Winning Words

Making the most of those lazy days of summer

Column by Michael Norton
Posted 7/16/19

The other day I posted something on social media that included a brief reference to those lazy days of summer. The post was really about something else, and a reminder that we should enjoy our lazy …

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Winning Words

Making the most of those lazy days of summer

Posted

The other day I posted something on social media that included a brief reference to those lazy days of summer. The post was really about something else, and a reminder that we should enjoy our lazy days of summer, take time for vacations, and relax when we can. However, we should also stay inspired and motivated and avoid the lazy days of summer hangover and doldrums.

You know that feeling, right? Those days where it might be beautiful and sunny and we wish we were hiking, biking, golfing, fishing, at the lake or at the beach. Our focus on work or other projects seems to drift into the distance as we daydream about being outside. Or maybe it’s those other days where it is so hot, so humid and sticky, and we just feel drained and tired and we settle in to our air-conditioned homes, cars, or anywhere we can find relief from the heat. Those are the days where our energy levels bottom out.

Mondays and Fridays seem to be the hardest days as we look to starting our weekend early or extending our weekend beyond Sunday. I have one friend, Chris, who likes to refer to his week as a “Thur-Mon,” as he starts on Thursday and goes through Monday. And there are others who save up their vacation time and PTO days and take these extended weekends during the summer instead of taking a full week or two here and there.

It’s the “getting back to work” part, or “getting back into the work mood and mode” that we struggle with, isn’t it? At least that was some of the feedback I have received after my post. It is almost like we need a vacation from our vacation, a vacation from our weekend, or we just need to find our summer motivation, energy, and inspiration.

And this is exactly where having solid goals, plans, dreams, and objectives come into play. When we know where it is we want to go, who and where we want to be, and what we want to have in life, we can usually fight through the lazy days of summer, or in my friend Chris’ case, the crazy days of summer. We allow ourselves the rest and relaxation we deserve, we enjoy those moments of daydreaming and easy peaceful feelings, but we remember our purpose and passion, and our “why” so that we maintain our momentum.

Tom Ziglar, in his book “Choose to Win,” talks about the importance of having a “why,” understanding our “why,” and having our internal compass aligned with our true north. So, as we enjoy our summer, put our feet up a little bit, drift off for a few minutes, hours, or days, let’s keep our “why” in front of us, our plans and goals visible, and make sure we do not fall too far behind on where it is we really want to be.

Personally, I have found that when I allow myself to drift off a bit and daydream, I try and let my creativity come to life. I recognize that I am daydreaming or wandering a bit, so I intentionally start to dream about my goals and dreams. I think about what I can do differently or better, what I should do more of or do less of, and what I might start doing or stop doing that would be helpful to reaching my ultimate goals and achieving my dreams.

So how about you? Are you enjoying a few lazy days of summer? Maybe some crazy days of summer? Whichever one it may be, and maybe a little of both, I would love to hear how you are staying focused on your goals and dreams at gotonorton@gmail.com. And when we can make the most of our lazy days of summer and our crazy days of summer, it really will be a better than good week.

Michael Norton is a resident of Highlands Ranch, the chief revenue officer at Eventus Solutions Group, a strategic consultant and a business and personal coach.

Michael Norton

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