Summer of Opportunity

I was coaching a client when I blurted out, "This is your summer of opportunity." My client had been talking about activities winding down for the summer break and having more time to pursue other interests, beyond the usual obligations of life. She also reported a discussion with her new manager, who was curious about her previous work and sincerely interested in knowing what work she'd like to focus on going forward.

It felt like a clean slate for her, just as the summer is starting.

I have this image of summer that probably goes back to commercials from the 1960's when I was growing up--traveling across the country on an open road, families piling into the car to go to the beach, and a slower pace of life, where we are not a slave to time, but rather time is our ally.  Honey, you can settle in and read that 400-page mystery novel. I'll call you when dinner is ready. Photo by oddsock.

All of this got me wondering why we couldn't each create our own "summer of opportunity", where the encroachments that are normally part of our life are swept out and kept at bay, just for a few months out of the year.  The assumptions of what we can and cannot do go out the window from June to August. Who we are during the other nine months of the year doesn't hold true. We are free to reflect, dream, muse, create, in an adult version of the sandbox, with new dump trucks and shovels, just waiting for us to pick them up.

I'm typing this on my laptop on the backyard patio, underneath the shade of an umbrella and caressed by the gentle winds of a mid-morning. I had breakfast in the same place. Our big purple ash tree next to the patio finally leafed out, creating a canopy of green. It feels like the summer of opportunity has started for me. 

So how do you create your own summer of opportunity? Here are a few ideas:

• Make space by letting go of one or two things in your life, just for the summer. Let go of the Saturday morning routine of cleaning the house or staying late to clear off the desk before the next day. Let go of your belief that the kids need you to make lunch or that dinner should be a hot meal. Let go of the need to be organized or accurate or competent or timely.
  

• Change your scenery. Bring in a new plant or picture for your desk, or a memento from a favorite vacation. Rearrange your office or better yet, work in a different space for a few hours--a new coffee shop, a small alcove in your office building, an outdoor plaza, a neighborhood library. Photo by illustir

• Dream about what you really want to spend time on, just for the summer, and tell two close friends. Be open to how they respond, especially if they encourage you to pursue that dream.

• Think of each month, June, July, August, as a chance to make one big (or small thing) happen, something that you don't feel you can do during the rest of the year. Learn to cook. Take swimming lessons. Start writing that family history. Catch up on classic movies from a new genre.  Plan a picnic dinner with the family.

• Feed your mind. Read books, listen to podcasts, attend an arts event, anything that will stir the creative juices and inject a few new ideas. Explore another world to see another way of doing things, a different set of principles, or a unique challenge.

• Create a pilot project of your own choosing. Volunteer your time for a non-profit, using skills you've always wanted to develop further. Develop a prototype of a product that you've thought could be a winner in the marketplace, but it felt daunting to get the idea approved. Have lunch with a former client or colleague to brainstorm on a cool project that you can collaborate on. Photo by Big Mind Zen Center

Thank goodness summer comes once a year, every year.  How do you create your own summer of opportunity?

Comments

[Erika Schulz Nygaard]

I love the idea of a summer of opportunity. This is hitting close to home for me. I am recently back from my honeymoon. After spending one year lovingly but fervently planning my wedding, this summer is Decompression Time for me. I have a new, more relaxed hair-do (inspired by the traveling when I just couldn't be bothered to do my hair), and I don't worry much about when I get anything done these days. I'll get around to it eventually.

[carolross]

Hooray for letting go and decompressing! Thanks for stopping by, Erika, and enjoy your summer with a different pacing.....