September is a transitional month for many.
Summer ends, school starts again, and fall begins to creep in. September has brought me a lot of anxiety in the past. Everything seems to happen in September — weddings, festivals, concerts, and work events. Many people view the month as the last chance to savor warm weather before winter begins to loom. September is summer’s last breath. It’s exhilarating and beautiful, but sometimes it’s also sad.
What if we view September as a chance to begin again instead of as the end of something beautiful?
What if we let the end of summer blossom into new dreams instead of racing against the sand in the hourglass? Instead of realizing that September marks only four months left to achieve this year’s goals, why can’t we see it as four more months to try new things?
I’m usually not a fan of September, but this year, I want to change my perspective. Instead of griping about the sweltering weather, I’ll be grateful for the extra chances to do the “summer activities” that I missed out on. Instead of dreading the way that my calendar fills in September, I hope to feel like living so much life in one month is a gift.
Before the holiday season begins and winter takes over, we have September. This month can be a real wild card — hot, cold, stressful, beautiful, busy, boring, and exciting. You can embrace this month’s chaos and learn to go with the flow, or you can spend 30 days wishing that it were any other month.
I don’t want to spend any more time wishing that my life were different. I want to shift my mindset and take action.
September 1 isn’t New Year’s Day, but that doesn’t mean that you can’t begin again this month.
Maybe you no longer want to achieve the goals you set in January, and you have your sights on new ambitions. That’s OK. You can use this month of transition to set goals that more closely align with who you currently are.
When we set goals in January, we have no idea how the year will play out. We don’t know who we will become. We can’t possibly anticipate everything that we will face during the year. Maybe setting goals in September is actually better. By September, we have a better read on how the year has been and what we need to keep moving forward. With a more informed plan for the rest of the year, we can choose paths that truly suit us.
Maybe September isn’t as glamorous as New Year’s Day, but that doesn’t mean that it can’t be just as meaningful. The best time to start over is whenever you need to. If you feel stuck, and this year isn’t going as you planned, take a deep breath and give yourself the chance to start over.
Take September as a sign that change doesn’t always need to be scary. Setting new goals right now might be exactly what you need.
Featured Photo by Elena Mozhvilo on Unsplash.
