80 degrees. 16 hours of daylight. Festivals and fairs happening nearly every weekend. We have clearly began summer here in the Pacific Northwest. I have personally been counting down to this since the end of last summer. All through winter, I dwelt on visions of travelling and outdoor adventuring, and now I can finally get out. Explore. Be spontaneous. Try new things. But, there's just one thing in between me and my next great experience. My job. I'm telling you, working 10 or 11 hour days with an hour and a half commute on both ends of it can really tarnish my opportunities to seize the summer. But, I resolved this year to get out and do more. I live in one of the most beautiful regions of the world after all, and I will not let work ruin my summer. So after thinking a little about how to capitalize on adventure while still being a working professional, I came up with these tips that have already helped me kick off summer right. TAKE LUNCH OUTSIDE Alright everyone. Let's start by ditching the lunch or break room. It has walls. It has artificial light. And even if it has windows, they most likely act as a viewing glass to better settings. Take your lunch outside. Find a coffeehouse, deli, or restaurant with a patio and outdoor seating. Or keep a blanket handy and take yourself on a personal picnic at a nearby park. Drive to an awesome viewpoint where you can park and enjoy the surroundings. Finally, if you're fortunate enough to work in a place where you can eat at your workstation, maximize your lunch break by eating at other points in your day. With a little creativity, that hour break is 60 valuable minutes to really do great summer-oriented things and help you keep in touch with your venturesome side. GET THE MOST OUT OF YOUR WEEKEND For most of us, those two days away from work are priceless. So the natural tendency is to try to fit in as much as possible. The more fun stuff you can do in a weekend, the happier you'll be, right? Well...not necessarily. In fact, cramming too much into one weekend ends up being counterproductive; you spend more time worrying about getting everything done rather than enjoying it. I've been guilty of this. Life's no fun when it's a constant series of things to do. That, ladies and gentlemen, is what work is for. In your 2 days of personal time, leave some room for spontaneity; for alterations; for error. When a carefully crafted schedule gives way to flexibility, then life can get interesting. And it's those interesting, out of the ordinary moments that make for awesome memories...not to mention great stories for Monday morning conversation in the office. Which leads perfectly into my next point. SHARE YOUR EXPERIENCES Where are your friends at? Coordinate outings with them. Your significant other? Find things that you both share interest in outside of the house. Even corporate events people! Take advantage of corporate sponsored activities where you can get to know your coworkers outside of the professional setting. Some of them might actually be cool after they trade the professional attire for cargo shorts and a t-shirt. And once you're done with whatever shenanigans you put yourself up for, show people! Tag where you went and what you did on Facebook. Post the pictures on Instagram. Put together clever tweets to describe your experience. Text people. Call your family and talk about it. We live in a hyper connected world, and our communication capacity should be used to its fullest extent. Why? Because who knows where inspiration for your next adventure will come from. When you share information and experiences, people share back. And the only thing better than your journey is being inspired to do something even more awesome. And finally. NEVER STOP DOING WHAT YOU LOVE TO DO I know how it is when work consumes so much of your life that you feel like you don't have time to do things you love. Like everything in this post, it's just a matter of making it happen. With the proper self motivation, some creativity, and a little help from your social circle, you can work hard and still make this summer wildly spectacular. Make it so. Seize the summer. Be an adventure.
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