Summer gave a false start in Monterey last week with a few very hot days, but everything quickly settled back into spring – although it almost felt like winter had returned. As summer begins today, I thought it was the perfect time to make sure you don’t lose any of the productive momentum that you’ve been building throughout the year.
I was lucky when growing up that summer always meant a loosening of responsibilities and the realization that I could put off hard work for three months until the new school year began. As I transitioned into the workforce after college, summer didn’t mean quite as much in terms of freedom and fun, and aside from enjoying better weather, it didn’t feel significant. Moving on from those first few jobs into leadership roles, the annual arrival of summer took on a new meaning.
I now see summer as representing the chance to re-evaluate annual plans, make adjustments and start building the foundation for what you want to do in the coming year. With summer here, it’s a great time to start that journey – and given the longer days and warmer weather – there is also plenty of opportunity for self-renewal along the way. For some motivation to get started, take a look at these five inspiring perspectives:
Summer is a time to be energetic ...
“And so with the sunshine and the great bursts of leaves growing on the trees, just as things grow in fast movies, I had that familiar conviction that life was beginning over again with the summer."
- F. Scott Fitzgerald
evaluate where we’ve been ...
“What good is the warmth of summer, without the cold of winter to give it sweetness?”
- John Steinbeck
while making the most of it while it lasts ...
“We cannot stop the winter or the summer from coming. We cannot stop the spring or the fall or make them other than they are. They are gifts from the universe that we cannot refuse. But we can choose what we will contribute to life when each arrives.”
- Gary Zukav
taking time to recharge ...
“Rest is not idleness, and to lie sometimes on the grass under trees on a summer's day, listening to the murmur of the water, or watching the clouds float across the sky, is by no means a waste of time."
- John Lubbock
yet not expecting perfection.
“Do what we can, summer will have its flies.”
- Ralph Waldo Emerson
By reflecting on the start of summer as the midpoint of the year, we can challenge ourselves to keep the momentum going into the next season and beyond. Remembering back to childhood, those summer months never lasted as long as I hoped so it pays to make the most of it from day one!
