Use Your Summer Wisely – Part 2
Meditations for Career Changers
Use Your Summer Wisely – Part 2
Summer is here again. In New York, it can either be hot and humid or perfectly comfortable. But as you might or might not know, New Yorkers ALWAYS keep their cool. As a New York City Career Coach and NYC based Career Counselor who has worked with thousands of professionals and executives from all over the country and world, I have learned (and taught) that the summer is a great time of the year to catch up on the things you have been avoiding, set up the time to accomplish some new tasks and complete objectives.
Focus On You
Summer is a great time for “me” time. As I wrote in my last piece, now is a good time to review and have gratitude for your relationships with family, friends and colleagues, your career (or your search), your physical health, spirituality, and personal finances.
Find The Gaps
Seek out the gaps in your world by noting how you spend your time. What activities do you pursue in the areas of health, fitness and well-being, profession, career and business, money and finances, learning, personal development and growth, relationships and family, leisure and recreation, spirituality and religion?
Some Ideas To Consider
Below are some ideas to consider and expand upon since the days are longer and you might even have summer Fridays.
First, ask yourself where do you want to focus your energy and time this summer?
Are you craving creativity? Time to relax? Working on your career goals? Being outside and participating in physical sports and activities? Spending time with family? Vacation? Travel?
If you have been neglecting your career goals, perhaps you want to spend some time networking and expanding your contacts. Maybe work on that book proposal or writing project you have been meaning to start?
Regarding your health and well being, perhaps you were feeling lethargic over the winter and spring months. What about signing up for an exercise class or starting a daily walking routine? If it is hard for you to do this alone, ask a friend or colleague to join you. This can be more fun and you can have someone to hold you accountable.
Have you been neglecting or just had no time to pursue your musical or creative talents? It can be soul crushing to ignore these parts of oneself. Each day can seem draining and have a numbing effect in other areas of your life if you are not actualized.
Perhaps you want to start a new craft or hobby. There are plenty of meetups, classes available and continuing education programs to explore. These can be found online or in person at your local community center, Y, college, university, high school or library.
Small steps
I believe in making and taking small steps to achieve success. Change doesn’t happen overnight nor should it. I recommend that my clients take one action a day toward their goal, especially their long term goals. Strength builds upon strength. Get moving. Build momentum. Steady effort counts for more than you can imagine. Each action builds upon itself. Every step along the way matters.
Most importantly, make sure to take some time for yourself to relax and unwind. Always try to surround yourself with good, caring, supportive and positive people.
Hopefully, this meditation starts you thinking and enables you to take action to make your summer more productive, fulfilling and enjoyable!
If you would like to talk to Lynn about your summer plans, objectives, and goals, or other strategies for career success in NYC, call today at 212-289-5197.