Ask yourself THIS before summer slips away
My son starts his sophomore year of high school in two weeks and I feel like the last day of school was yesterday.
If I had to choose a few words to describe our family’s summer, I’d say productive, fruitful and filled with growth and challenges. My son really stretched himself over the past three months, attending a jazz institute intensive, completing a 6-week internship and working as a lifeguard for two different companies. While I’m incredibly grateful he gained these experiences, I would not say the last few months were slow or restful–which is typically what I most enjoy about this lazier time.
So as we buy school supplies, sort out school schedules and health records, figure out the flag football calendar and book flights for fall work trips, my husband and I are asking ourselves, “What do we most need in the remaining two weeks before the pace really steps up?”
Freedom from cooking, naps, expanses of unscheduled time and mornings that move at a turtle’s pace–sounded really good to both of us.
What do you need before the roads get a little (or a lot) more congested with students and the back-to-school rush begins? Here are three questions to ask yourself before summer slips away:
- What do I most need right now to be able to enter September replenished and renewed? (I recommend scheduling one or two fall getaways now!)
- Are there any “shoulds” I can drop right now–or put on the back burner–to give myself more space and breathing room in the next few weeks?
- Have I gotten to enjoy my favorite things about summer (whether that’s making my famous watermelon salsa, swimming at my favorite swimming hole, reading a great book or catching up with old friends)?
Regardless of whether you have kids or not, summer invites us to slow down and savor our favorite seasonal activities. I challenge you to name and claim what you need right now … before summer slips away. Want more inspiration? Read Set a Summer Intention (+ 9 ways to say no).
LOOKING AT A BUSY FALL? HERE ARE MY FAVORITE LIFE BALANCE TOOLS:
- Attend one of my self-renewal retreats and receive high-level support, mentoring and explore new ways of being. Psst–self-employed and live in Texas? Don’t miss www.UnleashedATX.com Sept. 15 at McKinney Roughs Nature Area.
- Schedule me to speak in 2018 to your organization, company or team on work-life effectiveness, stress management, mindfulness & resiliency. Learn more.
- Explore the idea of facilitating or joining our Personal Renewal Groups for women (in 10 countries worldwide); becoming a RTA-Certified Facilitator can be a great way to transition to a new career field, find community and learn the art of self-care.
McKinney Roughs where our Sept. 15 UNLEASHED ATX Mastermind Workshop/Mini-Retreat for Texas entrepreneurs will be held.
Subscribe here to Live Inside Out, a weekly blog written by life balance speaker/author and Career Strategists president, Renée Peterson Trudeau. Her work has appeared in The New York Times, Good Housekeeping, Spirituality & Health and more. Thousands of women in ten countries are becoming RTA-Certified Facilitators and leading/joining Personal Renewal Groups based on her award-winning curriculum. She is the author of The Mother’s Guide to Self-Renewal and Nurturing the Soul of Your Family: 10 Ways to Reconnect and Find Peace in Everyday Life. She lives in Austin, Texas, with her husband and 15 year-old son. More on her background here.
