Vol 2007 - Edition 01

The Dog Days of Summer are upon us!

It may be steamy outside, but by now, many of us may be running out of steam…

As summer grinds its way into the “Dog Days” it is inevitable that many of us will get distracted from our current life goals.  Legend has it that the Dog Days are so named for the Dog Star – Sirius.  This brilliant, celestial orb rises and sets with our Sun beginning in late July.  Ancient Romans believed Sirius was responsible for the added heat during the late summer months and so christened this period “The Dog Days”. 

Given that we have a name for this particular period of time, perhaps it marks a good time to get “Sirius” about our personal and professional development.   With the searing heat, the pending change in seasons, and often a return to an academic calendar, we may find ourselves losing focus on our own goals and taking off in a completely different direction. 

Just as returning students are busy making back-to-school lists, review your personal and professional development lists.  Have you completed any of the items on your “To Do” list”?  Did you read any books during summer vacation that could inspire and empower?  Some of you may still have vacation plans during this time.  Consider taking a copy of Free Agent Nation: The Future Of Working For Yourself to the beach or to the lake or on the plane.  This will allow you to read, ruminate, and react to some powerful message that could change your life!  While you are lying on the beach in your reflector sunglasses, make some time to reflect on your life, your state of mind, and your direction.

The debris field from our personal and professional lives is often so full of clutter that we “can’t see the forest for the trees”.  If you use a vacation to put some distance between your hectic, every day life and a clean, quiet space where you can easily tap into your subconscious, you may find inspiration.  Gazing up into the night sky from the beach or a summer retreat reveals so many more tiny points of light that are typically invisible from your urban back yard.  Those stars are always there.  They just become visible when you get away from the light pollution that obstructs your view.  

Similarly, a clear view of your professional and personal development may require that you step away and find a quiet, peaceful setting, free from daily pollution.  Removing yourself from your daily grind may help you locate the inspiration that is always there but is difficult to find in your personal debris field.

During the Dog Days, the sun may burn, the seas may boil, and the sky may darken.  If you match this seasonal intensity with your own personal intensity, you may just find yourself at the head of the pack as the Alpha Dog!

Fight the urge to take a cat nap from your career during the dog days of summer!

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