What does the word “Summer” mean to you?
Is it simply a season or does it mean more?
For a part of me, Summer is a time of warm, light evenings that feel carefree without the normal constraints of day to day life.
For another part of me, Summer used to mean getting 100s of bales of straw and hay in which meant long, hot days with a hurting back and arms and legs scratched to pieces. It was not something I looked forward to.
There’s definitely mixed feelings around the word “Summer” for me.
Recently we have had some incredibly hot weather in the UK and it certainly brought with it mixed points of view. A part of me finds the different ways in which people react totally fascinating. As a holistic mindset coach, I remind myself that “the thing is never the thing” and although people appeared to be celebrating or berating the sun, it wasn’t actually anything to do with the sunshine – it was about what it meant to them.
For some people the sun meant a time to relax and enjoy that summer vibe.
For others it meant increased inconvenience and irritation as their plans and day to day life were interrupted.
Now the weather has changed again and, as I write this, it is raining outside and less than 20 degrees Celsius.
For some of us, Summer may still feel like it is “loading” whereas for others summer is already done and dusted. Remember we may use the same word but our definitions may be very different – it’s what it means to us.
This month I invite you to be curious about how you define words and what they actually mean to you. As business owners we can use the definitions of words to build ourselves up or tear ourselves down. One word that comes up time and time again for business owners is “consistency” and I’m not talking about custard here. Many business owners want to be consistent in their business and define that word as “every day” or “in the same way.” Many business owners have made consistency to be a weight around their neck rather than the action that will set them free. I invite you to go and check out the actual meaning of the word consistency – is that what you thought it meant?
Until next time,
Best wishes
Philippa x