Summertime is an excellent opportunity for our kids to take a break, and it’s also a great opportunity as a family to spend some quality time together. Whether it’s seeing loved ones for the first time in a long time or taking advantage of a vacation or staycation, summertime can be a strategic time to be intentional, grow in your relationships, and refocus your family. The temptation is to fill up our summer calendars with more activities like clinics, camps, and competitions. While there is nothing wrong with those things, don’t overlook the opportunity to reflect and do some forward-thinking.
Like sports teams, making halftime adjustments in the locker room to finish the game on top is also true in our families. Summertime can be an excellent opportunity to make necessary adjustments to get back on track by making good on New Year’s resolutions set in January and developing new goals for the fall so everyone can finish this year strong in your family. Use this summer to regroup and reprioritize those things that matter most. Here is a list of suggested questions to ask. Let me encourage you to answer these questions individually, and if you’re married, work through these questions as a couple. If you have pre-teens and teenagers, use these same questions to help get them thinking and talking. This doesn’t have to be formal or laborious. You can use some of these questions over dinner or by going out for ice cream to help you spark conversations. The goal is to get everyone engaged so you can celebrate your wins and learn from your losses.
Leverage this summer to make necessary adjustments so everyone can avoid drifting and live with greater intention.
A Look Back
- What am I most grateful for so far?
- What are my biggest accomplishments so far?
- What are my proudest moments so far?
- What are my most positive impacts so far?
- What have been my biggest growth moments so far?
- What have been my most significant relationships so far?
- What has been my biggest time waster?
- What have been my biggest mistakes?
- What have been my missed opportunities?
- What have been my least-impactful relationships?
As you can see, these questions are designed to talk about the highs and the lows that we encounter virtually every day in our lives.
Author Rick Warren says, “I used to think that life was hills and valleys – you go through a dark time, then you go to the mountaintop, back and forth. I don’t believe that anymore,” he says. “Rather than life being hills and valleys, I believe it’s kind of like two rails on a railroad track, and at all times, you have something good and something bad going on.”
I have found that statement to be very true in my own life and family. This is why taking time to reflect and asking ourselves questions, as I have provided above, can help us maintain the proper perspective throughout the year to keep growing and live our lives with fewer regrets.
It’s been said that our most valuable possession is the 24 hours we have right in front of us. We cannot become who we need to be by remaining who we are. Let’s all commit to making this summer a time to refresh, refocus, and recommit to finishing 2021 strong!
