In the summer months we can rest and relax, but how about going a step further? How do we recharge our batteries for the coming months? How can we use the natural gifts of summer to build our resources?
1. Walk past the clutter to clear it up.
It’s so simple that summer becomes a dump for all the chores and projects that have been piling up for months. Sometimes I feel like the summer months are the valley and all the surplus of the year just rolls down and settles there. It doesn’t really boost my energy, creativity, or productivity when I tire myself wrestling with an endless list of tasks. I don’t get comfortable wasting my time doing business.
This is the perfect time of year to ask: What is most important to my time and energy this summer? Write it down. Engage in the few relationships and activities that matter most. Make them clear to yourself and to the people around you.
2. Give yourself opportunities to be inspired and impressed.
Man is made to be amazed and to dream. If we don’t do enough of both, we suffer a lot. What inspires you What makes you laugh your stomach What gives you all sorts of ideas that drive you? What knocks you down or takes your breath away? What makes your soul burn with a sacred fire wishing the best blessings in the universe? I often tell writers that they should regularly spend time doing what amazes them – this will keep the source of creativity full and ready to access. If you want to recharge yourself during these summer months, make room for anything that inspires your amazement and awe.
3. Choose a company that promotes you.
Some people just make me dream more, think more about myself, and practice gratitude more easily. These are the people I have to spend time with because they fill my inner world with love and acceptance, hope and imagination.
We can’t always choose who populates our days – there are our colleagues in the workplace, people who are part of our ministry, family members who need our time and attention, and neighbors who come in contact with us for all sorts of reasons. We can cultivate these relationships with more grace and generosity when we also spend time with people who build us up, feed us emotionally and spiritually, and remind us of what we value most.
- How do you charge?
- What practices have helped you fill your fountain of love and creativity?