Summer in the Northeast is bliss! The culture up here in the Delaware Valley and beyond is to work Monday through Thursday. Summer hours, it’s called…and then you are off to the Jersey shore or you head up to the gorgeous green hills of the Poconos to relax lakeside.
After my move from Florida a few years ago, I guffawed this tradition! Who in their right mind cuts their time for productivity by 20%, just to gain more vacation time…This frivolous practice just didn’t add up to someone who is a self described workaholic!
Fast forward three years later and I totally get it! Taking the time to enjoy the emerald, lush landscape and the gorgeous bouquet of wildflowers accessorizing the rural back roads of my commute and getting a bonus day for every weekend totally makes sense to me now!
Summer to me used to be about writing as many grants as possible, getting a jumpstart on the holiday season and taking advantage of the extra time that the sun hangs in the sky. Now, and maybe because I am getting older, I see the benefits of taking the time to smell the wildflowers, taking the time to meet up with cousins at the shore and turning Thursday afternoons into Sangria gatherings with the neighborhood gals!
As I write this blog post, we are halfway through the summer and I can already see the benefits of slowing down a little and really enjoying the interactions with neighbors, friends and family. I’ve taken a road trip with my daughter and I’ve kicked my feet up more than usual! Later on, I’ll visit the shore and reconnect with the Atlantic ocean again, and reconvene my love affair with the East coast. Maybe it’s kismet or maybe it’s luck, but low and behold, last week I was asked by six different CEO’s to send out some new client proposals for grant writing, digital storytelling and board development. These requests came through with little or no effort on my part. Why, you might ask? Happiness attracts happiness. Bliss knows bliss. People want to work with people who are happy, people who have it together, and people who are comfortable with change.
It took me three years to adapt to the Northeast’s culture of “summer hours”. If this is what change looks like and feels like…BRING IT ON!!
-Grace Alfiero, CEO & President of Arts In Action LLC.