The summer season is here again! Growing up watching reruns on tv was definitely a summer activity (Gilligan’s Island was one of my favorites!). Even though they were episodes we had watched before, something still felt relevant and interesting about them. I wrote about summer last year at this time, and as I reread this almanac entry, I realized it still captures the key points of the season and applies them to leadership – and life. This is because the cyclical nature of the seasons is like a rerun. We may have been through this season before but there is still something new and interesting about it to discover.
I would like to add a point that was missing, though, from my previous summer reflection. Sometimes the physical season does not always match our internal season. This can be especially poignant in summer which represents a period of rapid growth, where you are in the flow with your role and purpose. When all the world appears to be reveling in the season and making moves, and you are not, it’s easy to feel out of sync or even resentful.
Using the metaphor of the seasons can help navigate this situation. Humans are complicated. We have so many aspects to our lives and each aspect can be in a different season. Your career might be in the winter; your significant relationship might be in spring, and your spiritual self might be in fall (need a primer on the metaphor of the seasons? Rerun our welcome almanac entry about our approach to the metaphor of the seasons).
My suggestion to this point is that while we are in the physical season of summer, even if your internal season doesn’t feel like it, take some time to find an aspect that is in summer. Perhaps your creative self is experiencing a summer fling, or your physical self is feeling vibrant, or your intellectual self is discovering something new – whatever it is, notice it for what it is – summer. Do something to acknowledge that the physical season is aligned with that aspect of yourself that is in summer.
Doing this will help ground you in the season and you will feel less out of synch. And you will get more joy and fulfillment recognizing and honoring all aspects of yourself.
And don’t forget to download our summer playlist to help you get in sync with the season!
