Latest / Amazing Life Breakthrough / Ep 66 | The September Reset - When Life Gets Structured Again

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Ep 66 | The September Reset - When Life Gets Structured Again · Amazing Life Breakthrough

• 0:06
  SPEAKER_00: There's something interesting about this time of year, especially here in the Pacific Northwest.
• 0:11
  SPEAKER_00: Summer isn't really over yet.
• 0:13
  SPEAKER_00: We still have some warm days ahead of us.
• 0:16
  SPEAKER_00: Labor Day is coming up, and for a lot of families around here, school doesn't even begin until after the holiday.
• 0:22
  SPEAKER_00: But you can feel the change coming.
• 0:24
  SPEAKER_00: The backpacks are showing up in the stores, school supplies are stacked in the aisles, parents are checking calendars, students are thinking about new teachers, new classes, maybe a new school altogether.
• 0:35
  SPEAKER_00: College students are figuring out books, tuition, housing, and schedules.
• 0:40
  SPEAKER_00: And even if nobody in your household is going back to school, September still seems to have a way of changing the rhythm of life.
• 0:47
  SPEAKER_00: Vacations start winding down, people return to work, activities start back up, evenings get a little more structured, calendars start filling again, the loose feeling of summer begins giving way to something a little more organized.
• 1:01
  SPEAKER_00: And depending on where you are in life, maybe that feels good, or maybe you're looking at the calendar thinking, here we go again.
• 1:09
  SPEAKER_00: Welcome to Amazing Life Breakthrough.
• 1:11
  SPEAKER_00: I'm Steve Klein, and this is where we explore the meaningful discoveries and everyday lessons that can help us live with greater purpose, appreciate the life we're living, and hopefully learn how to live life to the fullest.
• 1:23
  SPEAKER_00: And today I want to talk about something I'm calling the September reset.
• 1:27
  SPEAKER_00: I think September gives us an interesting opportunity that January doesn't always give us.
• 1:33
  SPEAKER_00: January comes with all this pressure.
• 1:35
  SPEAKER_00: New year, new goals, new resolutions, new you.
• 1:39
  SPEAKER_00: We make lists.
• 1:40
  SPEAKER_00: We promise ourselves we're going to change everything.
• 1:43
  SPEAKER_00: We're going to exercise more, eat better, organize the garage, save more money, read 12 books, learn another language, and somehow become an entirely different human being before Valentine's Day.
• 1:56
  SPEAKER_00: September doesn't really come with that kind of pressure.
• 1:59
  SPEAKER_00: It just quietly asks us to get back into a rhythm.
• 2:04
  SPEAKER_00: And maybe that's exactly why it can be so useful.
• 2:06
  SPEAKER_00: Because instead of asking, how am I going to reinvent my life?
• 2:10
  SPEAKER_00: We can ask a much simpler question.
• 2:12
  SPEAKER_00: What kind of rhythm do I want for this next season?
• 2:15
  SPEAKER_00: Think about summer for a moment.
• 2:17
  SPEAKER_00: One of the things I enjoy about summer is that the usual schedule can loosen up a little.
• 2:22
  SPEAKER_00: The days are longer.
• 2:23
  SPEAKER_00: People go on trips.
• 2:25
  SPEAKER_00: We have barbecues and family gatherings.
• 2:27
  SPEAKER_00: We spend more time outside.
• 2:29
  SPEAKER_00: Maybe bedtime gets pushed a little later.
• 2:31
  SPEAKER_00: Maybe dinner happens whenever everybody finally gets hungry.
• 2:34
  SPEAKER_00: Sometimes we get things done around the house.
• 2:37
  SPEAKER_00: Sometimes we decide the project can wait because it's a beautiful evening and we'd rather sit outside.
• 2:43
  SPEAKER_00: And there's something good about that.
• 2:45
  SPEAKER_00: Life needs seasons where everything isn't optimized and scheduled.
• 2:49
  SPEAKER_00: But then fall starts approaching and structure comes back.
• 2:53
  SPEAKER_00: That's not necessarily bad either.
• 2:55
  SPEAKER_00: Structure can help us.
• 2:56
  SPEAKER_00: A routine can reduce stress because we don't have to make the same decisions every day.
