
/
I hope you had a great summer – with time to unwind, to play, to refuel.
As the calendar turns from August to September, many of us recall feeling excited about the start of a new school year. (I always looked forward to what could be lying ahead for me, and feel that anticipation each September. My husband, on the other hand, finds himself feeling apprehensive each year at this time.)
No matter what your natural response is to this change of season, making the shift to anything new is worth considering.
New rhythms, new patterns of daily life, and new schedules, even when welcome, always entail adjustments.
How do you want your September to look?
Rather than just clicking to the next week on your calendar and jumping into a more demanding schedule, consider these possibilities:
1. What might you hold onto that made your summer special?
What small thing that you indulged in over the summer can you build into your routine now?
Maybe you’ll create space for quiet daily walks like the ones that allowed you time to simply connect to the smell of the air and take in the sky, without having to rush to be someplace or do something.
You might plan for a morning walk once or twice a week, even if a shorter walk than you savored over the summer.
Or, you can choose another way to enjoy some unscripted, easy time for yourself, maybe in the evening if that will work best, so you are not “on” all day every day.
2. Is there something new you are ready for now?
The start of the new season may be the perfect time to start making a longed-for desire or dream a reality.
That could mean starting to explore possible ways to move ahead.
It might look like reaching out to someone to get their feedback or their take on your idea.
It could mean setting a boundary or two to preserve needed time, as well as space for your attention to be focused on the way forward.
3. Is there something you’ve been tolerating long enough?
Times of transition are excellent prompts to take stock and consider what’s working well and what less-than-desirable situation you may be tolerating.
If something comes to mind that you recognize as a situation or dynamic or relationship you are no longer willing to tolerate, you get to change that.
The change may be easy to make, or might entail thoughtful planning. And it may require help.
The key is to make the decision and take a step forward.
When you keep in mind the outcome that will eliminate the negativity you have been tolerating, it will be easier to find a way to make the change.
Change requires willingness
Whether you want to make space in your life for a piece of what made you feel happy over the summer, or you want to consider moving something from a back burner to the front burner, or you feel it’s time to stop tolerating something so you feel more joy each day, or you have the desire to bring something else new into your life, you will be called to initiate a change — and often a sequence of changes.
The theory, the imagining the vision, is the easy part.
Taking action is not always as easy.
Start by focusing on why the change is meaningful to you. You might do some journaling about it, to make the outcome you envision vivid.
Once you plan a first step to take,
Be willing to take a bold stand for what matters to you.
Be willing to get support.
Be willing to take imperfect action.
Be willing to course-correct and continue when things do not go according to plan.
And be committed to staying the course.
That’s what creators do.
I’m making changes, too.
This fall, I will be making changes that I began contemplating at the start of the summer.
I have been holding a vision and laying the groundwork.
I will share the changes with you next week.
Until then, happy September. I would love to hear about how the start of this new season goes for you, and happy to chat with you about how you want to create meaningful change in your life.
