As someone who has lived on an educational calendar for the majority of my life, summer is when I relax, reflect, and recharge my soul.

June is like my complete play month. I roll with each day and never quite know what I’m going to do with it.

July rolls around, and then I get serious about what I really want to get done. It gives me a chance to implement or lock-in some habits I want to plant or grow.

So, I’m giving myself a July Challenge to focus on six areas of my life that either need a better foundation or a boost.

• Movement: 30+ minutes of movement each day with a focus of 10,000 steps on 15 or more days.
• Hydrate: At least 64 ounces of water a day. I have a 40 ounce Stanley. Drinking two of those each day will get me beyond my goal.
• Healthier eating: I’m going to focus on 3-5 veggies/fruits each day. This is a low number but will still be a challenge for me.
• Read: I’m going to read 20-30 minutes a day. Each week I’m going to read a different book. If I’m enjoying it, then I will continue reading it. If not, then I will put it away and try a different one. I’ve committed to borrowing books from my local library to assist me with this endeavor.
• Connect with myself daily at the beginning and the end of it. I already do a decent job of this. At the beginning of the day I do a 10-minute guided meditation, bible study, and journal. At the end of the day, I reflect on the highlights from the day and record one of them in my One Line a Day Five Year Memory Book.
• Connect with a loved one. This is a new one for me to make a focused effort on doing daily. It could be reaching out through a text, phone call, or email. It might be meeting for coffee or going for a walk. It could be sending a note via snail mail.

Giving ourselves a focus for a month is highly individual and should be. If some of these don’t resonate with you in the way I’m going to, then I invite you to listen to Episode 55 of Let the Adventure Begin with Chris Denker Podcast. It just dropped today (June 28). I’m talking about different ideas that might better reflect what you want to do and am giving you a way to track your progress.

Be well, friends.