Summer! For those of us who live in places like the Midwest, with tough winters and dramatic temperature swings, summer ushers in the opportunity for good weather and positive change. The change in season (and temperature) opens the door to new things and also invites us to return to things that bring us natural joy. Whether your "happy place" is curling up on a beach with a book, running along the lakefront or dining al fresco -- summer is the perfect time to embrace the things that make you feel the most content or fulfilled. It is a time to move you outside and into the natural world.

Summer travel is one of the things that brings many people, including me, great joy. But the preparation for time away often brings on a whole host of stressors. If you are like most people, the weeks leading up to vacation feel doubly stressful. Then, once you have successfully left work behind, somewhere in the middle of the relaxation... work/worry/stress start to creep into your downtime. Instead of enjoying the all moments of exploration, relaxation and decompression, moments get tempered by worry about all the work waiting for you when you return. Maybe you even start squeezing a little work into your vacation.

Sound familiar? This thought pattern is pervasive and hard to change. It contributes to burnout, dissatisfaction in and out of work, and is generally bad for your health. I speak from experience: I went years without taking a vacation and usually worked six days a week, and sometimes seven, to prove I was a good lawyer. That way of living impacted my health and my relationships. It is a recipe for burnout.

My mindfulness practice, meditation, and that reassessment of needs and wants helped me understand that decompression is worth it. The time off is necessary -- and one must fully shut off to receive the benefits of downtime.

As any of you who have been engaging with me over the past year know, understanding and conquering burnout is one of the missions of my professional development practice. I talk about conquering it in greater detail in my interview in Authority Magazine, published earlier this year. I hope that you can find ways to fully disengage from stress and the tug of your career and work towards balance. If you cannot find that balance on your own -- please reach out. It is my desire to help my clients to avoid the pitfalls of overwork and burnout.

My sincere hope is that you are embracing and enjoying all that summer has to offer and taking a moment (or more!) here or there to rest, recharge, and embrace the shift towards happiness and joy that summer can bring.