Sizzling or Fizzling Summer Motivation?

Getting motivated to work this time of year, in the middle of the summer and hot sunny weather, can be difficult. It seems that everyone I talk to either has had weeks and weeks of time off or has had no time off at all, one extreme or the other.

The phrase “of his own volition” has come up quite a bit in my network circles this summer, meaning that some people are motivated to get things done and make the most of a busy economy, making hay while the sun shines, while others are not. We’re finally coming out of a tough recession, and while our American friends may still face some difficult days ahead, we Westerners seem to be pretty pumped about getting busy and making some dough now that the stars are aligning for us.

Those who have had the pleasure of taking many weeks of vacation time off this year to relax, I am jealous of! But at the same time, I’ve watched many people work harder this summer than any summer before, maybe to make up for the financial difficulties of the past couple years. There certainly appears to be no middle ground, no perfect eight hours per day, Monday to Friday, with a one hour lunch and two 15 minute coffee breaks, and a relaxing two week vacation. Instead, there is work to do and many people are motivated to get it done, choosing the option to start early and stay late, of their own free will, to feel like they are accomplishing something in 2011, while the summer is whizzing by quickly. Of course, there are teachers and related educational people who take the summers off, and there are seasonal workers who take the winters off, but most employees are working through this summer with no real break in sight!

Very strange summer we are having here in Alberta, very busy or very lazy, super pumped or super tired, not a minute to breathe or days filled with naps and long walks! I think both roads are awesome, because overall, our employee pool is happy, motivated, and positive about our province’s future. We do need to be thankful for living in our province, where we have the freedom to choose to work, play, travel, spend, save, or bounce back from anything thrown at us!