Intentionality is Ideal: It’s Never Too Late to “Start” Your Summer

Your summer can start now. Like... right now. 

The second your last exam of winter semester is completed, you are suddenly filled with an immense rush of emotion. Whether it be excitement, dread, anxiety, you ride this wave until you are left asking yourself, what now?  It sometimes feels overwhelming to browse your brain’s catalogue of the many passions and projects that you would like to pursue within these four months without any urgent academic commitments.

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From that hobby that you have been meaning to pick up from when you were a kid or even attempting to fix your sleep schedule, it seems like one are expected to immediately jump back from the aches of the school year and straight into a new routine. 

While, yes, that may be the case for some, please give yourself grace if it is not. With a healthy serving of grace, here are the ABC’s of goal setting that I like to follow as gentle reminders of the unique path towards personal growth we all have during the summer season:    

1. Achieve the ART OF ADJUSTMENT 

A goal with specific and thoughtful intentions behind it will pave a clear path for you. This creates conviction, which acts as a guiding light for when life might get in your way and you are able to get back to the path more easily. Acknowledging, accepting, then adjusting to the inevitable obstacles that growth will welcome is an everlasting skill to hone. 

2. Be sure the goals are for the BETTER & BOUNTIFUL 

What fruits will you bear from these goals? Is the importance of attaining these goals connected to your personal growth, or fulfilling the growth achieved by others? From the beginning, it is important to draw the line between inspiration and imitation. Comparison is the killer of joy, and that cliché especially is in relation to growth. These goals can be as unique as you are! 

3. Be COMPASSIONATE with your approach 

You have to be more compassionate for yourself than a calendar will ever be. Practicing radical self-acceptance will allow you to get back up and get back to the work. A question I find myself asking is, if my best friend was trying to achieve this goal... what would I tell them? Whatever encouraging affirmation you would tell a friend can also be said for yourself. You must welcome the love you give to others to yourself as well.  

If, by the end of reading this article, there is a little spark of wanting to make goals for yourself in a productive and practical way, you have already completed the first step (good job!). 

Do you think you need some guidance setting those goals, and having a source of accountability and structure to your approach? Book an appointment with a Peer Wellness Coach (PWC) at Student Wellness Services.

• Now located on the 4th floor of the John Deutsch University Centre, a 10-30 minute session with a PWC will help you set attainable goals towards a healthy behaviour change.!

It is also imperative to note that growth is almost never linear. It is completely normal to mess up, veer from the path, trip, fall, and take your time to get back up again.  

Consider your winding road a celebration of your humanity, and an opportunity to show resilience and self-love for your potential for growth.  And when you are ready, begin again!