Make the Most of the Dog Days of Summer

It’s official.  Summer is moving into its final month we’re getting close to the first part of the work year.  The Dog Days of Summer are here. 

That’s an interesting term isn’t it?

Most people believe the phrase is in reference to the conspicuous laziness of domesticated dogs (who are in danger of overheating with too much exercise) during the hottest days of the summer. When speaking of Dog Days there seems to be a connotation of lying or “dogging” around, or being “dog tired” on these hot and humid days. 

Interestingly enough, the origins of Dog Days originally came from the ancient Greeks and Romans.  They were the days when Sirius, the Dog Star, rose just before or at the same time as sunrise.  The Romans sacrificed a brown dog at the beginning of the Dog Days to appease the rage of Sirius, believing that the star was the cause of the hot, sultry weather. Dog Days were popularly believed to be an evil time “when the seas boiled, wine turned sour, dogs grew mad, and all creatures became languid, causing to man burning fevers, hysterics, and phrensies” according to Brady’s Clavis Calendarium.

I’d like you to consider these Dog Days of Summer. Yes the legends paint a bleak picture, but why not put the “boiling seas” and “mad dog” mentality into your work ethic?  Maybe it’s time we all turn up the heat on our own goals and objectives.

This next four months presents a wide range of opportunities if you simply look for them.  Think about these four months as harvest time (if you pushed yourself during the summer) and if not, think of them now as four months of sowing.  This means it’s time to get busy!  Here are some suggestions:

• Refocus that business plan.
• Develop that business plan.
• Turn off the TV (there’s nothing worth watching in the summer anyway) and pick up some professional development books.
• Reengage your networks. Start making some phone calls and reconnecting.
• Follow up on all those job leads you were given.  Call those hiring managers back (yes, even the ones that won’t return your calls).
• Go back and re-energize those business leads that dropped off during the summer.
• Start (or restart) that diet and exercise plan you gave up on over the past few months.

The Dog Days of Summer will pass you by if you let them.  Once they’re gone, it’s all a blur. I’ve already the Halloween decorations out at Costco. It won’t be long until they appear at Walmart and Target, pushing the back-to-school supplies out. In about two or so months (if not sooner), you’ll see the Christmas decorations out.  If you’re not careful, these next few months will go by and you’ll wake up in January not knowing what happened or where the time went.

I’m ready for a breakout year and I hope you are too.  It won’t happen on its own.  Let’s push hard so we can finish strong!

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Mack "Coach" Munro is an organizational repair expert and Founder and CEO of Munro & Associates.  You can read his blog at www.CoachMunro.com