Sometimes it seems like we've wasted a summer if we weren't able to fill our Instagram with photo perfect shots of how fun our life is, or how many friends we have. We buy tickets to amusement parks, concerts, and big events, but it's the things we don't pay for that have the greatest significance. So before you keep trying to buy the end of your summer, here are some things you truly have to do.
1. Spend time with the people you love
Whether you're moving off to college or not, school just keeps us busy- and often times runs us ragged. Even if you're still living at home, quality conversations can be few and far between once the school work piles on. Be where your feet are and cherish those moments while they're available.
2. Laugh like crazy
Not everything in this world must be complex and methodical. Laugh! When your perfect summer that you had so carefully planned falls through? Laugh about it! Fall semester's schedule isn't coming together the way you had hoped? Life is different than you had planned? Take a deep breath, then laugh until you can't breathe. Ephesians 3:20 tells us God has plans for us beyond our wildest imagination! That means that it's ok for things not to always seem ok- someone bigger than us has got this.
3. Think about last year
What worked? What went well? What didn't? To repeat a behavior and expect a different out come? You guessed it, that's called insanity. If you were unhappy last year, take every chance you can to change it! Set yourself up for success, don't just expect it to happen!
4. Evalute where you are now
Be honest with yourself. Where are you struggling? What do you need to work on? Where are you at mentally? Nobody but you can answer these questions, but if you put in the work to answer them you will go so far.
5. Set goals for yourself
You can't get where you want to go if you don't know where you're going. Set big goals! Set small attainable goals! The important thing is that you have a plan and are working on your own growth. Will these goals always be accomplished? Probably not. Is it the end of the world? Nope! Use them as a tool to build yourself with, but don't let them be what you measure yourself worth by.
6. Think about next year
Now that you have goals, how will you get there? What do you have control over that you can plan for? What's out of your control that you need to be flexible with?
7. Read!
Read big books. Read little books. Read blogs. Read the newspaper. Get someone's thoughts other than your own! Perspective has an amazing power in our lives.
8. Plan a B-U-D-G-E-T
There are lots of stressful things in this life, but money doesn't have to be one of them. Some time, effort, and common sense can make life so much smoother while money stretches so much farther.
9. Enjoy it while it last!
Life is short, and nothing gold can stay Ponyboy. Enjoy summer while its here- and when fall gets here? Enjoy that to. Life is full of many things, but consistency isn't one of them. There will be new struggles and challenges. There will be new good things. Enjoy today and it's opportunities while it's here.
