Curing the "Summer" Hangover

I think I have a “summer vacation” hangover.  And it’s one I didn’t intend. I never planned for the entire summer to be a vacation, and it wasn’t, really. I did work, just not very much. I took advantage of the gorgeous weather we had in the Puget Sound and did summery things: I planted my first rose garden, helped my husband tend the vegetable garden, took Scout on some nice long walks, rode my bike, planned weekend hiking trips and generally enjoyed summer. The first time I can say I enjoyed summer since, well, since I was a kid. It felt great and now I have to say I feel a little guilty. Eighteen months ago, I quit my job to be self employed. I started a certification training program the very week after my last day in “corporate America” and have been on a whirlwind of learning new skills, planning and organizing my home office, launching my coaching practice and meeting new people. I started off strong, with 50% more clients than I had forecasted and the first 12 months flew by. I completed my certification in April this year and then everything slowed to a pace I can only call “turtle speed”.  Rather, make that “slug speed”. While I don’t want to feel the pace of a cheetah or a hamster on a wheel, this new pace is way too slow for what I want. I have taken to making good, strong coffee each day, trying to “Snap Out of It!” And while that produces energy, it isn’t directed at developing what I really want for myself and the world (I can claim that my closets and windows are cleaner than they need to be!). What I want is for my coaching skills to reach the people who feel they have no voice, no choice and who are aching to live their big lives. I want the world to be at choice with no victims. And I know that I can make a difference, one voice at a time. So, back to the “hangover”.  It is Tuesday, after Labor Day, and this day signifies an ending, and a new beginning, for me and lots of us who traditionally started school on the Wednesday after Labor Day. For some, it is the day we try to cram the whole summer into one day. This year, I feel as if I had “too much” summer – hence the hangover. (I realize that as I type this, I have quite a saboteur in my head – telling me that I didn’t work enough this summer. The key word being “enough”.) I have made some coffee and am contemplating the cure needed for this hangover.  It’s gonna take more than coffee! I sense that a lot of people in my little world are experiencing a lull in their business and revenues and seem a little nervous, scared, even desperate about getting more of each. I too am feeling this sensation, yet I know better than to give into and be run by my fears. So this day, this Tuesday after Labor Day, I am recalling the eagerness I used to feel about starting the school year. The anticipation of what I would learn and experience, of what I didn’t know was coming and what I would know at the end of the year.  I was open to the possibilities that each new year would bring. (I was a little scared too, but I have never let that stop me!) I am choosing to stand in this perspective as I continue in my business development activities, knowing and trusting that the work I am doing now will generate the same reward that my school days’ homework and classes did in the past.  This excitement fueled me through some pretty tough assignments, as did the goals of graduating, going to college and doing the same there. My way of curing my summer hangover is to get clear on what I want and make space for it to happen (the clean windows and closets are no accident!). I offer this “school year” metaphor as a way to get reenergized as the summer winds down, fall transitions us to winter and 2009 draws to a close.  Think back to when you started high school: <ul> <li>What are you anticipating for this “school year”? </li> <li>What tools do you need? What can you eliminate? </li> <li>What’s exciting about this transition from summer to fall? </li> <li>What do you want to have accomplished at the end of the semester? At the end of the school year?</li> </ul> A new notebook, maybe pocket sized, might inspire you to write the answers to these questions and create a plan for moving forward, past the “summer hangover” and into fall with intention and joy.   2009-09-08T17:42:35Z

2009-09-09T14:36:50Z

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curing-the-summer-hangover

2009-09-09T07:36:00Z

2009-09-09T14:36:50Z

You enjoyed summer, and are feeling a little nervous about getting back to work in earnest. The economy isn't helping. How do you cure the summer hangover?

Curing the "Summer" Hangover

2009-09-16T16:14:53Z