Holidays are great and no one can deny how good it is to take a break from the normal routines. But, this precious free time only makes up a small proportion of the year and it can make such a difference to day –to- day living to bring some of that excitement, colour, sparkle and shine into everyday life. Even if the summer break doesn’t involve travel to sunny and exotic climes, that precious break from work provides a golden opportunity to focus the mind.
If, like my friend, you have just come back from a lovely holiday or even if you haven’t had a holiday this year, plan something fun /relaxing/inspirational/exciting to create some idyllic summer memories. It sounds like a cliché but it’s so good to focus on what makes holiday time special and bring some of those elements into our everyday lives. Plan that lovely meal, cook something you have had on holiday or have only read about, be a tourist in your own town. Walk about, look up; take in some of the sights you have always taken for granted. A change in routine can be as nourishing to the spirit as a week in the sun. Above all, think about the people you spend most time with and try to be with those friends who inspire you, who make you laugh.
Autumn is a great time, before the hustle bustle of the festive season (which seems to begin earlier and earlier every year) to take stock. To remind yourself of all the great things you have achieved since January. You can focus on holidays, adventures, work and personal achievements, personal growth and, above all, the resolutions you made earlier in January and have been working on ever since. Maybe you came into the year a smoker and have taken the steps you needed to take to rid yourself of that habit, maybe you had resolved to spend more time with your family and are now coming home and having good, quality time with loved ones. What ever it is for you, it’s time to celebrate.
But what if you never got round to that healthy walk every evening and you’re still beating yourself up about your weight or some other perceived failing? Well, isn’t it time to give yourself a break? It’s never too late to achieve what you hope to achieve for yourself and maybe, for you, Autumn is the right time to make those plans, to appreciate yourself and all you have done so far.
After you have taken the time you need to celebrate and congratulate yourself on your successes, roll up your sleeves and make a list of what you want to achieve over the next few months, make it exciting, allow yourself to dream big, to plan for the future you want. Write everything down. Where do you want your path to take you for the remainder of 2016 and into next year? While your doing this, it’s important to remember not to fill every waking moment with things to do, plan in times of nothingness. Time when you can enjoy not having to be anywhere, time to spend time with friends and loved ones and just live in the now.
Don’t agonise ...Orrganise!