Top 5 Ways to Jump Start a Solid Summer

Summer fun is important, but the best part is that you can have fun AND improve your leadership of self in the process. One of the best ways to grow and learn as a person is to get out of your comfort zone. This list of our Top 5 things to kick off an epic summer will have you doing things that are fun, as well as opportunities to do something new and out of the normal routine & habits.

Go on an ADVENTURE

Adventure is defined as an unusual and exciting experience or activity. An adventure doesn’t need to mean an extravagant trip or vacation, it just has to be something that’s a bit unusual based on your normal day-to-day activities. While you can always hit the internet and search for adventures (hit up Pinterest or Google for some quick ideas,) you can always brainstorm ideas on your own. Take some time to think about the things in your area that you can do for a few hours, or a whole day, and get adventuring. Don’t feel like coming up with your own ideas? Try the Spark Adventure “matchbook,” filled with 50 ideas of simple adventures.

Visit a Hidden Gem/Best Kept Secret Nearby

Are you living in an area that’s relatively new to you? Have you taken time recently to go somewhere cool and new to you in a city nearby? Checking for hidden gems or best-kept secrets in your town or a one-tank drive away is well worth it.

If you’re in a city that you’ve spent a significant amount of time in, it’s likely that you’ve stumbled across these types of places. If you’re new to an area, it’s a great way to get out of your comfort zone and learn more about your new surroundings. It may be that you’ve already hit your local hidden spot, but there may be one within a short drive (or a fun road trip!) of your home.

Here are two comprehensive lists that cover some hidden gems and best kept secrets in each US state:

Make a Summer Bucket List

Sometimes, the planning part is enough to get you excited and ready to jumpstart your adventure! Taking time to make a bucket list of the things that you want to do while you’re enjoying the summer season & its gorgeous weather can get you motivated to do the things that get you out of your comfort zone.

It can be a simple list that you write on a Post-It, something you tap out in the notes app on your phone, a document on your computer, or a beautifully designed, hand-written Bucket List. The most important part is to get started and just DO it. Even if you don’t have the time or the resources on your list, anything leftover from the summer of 2021 can be carried into upcoming seasons or saved for next summer.

Create a BORED Jar

Maybe a Bucket List isn’t your style, you’d rather operation on the fly based on your mood or fluctuating schedule. A great way to integrate adventures, or situations that get you out of your comfort zone, into a busy or unpredictable schedule is a Bored Jar. A Bored Jar is a way to put all of these ideas in one spot, with no pressure to complete all of them or in any specific chronological order.

You can write down all the things you’d like to do – you can keep it simple or make it complicated – on slips of paper or popsicle sticks and place them in a jar. Whenever you’re bored, just grab a slip of paper or a popsicle stick and go on your adventure!

Tackle One of Your Fears

One of the simplest things you can do to get out of your comfort zone, albeit terrifying or anxiety-inducing at times, is to identify one of your fears and aim to tackle it head-on. While it can be terrifying at the moment, taking the step to actively face your fears & the things that scare you is an integral part of the leadership of self.

Part of overcoming fear(s) is tackling the anxiety and emotional struggle prior to the experience. In nearly every instance, you’ll come out the other side in one piece, but you’ll realize that your fear isn’t bigger or stronger than you. Tackling fears can be as easy as putting yourself in a situation that makes you uncomfortable, like public speaking, or taking on the crazy activities that a small part of you has always wanted to try, like sky diving. No matter what fear you’re facing, all you need is two seconds of courage to start doing it.

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