I LOVE the summer. Not the heavy heat, but the change in routines and the fun experiences it brings 🙂
As we transition from school and work to camps and travels, it’s a great opportunity to prepare intentionally for what’s ahead.Â
The main element we would need is ENERGY. 🌟
Therefore, June at Becoming Lab will be dedicated to creating energy – to finding ways to fulfill our summer dreams, take in the joy, and show up in ways that our hearts truly want.
This brings me to these questions:Â
💠What do you and your kids truly want to experience this summer?Â
💠What memories do you want to create?Â
💠What do you want to be grateful for at the end of it?
How do these questions relate to creating energy?Â
Well, when our wants are being fulfilled, we feel alive. We feel the energy of life flowing within us.Â
To experience more of this energy, we first need to be able to express our wants.
However, I learned that while some wants are easy to express, other wants are imprisoned by our fears, judgments, and limiting beliefs.Â
Therefore, it’s key that we
develop an awareness of hidden wantsÂ
find the conditions that make us feel safe to express these wantsÂ
intentionally practice expressing our wants
I encourage you to make it a conscious choice to approach this exploration from a place of appreciation; this means reminding yourself that every day you have wants that are already being fulfilled. From that place of fullness, develop a curiosity for new ways to express and fulfill your summer wants and dreams.Â
Let’s bring it into practice.Â
Becomers' Weekly challenge - Express Yourself
1. Express Your Summer Wants ✨Â
Get started: Find a calm moment and list the things you want to experience or do this summer. Questions to reflect on:Â
- What do you truly want to experience this summer?Â
- What memories do you want to create?Â
- What do you want to be grateful for at the end of it?
NOTE: The list can include small things, like organizing items for donations, and big things, like traveling and exploring a new location.
Go deeper: After your initial list, challenge yourself to find and express hidden wants. Here are some liberating questions that might help:
- What would you do this summer if you got paid time off?
- What would your pre-parenthood younger self do this summer?
- What did you enjoy doing as a kid?Â
2. Becoming Family Activity - Express Wants Together ✨
Get started: Find a calm moment and ask your family what they want to do or experience this summer (you can use the ‘Get Started’ questions above).Â
- Mention that the goal is to practice expression and capture the whole family’s wants. This allows you to: 1) all be on the same page when it comes to everyone’s wants and 2) collaborate and coordinate ways to fulfill these wants
- Write down everyone’s answers, including yours.Â
NOTES:
- write down everything you hear, without judgment – Hold your judgment even when you hear the kids expressing they want to go to the moon 🙂 remember that the goal is to create a safe space for everyone to express themselves.Â
- explain that writing the wants doesn’t mean we will be able to fulfill all of them this summer. However, this activity gives you a unique opportunity toÂ
- acknowledge, validate, and consider wants
- practice teamwork – engage in design thinking and creative problem solving to find ways and times to fulfill various wantsÂ
- process together the experience of not getting some wants (which by itself fulfill other needs like the need for connection and trust)
Go deeper: Challenge them to explore and express wants beyond their initial answers. Some questions to ask:Â
Do you have other ideas to promote self-expression this summer? Share with us in the comments. 👇
Let me know if you have any questions.
Onward to writing and fulfilling your summer dreams 🥰
Liz
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2 Responses
I love it!
Definitely going to try it at home 🙂
So glad to hear 🙂