You have your essential questions; you have chosen your summer activities. You have a summertime vision of what you would like this summer to be like. All of a sudden, it is the end of June, and you feel like nothing has happened, or the opposite is true – too much has happened. How do you go about balancing your summertime vision with the reality of day to day living?
1. Have clarity on what’s important to you this summer.
There’s an old saying, “If Mama’s not happy, no one’s happy.” The gist is that you can set the tone of your family. When self-care, contentment and clarity are priorities for you, you model that for the rest of your family. Give yourself permission for time to reflect, to value yourself, your ideas and time for yourself as well as for your family.
2. Write out your ideal summer week that includes work, family, and self-care
Look at your week. Begin to design three types of time blocks – work, family, self. You want to put your big rocks – the things that most important in first. Determine when and where your self-care times will occur, including your times of quiet and solitude. By seeing what an ideal week could look like, you have a vision that can develop into a routine.
3. Gather your family together to discuss what’s working about the summer and what’s not.
Getting input now can tweak your summertime vision and open the lines of communication for everyone. I know for our family what I have in my head and what they expect are often two different things. Coming together to make plans and discuss what can happen realistically builds trust and bonding, instead of mistrust and the proverbial, “You didn’t tell me that!”
4. Program in rest and being fully present
It sounds funny to have to program in rest, yet I know for myself, I get caught up in do, do, do. Summertime is the time to be, be, be. Remember as children how long summer seemed to last? Part of that remembrance has to do with the fact that children are fully present. They are not worrying about the future, nor concerned about the past. They are enjoying the present moment. Being fully present is a great stress reducer. How can you unplug, relax and rest in the beauty of summertime? Can you sit along a lake? Enjoy a path in the trees? Sit and smell the flowers? Read a book in a hammock? Take a nap in the sun? Whatever it is, choose times to rest, slow down and unplug from your cell phone and the world
5. Give yourself grace and enjoy gratitude
One of the best things about summer can be gathering with loved ones. Getting together with friends and family bring about connections that build memories and gratitude for the people we have in our lives. However, gatherings can be stressful if too much emphasis is put on preparations or how things look.
A friend of mine reminded me of this when I was worried about how my house looked. She said, “People are not coming to look at your house, they are coming to enjoy your company.” Her encouragement gave me grace to open my home more often. I make sure the house is presentable, but let go of the imperfections I see every day and warmly welcome women into my home.
I hope your summertime vision and being connected to why you want helps this summer be the best ever for you and your family. Having a vision drives your passion, motivation, direction, focus and purpose. I can’t wait to find out how your summer is different than other summers because you were clear on your vision for yourself and your family. Let me know in the comments below or on NancyBoothCoaching Facebook page how vision is driving your summer.
May summer time be one of joy, contentment and renewal for you and your family!
Nancy Booth is a certified life coach and certified brain-based coach. She loves creating safe spaces for women going through life’s transitions to discover and support their visions for health and well-being in an overwhelming world.. She writes about taming the overwhelm. looking for ways to motivate, energize and inspire you to find that new vision! You can sign up to receive her weekly blog or contact her to find out ways you can begin to shed overwhelm. It’s time to explore possibilities of a new vision to include stronger relationships, better life pacing and gain hope and peace.