Can you feel it? Summer, it’s almost here!
Ready or not the final school bell is about to ring, students will be on summer break and the possibilities are endless. I was thinking back on some of my last days of school recently. I remember in elementary school some fun end-of-year activities, as I got older in middle and high school there were yearbooks to sign and everyone (students and teachers) got excited about things like field days, fun activities or games, and just the sense of anticipation for summer.
The idea of getting to sleep in a bit later, or better yet - staying up or out later. I think my biggest goals during most summer vacations were to spend time with friends. Building deeper relationships and memories that have stuck with me for the long haul. Riding bikes, climbing dirt hills and trees, exploring things we probably shouldn’t have - like that abandoned barn and farmhouse that used to sit where now about 30 homes are. I think we all were up to date on our tetanus shots. Anyway, it was a time to explore, grow and create.
Now as Summer is again on our doorstep, as parents, and those who care for and about youth, I wanted to pose a question - what if we modeled a level of intentionality before that bell rings? What if the youth we love got to experience all the memory-making that youth should AND achieved some goals while they’re at it?
Here are the 3 C’s for Summer Success. I want to challenge you, the adult to put this into practice, and then ask your youth to do the same.
Commit to your goals - first, identify a goal or two that you have for the next three to six months. Write it down for yourself - somewhere you’re going to see it regularly as a reminder and a place to track and report (to yourself) your progress as you work towards completion. If we don’t commit to a goal or two summer will be gone and we’ll wish we had done something more.
Communicate your goals with family/friends, mentors, and your Coach. Now that you have a goal or two it’s important to say it out loud. Ask for some accountability. If we keep it to ourselves we are more likely to not be as committed as we probably want to be.
Consistently take the next steps every day toward your goals. One small step at a time will get us there. My friend John Maxwell puts it best; Small disciplines repeated with consistency every day lead to great achievements gained slowly over time.
So, are you ready? Get started today with identifying your goal. Then start the conversations with your family and the youth you know. Share your goal and plan then ask them what goals they would like to commit to this summer. By the time we’ve packed away all the great memories for Summer, we’ll have accomplished so many great things too. I can’t wait to hear how your Summer break went.
Make it a great day,
Chris
P.S. If you’d like to unpack this further for you, your youth, or your family I’d love to set up a Complimentary Discovery Session today.