The sun is up earlier, the weather’s warmer, and the kids aren’t ready for bedtime. (It’s still light outside and they’d rather be playing kickball or hide and seek until dark). Coworkers and friends are leaving for vacation, camping trips, taking Friday afternoons off, and it’s getting more and more difficult to turn down chips and salsa at EVERY picnic, lunch, and BBQ. Your summer momentum is nowhere to be found.
BUT … you have goals, aspirations, inspiration, motivation, and ambition … right?! While it might have felt a bit stronger at the beginning of the season, now’s not the time to give up on where you’re headed!
Staying on track isn’t the easiest thing in the world, but it also doesn’t have to be the most difficult! We have a few ways you can keep moving forward … and still enjoy the summery goodness we all know and love. ☀️
Redefine Your Goals
It’s probably been a minute since you took a solid look at your goals (maybe since sometime around January 1?). That’s okay! Now’s the perfect time. Find a chair, sit somewhere quiet, and turn your summer slump into summer momentum and excitement.
- What are your top three goals for the rest of this week? How about for the rest of this month? And finally, the rest of this year?
- Be specific. Your goals should be achievable based on the timeframe you’re working with, and they should be clear and direct. The less vague you make your goals, the more likely you are to succeed!
- Wondering why you aren’t reaching your goals as fast as you’d like? Figure out the answer here!
Change Your Online Presence
Certain times of the year it can be more difficult to be thankful for what’s right in front of you. Maybe you don’t have vacation time, or the means to travel, or maybe you live in an area where the weather isn’t nice at all, even in mid-July. Maybe you’re laser-focused on your goals and distractions aren’t something you can afford right now. (Good for you for getting after it!)
Social media may not be your friend during these times. Scrolling the highlight reels of all your friends, family, and acquaintances is a sure-fire way to start comparing and increase your own negative self-talk. (Not helpful in getting those goals of yours.)
Instead of telling yourself you can’t go on social media, or you need to throw your phone into the river, try some of these ways to reset your mindset around this tool:
- Try to limit your social media scrolling to 30 minutes or less per day.
- If you find yourself thinking or talking negatively to or about yourself after seeing someone else’s post … it might be time for a break. Either unfollow or hide that feed and see how it affects you.
- Follow people and accounts who inspire you! You should feel motivated and excited after looking at a page, not sad or upset.
- When in doubt, check in with your own mental health. If it’s not serving you, it might be time to delete the app.
Don’t Try to Do It All … At Least Not All At Once
Sounds counterintuitive, right? Multitasking is the fix for everything! … unfortunately, not so much.
If you took the day off and you’re at the lake with your friends and family, be present! You took the time off to play, so play! This won’t just help you enjoy your time off more; it’ll help you recharge so you’re able to be better at your job, home life, all the areas you need to show up! In the same sense, if you’re working or have things you need to get done, don’t dilly-dally … buckle down and get them done! Put your work hat on and get down to business.
Let’s look at what this might mean for you today:
- Dinnertime is for dinner. Eat, socialize, delight in your meal. (Put your phone away.)
- Have a list of people you need to call and talk business with? Make your list, go to a quiet place, and start dialing.
- Expected to be in a meeting at noon? Do your research, prep yourself, and be on time!
- At the playground with the kids? Play tag with them! Walk to the park with them and ask them questions about their day (Use your very best active listening skills.)
- Taking off early on Friday to go to the lake? Put in the time at work during the week and make a list of things you need to get done BEFORE you go, so you aren’t waking up in the middle of vacation time worrying about an email you forgot to forward.
It’s Just a Bad Day
You know how some days are just not great? The days where your shirt sleeve gets caught on the door, or the peanut butter oil sloshes out and gets all over the counter … and you’re out of gas in the car, you didn’t have time to pack a lunch, and you didn’t make it to the gym. Yes, there are bad days. We all have them. Every one of us.
What we’re here to tell you today is that yes, you are going to have bad days. What we all need to remember on those days, that it’s just a bad day, not a bad life! Tomorrow will look different, and probably better! If there’s one thing we all know, it’s that we can count on things to change.
Remind yourself of your “why” and revisit, especially on those rough days, that you have a lot to be thankful for—yes, even if your summer doesn’t involve a trip to the beach.
