5th of July – Let it Go. Let it Rip.

If you find this back at your work station, welcome back.  Many of us, back from the sun (burn?), water, fireworks, beer and wine, family (maybe family stress ? 🙂 ), friends, kids, late nights, naps. Not an easy transition, so three short thoughts to let it go and let it rip.

  1. Be realistic. Few of us will be at our best this week, and especially at the beginning. If you’re a goal setter, don’t go crazy. Be modest.  If you’re not a goal setter, maybe it’s worth jotting a few KEY things so as not to try to do too much or to be too scattered.
  2. Savor the weekend.  If you’ve been fortunate, you’ve had sun, friends, family, music. A note of thanks is not only good to/for your hosts or co-hosts, but it’s good for you, the giver of thanks. Giving thanks extends the positivity, reminds us of priorities and of the goodness in our families and lives. It may surprise you that it can continue to give you energy if you take a few moments to savor its goodness.
  3. This week marks the second half of the year – commit to reflect and readjust. We fill January 1 with enormous meaning and lay out powerful expectations, but we so often miss the arguably greater value of July 1 — the mid-point — as a chance to see how we are doing on the goals we (formally or informally) set, and to recommit to goals moving forward.  So, give yourself an hour to answer this question, “When January 1, 2017 rolls around, what do I want to look back on as accomplishment?”  Or to put it differently, “What would give me a sense of satisfaction, contribution and effectiveness?”

So to repeat:  Go easy, savor the weekend, and invent a future to pull you forward,

leading with your best self.

  • Dan,
    Thanks for this article. Reflecting back on the first 6 months of 2016 and forward toward January 2017, I realize how thankful I am for family, friends and health. Each year is what we make of it and messages like yours help keep us grounded to that reality.

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