“Watch any young child and you will marvel at their ability to make something out of nothing — their ability to turn an empty room into a canvass for their fantasies and transform the most ordinary of moment into the most magical."
— Dr. Shefali Tsabary, The Conscious Parent

What would it look like for you to give yourself full permission to be in vacation-mode beyond your actual "time off"?

What if you gave yourself full permission for FUN the next four months?

I remember a time where I yearned for those vacation days of summer — days that I could take completely off from my work mind, emails, and the constant stream of deadlines and new projects to lead.

Vacation felt like a window of hope that I’d be able to relax “then.” It felt like oxygen awaited.

Then I would get to vacation and it would be over so quickly, almost in a blink, leaving me feeling like I needed a vacation from my vacation.

Perhaps some of you feel similarly.

A few years ago, I heard someone I greatly admire say something to the effect of, “The great thing about life is that every day can feel like a vacation — if you want it to!”

If you want it to.

It hit me then. The feeling of vacation is really, truly all mindset. Completely within our control, which means ultimately it can occur anywhere at anytime, for anyone.

With summer around the corner, my encouragement is to consider what would fill the next four months with fun, freedom, playfulness, novelty.

PERMISSION FOR FUN: {Exercise} Creating Your Most FUN Summer Yet

A few weeks ago, a client flew into town for a whole day of specialty coaching together, and during it I walked her through a process I learned from Laura Vanderkam, one of my favorite leaders on intentional living.

The process is what Laura calls creating a “Summer Fun List.” The gist of this exercise is to preemptively give yourself space to consider what you want to experience before summer happens and it's over. Your list can include anything - big or small, significant or silly.

You can see Laura’s 2021 list here. She shares her list every year on her blog.

I did the exercise for myself while my client created her list. Even though I’m pretty intentional with my vision and plans, I still had some new ideas come in that I didn't know were there.

I’m sharing mine with you here as another real example, and in case it inspires you to consider doing your own.

Sarah’s 2022 Summer FUN List
1. Lavender Festival at 123 Farms
2. See 4th of July fireworks from a boat!
3. Volunteer for event with Free Mom Hugs during PRIDE Month
4. See a show at Hollywood Bowl
5. Anniversary trip with Zach (my husband)
6. Monthly “Dreaming Day” for nurturing my creativity and play, offsite
7. Just-ladies trip with my girlfriends
8. Weekly Mama-Hyland Dates (my daughter)
9. Wine tasting
10. Eat & Play in London - 10 days in May!
11. Compile my digital book - finally
12. Standing weekly date nights with Zach - new places to eat/see
13. Get bikes for us/ teach Hy to ride a bike
14. Go see Grandparents-at-Work day(s) - field trip for Hy
15. Make homemade lavender lemonade and vanilla-grapefruit jam from our fruit trees
16. Take a live, advanced cooking class
17. Get a swimsuit I actually love
18. Learn some new plant-based grilling meals
19. Get a cooling mattress cover
20. Do a west coast roadtrip from Orange Country to Vancouver, Canada

For me, this list holds the energy of fun and joy. (For someone else, this might be their list of the least fun things ever! That's the great thing: Your list is about what fills YOU.)

Final note:
It’s not about making sure everything gets checked off, it’s more about capturing the spirit of what you might like to do and allowing space for more inspiration. Some of the things I listed are already planned and happening, and some might not take place this year. It’s simply about letting yourself consider what would be fun and alive for you.

Are you up for making your own Summer Fun List?

If you are, read Laura’s list, set a timer for 15 minutes, put on some music, and let yourself be open to what you’d love to do this summer.

And if you do this, I want to know! I’m committed to championing the people in my world and that includes you. Send me your list via email at sarah@threebeatsconsulting.com so I can celebrate you.