Summer Melissa is almost here. Starting Friday, I will have 73 days off from work (minus summer checkouts, coursework, and my summer work days). I often find that summer is not the time of growth that I would think it would be. Most of my big, life-changing decisions I’ve made for the better have not happened when I have the most time. I’d like to work on that. Yes, I’ve had amazing experiences over the years during the summer, but I don’t typically feel that is when I work on becoming a better person.

So, just like any other thing I tackle, I decided to make a plan. It starts with my Summer Adventure list seen above. Essentially, it is a bucket list to help guide the time I have to make sure I accomplish my goals. There are many other things I plan on doing, but these are the things I want to do for myself.

To help solidify some of my goals, I’m going to break down the “how” in this post. I’m excited about the opportunity to have the time to do the work to reach these new levels of growth.

Develop a Meditation Practice

I love when I do meditation, but I have failed to make it a habit. I’m hoping to take the time I have this summer to build a routine that is fail-proof when life gets busy. I am going to challenge myself to 70 days in a row of meditation. The rules? I have to meditate for a minimum of 5 minutes each day. I’d like to make it closer to 20 minutes and the morning would be ideal, but I think putting limiters on this practice is what causes me to skip it. By requiring I do a minimum of 5 minutes a day makes it absolutely possible. If I don’t require a specific time of day, I can do it anytime and anywhere. I’d like to journal after the meditation when possible to track progress, but once again, it won’t be required. Thanks, Atomic Habits for giving me some guiding principles to help me get this going.

Practice Yoga

I started out so well this year with yoga, but then I hurt my back and I stepped away from it. Yoga is hard for me. It is kind of embarrassing to say that, but I get dizzy easily, I feel blood rush to my head, my wrists hurt for downward poses, and I don’t typically feel great. I am going to research different types of yoga and find one that feels good to start and then build the rigor as time goes on. I also want to pick a pose that is a goal I can work towards. In the end doing something is better than nothing and it starts with making it attractive.

Recipe Toolbox

When I was in Paris back in 2013, I took a cooking class that was just so amazing. We met together in the 18th arrondissement and toured various markets, boulangeries, and other specialty shops. The chef selected the freshest foods and designed a menu based on what we collected. There was no meal planning or fixed recipes. We took our finds back to the kitchen and made dishes I never would have expected to enjoy. This summer, I want to go to markets and find the freshest foods. It is my goal to get good enough with cooking and have a recipe toolbox in my mind that allows me to curate a menu from scratch. To reach this goal I will continue to practice new recipes and learn the essence of what makes a recipe work.

Improve Presence

My mind is almost always in the future. Something I need to get done, something else I want to do, somewhere else I’d rather be. This is not a path to happiness. I’m trying so hard to improve this, but have not been successful yet. I’m hoping by doing some habit stacking that I can tackle this flaw. Each morning I read meditations by Stoics, by adding meditation and journaling, I’m hoping I will be better at being here. One thing I definitely need to do is limit screen time. It is such an unconscious decision I make to grab for my phone during a down minute. I’ve started removing notifications, but I need to do more. I feel like I need to limit my scrolling to 10 minutes a day. This is one I need to map out a bit more, but I know that if I take that time I’m wasting on social media, I could use it to make myself better as well as increase my ability to be here.

Doing better has become my life’s goal and I’m excited to continue working on myself.