• 3:01
  SPEAKER_00: We know when we're getting up, we know when we're leaving, we know what needs to happen in the evening, so tomorrow morning doesn't become complete chaos.
• 3:08
  SPEAKER_00: But here's where I think we sometimes miss an opportunity.
• 3:12
  SPEAKER_00: When a new season begins, we tend to automatically return to the old routine.
• 3:17
  SPEAKER_00: We put everything back exactly where it was, same commitments, same habits, same schedule, same rush, and we never stop to ask whether everything we were doing before summer still deserves a place in our life now.
• 3:30
  SPEAKER_00: That's where the September reset becomes valuable.
• 3:33
  SPEAKER_00: Before the calendar completely fills up again, what if you paused for just a moment and decided what you actually want to bring back?
• 3:41
  SPEAKER_00: And maybe just as importantly, what you don't?
• 3:44
  SPEAKER_00: Because not every routine is a good routine simply because it's familiar.
• 3:48
  SPEAKER_00: Maybe before summer your mornings felt rushed every day.
• 3:51
  SPEAKER_00: Maybe everybody was trying to get out the door at the same time.
• 3:55
  SPEAKER_00: Nobody knew where anything was, and somehow every morning included someone asking, Where are my keys?
• 4:00
  SPEAKER_00: Or where did I put my shoes?
• 4:02
  SPEAKER_00: Maybe your evenings had become just as hectic.
• 4:05
  SPEAKER_00: Dinner on the run, activities every night, phones out at the table, everybody in the same house, but rarely really together.
• 4:12
  SPEAKER_00: Then summer interrupted that pattern for a while.
• 4:15
  SPEAKER_00: And now, before everything starts back up again, you have this little window.
• 4:20
  SPEAKER_00: You don't have to return to exactly the way things were.
• 4:23
  SPEAKER_00: Maybe there's one thing summer gave you that you want to keep.
• 4:27
  SPEAKER_00: Maybe you spent more time outside.
• 4:29
  SPEAKER_00: Maybe you talked more with your spouse.
• 4:31
  SPEAKER_00: Maybe you called family more often.
• 4:32
  SPEAKER_00: Maybe you read something new.
• 4:34
  SPEAKER_00: Maybe you took evening walks, maybe you sat on the patio without feeling the need to accomplish anything.
• 4:40
  SPEAKER_00: Maybe you discovered that you actually like having an open evening on the calendar.
• 4:44
  SPEAKER_00: Those things don't necessarily have to disappear just because September arrives.
• 4:50
  SPEAKER_00: And on the other side of that, maybe there is some structure you're ready to get back.
• 4:54
  SPEAKER_00: Maybe you've been staying up too late.
• 4:55
  SPEAKER_00: Maybe you've gotten away from something that normally helps you feel grounded.
• 5:00
  SPEAKER_00: Maybe you haven't exercised as consistently as you'd like.
• 5:04
  SPEAKER_00: Maybe meals have become a little too random.
• 5:07
  SPEAKER_00: Maybe there's something you've wanted to work on, but summer simply wasn't the right season for it.
• 5:12
  SPEAKER_00: That's okay too.
• 5:13
  SPEAKER_00: The point isn't that summer is better or structure is better.
• 5:16
  SPEAKER_00: The point is to choose.
• 5:18
  SPEAKER_00: Don't let the season choose everything for you.
• 5:21
  SPEAKER_00: I think there's a subtle difference between having a routine and being controlled by one.
• 5:25
  SPEAKER_00: A good routine should support the kind of life you want to live.
• 5:29
  SPEAKER_00: It shouldn't simply keep you moving so fast that you never have time to ask where you're going.
• 5:34
  SPEAKER_00: And that's where this gets practical.
• 5:36
  SPEAKER_00: You don't need a complicated fall planning system.
• 5:39
  SPEAKER_00: You don't need 12 new habits.
• 5:41
  SPEAKER_00: You don't need an elaborate morning routine that starts at 4:30 in the morning with cold showers, journaling, weightlifting, meditation, and somehow baking your own bread before the rest of the house wakes up, unless you really enjoy doing all of that.
• 5:57
  SPEAKER_00: For the rest of us, maybe the reset can be much simpler.
• 6:00
  SPEAKER_00: Ask yourself three questions.
