Unwind and Reset: Embrace the Art of Laziness this Summer

Summer… a time when the world slows down, offering us the perfect opportunity to relax and rejuvenate. But I truly believe it’s also the ideal moment to reset our minds as well as our bodies. And both can be reached through one beautiful summer activity: laziness. 

While we often acknowledge that taking pauses can make us more efficient, we frequently forget to practice this in our daily lives. You know it, I know it, and many great minds have expressed the profound benefits of idleness. 

Oscar Wilde, the witty Irish playwright and poet, once said, "To do nothing at all is the most difficult thing in the world, the most difficult and the most intellectual." Wilde’s perspective is thought-provoking. He suggests that true perfection lies not in what we possess, but in who we are. Embracing moments of stillness and reflection can lead to a deeper understanding of ourselves. 

Taking the time to reset our minds and bodies by disconnecting and avoiding "busyness" during the summer break is beneficial both in the short term and in the long run. Throughout my 40+ year professional career, I have always been committed to my summer break, taking three solid weeks of vacation with my family each summer and fully disconnecting from work. This practice, though unconventional among my American colleagues, has always been incredibly resourceful and precious. 

Whether you have a long break or not, here’s my special summer season episode to help you reflect and maybe start reinventing yourself… 

Embracing Growth and Reinvention 

Let's get started with an enlightening episode featuring Whitney Johnson best-selling author of "Smart Growth: How to Grow Your People to Grow Your Company." In our discussion, she explained how the famous "S-curve" can be applied to personal development. 

It reminds me of another episode with Douglas Conant about "Guiding Others through Greatness" and shaping our life narrative. In this episode, he shares his experience of being fired and how he rebuilt his confidence and identity with the help of an outplacement counselor, Neil McKenna. 

Another inspiring leader I have learned from is Bill George , the former CEO of Medtronic. In the episode "Finding Your True North", he talks about the unique value of processing major life events, including the most challenging ones he calls "crucible moments." 

Turning Challenges into Opportunities 

Reinventing ourselves is sometimes compelled by external circumstances and isn’t necessarily triggered by our own decisions. Yet those seemingly negative moments can often be transformed into positive highlights in our lives if we know how to embrace them properly. 

So, I’d like us to listen to my discussion with Dorie Clark , an educator at Columbia Business School and Duke University and a Wall Street Journal bestselling author, from the episode “Reinventing yourself”. 

Equipping Yourself for the Journey 

As you embark on your reinvention journey, I want you to be well-equipped and inspired by some of the best positive thinkers and leaders. My previous guests have provided many useful tips perfectly suited to this season of reset. 

To truly assess who you are and who you want to be, let’s find your intrinsic motivation. Here's a great exchange I had with Angela Duckworth , author of "The Power of Grit," an amazingly inspiring book. 

As you clarify your intrinsic motivation, learn how to control your awareness and focus. Dandapani, a Hindu priest and master of meditation, believes that in order to channel our time and energy towards achieving our goals, we need to become aware. And according to him, every one of us has a “ball of light” in our mind. In the episode “9 Powers of Positive Leadership – Lesson2: Generating Positive Energy”, I had a great dialogue with him about this. 

As you develop your awareness, you’ll be able to nurture your emotional intelligence, turning every situation into an opportunity to learn more and give more. Here’s an inspiring exchange I had with Daniel Goleman , author of the seminal book "Emotional Intelligence" and more recently "Optimal: How to Sustain Excellence Every Day," where he deals with the notion of perfectionism. 

Connecting with Others 

Lastly, remember that unwinding and reinventing ourselves doesn’t mean being isolated. We need to reach out to others and to the world. Jacqueline Novogratz , founder and CEO of the non-profit venture Acumen pointed this out in the episode “Building a Better World Together”. I highly recommend you to listen to this episode. 

Conclusion 

Now the time has come to unwind and reset our minds and bodies. After all those insightful discussions I had with those positive leaders and based on my own experience as well, I can’t deny the benefits of idleness and laziness. And I hope you can try that too this summer. You won’t believe how refreshed, focused, and clear-minded you’ll feel before going "back to school or work." 

On my side, I want to let you know, dear listeners, that I will take a much-needed summer break myself. I’ll be back on September 4th. 

So for now, I wish you wonderful holidays and genuinely hope you all experience a beneficial summer reset. Enjoy your break. Take care. And talk soon!