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Find your JOY this Summer.

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What is it you most WANT this summer? Do that.

“I am flying through the tops of the trees, held snugly by the padded bench and metal bar of the lift as it takes me up the mountainside. I inhale sweet high mountain air and look in awe at the majesty all around me. Wow, this is summer at it’s best. I am at the Sundance Resort in Utah only 50 minutes from my front door. And yet I have never done this!! Why did it take a dear friend’s visit to get me up here? Why have I never explored it on my own? I am opening to more adventure in my life this summer. And I am amazed at what is right around the corner.” Marla Dee

Jinny Ditzler of Best Year Yet wrote this lovely article titled “Want to Make This Summer the One You Finally Enjoy?” and we just had to share it with you.

…So here we are again in the first days of this blessed season. This year I’m determined to make the most of it. Here are last summer’s unkept promises, but this year these and more will happen because I’m going to stick my neck out and promise to give you a full report after it’s over.

  • Sit in my favorite garden chair and read every day, even if only for a bit.
  • Take a whole day to go for a hike in the mountains.
  • Once a week make a big cup of coffee, go to the park, and gaze at the sky.
  • Invite more people to enjoy simple meals by our pool.

But it’s not easy. Last Tuesday after a long weekend in Aspen to celebrate our 35th anniversary, I awoke filled with energy and happy to tackle my pile of tasks. Later feeling proud after a productive day, I found Tim swimming laps in the pool. I said, Well, somebody has the right idea ~ good for you! ~ but thought to myself, What’s wrong with this picture?

Instead of integrating the relaxation, blessings and love of the weekend into my first day back (as he had done) I spent most of the day at my desk, yet again intent on getting as much done as possible. In spite of the fact that one of my three Best Year Yet Guidelines this year is Enjoy life.

Summer is the most enlivening time, isn’t it? It’s so natural to want to slow down, contemplate, meditate, read, walk ~ and enjoy ourselves.

Let’s make the most of this time of renewal as the benefits are many:

  • Greater sense of inner calm
  • Increased fitness as we go outside and move
  • More clarity as we expand our horizons in these warmer, longer days
  • Time to read, think, learn and inspire
  • Peace that comes from enjoying each moment

Next Steps

  1. Make a list of your summer promises.
  2. Choose someone you’ll be accountable to.
  3. Add one summer enjoyment action to your To Do List every day.

 

Above all I recommend that if you haven’t ever made a Best Year Yet® plan…

Marla Dee in the mountains of Utah

Marla Dee loving this summer in the mountains of Utah

Visit original blog post.

Love on summer. Love on your life.

Marla, Kate & Team

Slow Down for Summer

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Summer can be a time to slow down rather than speed up!

Summer is a sweet time. We often feel the tug to be a kid again on summer vacation, free from life’s responsibilities. And yet the summer can get crazy and even busier than the rest of the year. So how do we slow down and take in the sweetness of this summer?

Renee is a constant source of inspiration for us. Her blog below offers simple truth on how to slow down and love your summer, whatever stage of life you are.

One of my touchstones for gauging how fast–or slow–I’m living, is noticing if I have a vase of fresh herbs and flowers on my desk. When I’m living the life I desire, I create the time to meander in my garden and pick colorful, fragrant flowers and plants to enjoy in my office.

What’s your touchstone that lets you know you’re moving at a speed that feels just right for you? A signal that tells you you’re living joyfully and in alignment with what matters most?

For the last 16 years I’ve been self-employed. And it took me more than half of that time to figure out that I get to choose the speed at which I live, work and play.

When I finally “got this,” I realized … summer is an especially sacred time for me. It’s a time when I crave–and need–to slow way down. To embrace expanses of unscheduled time, to enjoy spontaneity, adventure, more time in nature and less time online. As delicious to me as homemade peach ice cream–I lap up spaciousness and big open creative windows where I get to sit with ideas, meditate on my life purpose and personal hopes and visions, integrate all I’ve learned from the past six months, explore new ways of being and reconnect with soulful friends for long hikes and late night swims in spring-fed waters. Summer is when I re-calibrate and am reminded of who I am and what I love.

Continue reading on her blog…

This is the 3rd year that we are really practicing slowing down during the summer. We hope you find the joy and peace in doing so yourself. – Marla, Kate & Team

Clear & SIMPLE, Renee Trudeau