The real summer reset program

Jul 01, 2019

It’s July 1st!

July 1st has a special meaning for physicians and surgeons. Traditionally, it’s the first day of the training year. What does that mean?

It means that brand new doctors start their first day of work, internship, on July 1st. With the flip of a calendar page, they go from medical student to doctor. On June 30th, they couldn’t possibly order a medication or a test for a patient, but on July 1st … Bam! They’re instantly capable!

It’s an incredibly exciting, albeit chaotic, day in teaching hospitals all across the country. I’ll be honest - it’s a chaotic month. Ok, really the first three months of the year can feel kinda wild. Oh, the memories!

The inside joke is don’t go to the hospital in July! I kid. I kid! You’ll get great care. Just know that July 1st is a big switch day. All of the young doctors are getting acclimated in new roles. It’s a time of transition and transitions can be slow. Or messy. Even confusing.

But there’s an exciting, new world on the other side of that slow, messy, confusing transition. And not just for interns in the hospital! For you too!

July 1st is the calendar year's halfway point, and you can make it your switch day! It's a great time for you to transition. To check in with yourself. To push forward a littler harder. To step up. To reset.

This summer reset is the real thing. It doesn’t involve a quick fix like a detox tea or a juice cleanse. It does require your time and your attention. This reset is a roadmap that will keep you future-focused. Let’s go!

Review your last 6 months.

The first step is to review the first six months of the year. It’s so important to know how you used your time. Because your time is precious, isn’t it? And you need to know where you’ve been in order to know where you’re going.

So, figure out if your time was well spent. Take a peek at your Outlook calendar or your iCal or whichever method you use for your schedule. Now, week-by-week, look it over.

To start, find the fun! Did you have as much fun as you had hoped? For example, did you go on vacation? Did you have a date night with your partner? Did you have a date day with your kids? Did girls’ night out actually happen? And did these fabulous events happen with the frequency you’d like? For example, think about how often you wished to go on vacation and compare that to how often you actually went. Same with date night, date day, girls’ night out, etc.

Now, try it with your work calendar. Did you have your team meetings as scheduled? Or did they routinely get pushed back? Or did you have more meetings than you intended? Did you meet your deadlines? Or were your projects late?

This gives you a lot of data! Now, hold that thought until you get through step 2.

Revisit your goals.

Did you make a goal for 2019? If not, there’s no time like the present! Do not pass go. Don’t collect $200. You need to make a goal … at least one. So, if you're ready to make a goal, start here and come back to this post once you’re done. How can you achieve your dream if you haven’t determined what your dream is? And it doesn’t have to be your ultimate dream. Don’t put so much pressure on yourself! But do strive for something. It gives you purpose.

Now, take a moment and think about the goals you’ve made. Can you put a check mark next to any of them? If so, congrats to you! Have you taken time to celebrate? If so, take time now! Don’t let this moment pass you by without giving yourself a little pat on the back. No matter how big or how small your goal is, be proud of yourself for seeing it through! Yes! Acknowledge yourself! You did that!

Now, that you’ve had a dance party for one … are there any goals you have left to accomplish? If so, that’s ok. But revisit them so that you can figure out why. One option is that you’re making steady progress toward your goal. You didn’t expect your goal to be achieved by now. In fact, you shouldn’t have reached your goal already, but you fully expect to achieve it before the year ends. Great! Keep going.

Another option is that you’re not going to get the goal … yet. And yet is the key word in that sentence. I’m a huge believer in impossible dreams. I'll put that another way - I literally believe that anything is possible. So, I’m not suggesting that you won’t or can’t reach your goal. I wouldn’t dare. But I want you to be honest with yourself. Maybe it’s not that goal’s time. And there’s a lot of power in knowing that.

Continue to hold fast to that goal. Don’t give up on it! But don’t be disheartened if it makes you wait a bit longer than you had hoped. Be resilient. But preserve your energy for the work of here and now.

Revise your roadmap.

Now, you get to take the information you’ve gathered about your last six months and apply it to the next six months. You get to literally map out how you’re going to close the year. With power and purpose! Right now, you know more about yourself than you’ve ever known before. So, put it to good use!

From your calendar review, are you pleased with how you spent your time this year? Or are you resentful? Do you feel like you were mindful about your time? Or did you get distracted? This is your opportunity to make positive changes. If you think about the last six months and feel resentful or distracted, what can you do differently to feel content or focused in the future?

Here are a couple of prompts. Did an activity drain you? Do less of it! Did an interaction light you up? Get more of it! You get to be intentional about scheduling more of what you love. Have more fun! Feel happier! You also get to do more of what feels productive. It’s your productivity that will help you get the goals you set. You are in charge of your time. You are in charge of your energy.

So, look at your calendar for the next 6 months and protect your energy. Schedule what lifts you up. Turn down what bums you out.

Reset your intention.

The last of these 4 steps is meant to pump you so that you can finish up the year stronger than ever. Are you ready? Ok, it's a thought prompt … at the end of this year, how do you want to feel?

This is deeper than your goals. Goals, when reached, can usually be measured or evaluated, even judged ... by someone else. But your feelings can’t. No one can tell you how to feel. More than that, no one can tell you what you feel.

When I ask how do you want to feel?, I want this question to get into your mind and your heart. Even more than that, this question is for your future self. You know … the you who has accomplished those goals you set. How will that “you” feel?

Do you want to feel proud? How about invincible? Do you want to feel confident? Maybe you want to feel secure. This is an incredibly personal question; so, you don’t have to share the answer. But I urge you to know the answer. Because your answer is your intention. It’s your why. And your why propels you forward.

Here are a couple of examples. Let’s say your goal is to be a homeowner by the end of the year. Why? Because you want to feel proud of providing for your family. Or maybe your goal is to master your eating habits. Why? Because you want to feel confident in your body. No one’s why is more important than another’s.

So, I urge you to get in touch with your why and keep it at the forefront of your mind as you move forward. It's your very personal motivation to keep moving. Because you won't always feel like it. In fact, one day, you might want to give up. But don't. Instead, tap into your why. And keep. Going. Keep going until you're proud.

Life is a series of transitions. And you can wait for the transition to find you or you can run right up to it and grab it. I say run up and grab it! Because you're much closer to what you want to feel on the other side of the transition.

So, here’s a quick recap of your real summer reset:

Review the last six months.
Revisit your goals.
Revise the roadmap.
Reset your intention.

As a reminder, if you need help to make a goal and stick with it, click here.