• 6:01
  SPEAKER_00: What do I want to bring back?
• 6:03
  SPEAKER_00: What do I want to keep from summer?
• 6:05
  SPEAKER_00: When what do I want to leave behind?
• 6:07
  SPEAKER_00: That's it.
• 6:08
  SPEAKER_00: Maybe what you want to bring back is a more consistent bedtime.
• 6:11
  SPEAKER_00: Maybe what you want to keep is those evening walks.
• 6:13
  SPEAKER_00: And maybe what you want to leave behind is saying yes to every single invitation and activity that comes along.
• 6:20
  SPEAKER_00: Or maybe your answers are completely different.
• 6:22
  SPEAKER_00: What matters is that they're yours.
• 6:24
  SPEAKER_00: And if you're a parent with children heading back to school next week, there's another opportunity here.
• 6:30
  SPEAKER_00: You can make this reset, something your family talks about together.
• 6:33
  SPEAKER_00: Instead of just saying, okay, school starts next week, so everybody needs to get back on schedule.
• 6:38
  SPEAKER_00: Maybe ask, well, what did we like about our summer that we don't want to lose?
• 6:43
  SPEAKER_00: You might be surprised by the answers.
• 6:45
  SPEAKER_00: Maybe the kids liked family movie night, maybe they enjoyed having breakfast together, maybe they love going for walks, maybe they liked having one evening where nothing was scheduled.
• 6:54
  SPEAKER_00: Those are clues.
• 6:56
  SPEAKER_00: Because sometimes we assume living life to the fullest means adding more experiences, but sometimes it means protecting the good ones we already found.
• 7:06
  SPEAKER_00: And here's one more thing I think is important.
• 7:09
  SPEAKER_00: Don't expect the transition to happen perfectly.
• 7:12
  SPEAKER_00: The first week back into a routine can be messy.
• 7:15
  SPEAKER_00: Alarm clocks get ignored, lunches get forgotten, traffic changes, schedules conflict.
• 7:20
  SPEAKER_00: Somebody realizes at ten o'clock at night that they need something tomorrow morning.
• 7:25
  SPEAKER_00: That's life.
• 7:26
  SPEAKER_00: A reset doesn't require perfection, and it simply gives us direction, and that's really what I want you to take away today.
• 7:33
  SPEAKER_00: September doesn't have to become the month when life suddenly gets busy again.
• 7:38
  SPEAKER_00: It can become the month when life becomes intentional again.
• 7:42
  SPEAKER_00: There is a difference.
• 7:43
  SPEAKER_00: Busy says here comes everything.
• 7:46
  SPEAKER_00: Intentional says what actually belongs here.
• 7:49
  SPEAKER_00: So sometime today or sometime this week, before the fall schedule really starts filling up, take just a few minutes.
• 7:56
  SPEAKER_00: You can write this down if you'd like.
• 7:58
  SPEAKER_00: Three things.
• 7:58
  SPEAKER_00: One thing you want to bring back, one thing from summer you want to keep, and one thing you're willing to leave behind.
• 8:05
  SPEAKER_00: Don't make it complicated.
• 8:06
  SPEAKER_00: Maybe your entire September reset fits on a sticky note, and that's perfectly fine.
• 8:11
  SPEAKER_00: Because one meaningful change in your rhythm can affect a whole season.
• 8:15
  SPEAKER_00: And on Thursday, we're going to stay with this back to school theme, but we're going in a different direction.
• 8:21
  SPEAKER_00: And I want to tell you about a high school algebra project involving an egg, a pretty long drop, and believe it or not, a loaf of French bread.
• 8:30
  SPEAKER_00: And what happened with that egg taught me something about learning that went far beyond whether my project actually worked.
• 8:37
  SPEAKER_00: We'll get into that Thursday.
• 8:39
  SPEAKER_00: If this episode helped you think differently about the season ahead, share it with someone who's getting ready for their own September reset.
• 8:47
  SPEAKER_00: And while you're here, follow or subscribe to Amazing Life Breakthrough so you don't miss Thursday's episode.
• 8:52
  SPEAKER_00: I'm Steve Klein.
• 8:54
  SPEAKER_00: Enjoy these final days of summer, and as the routines begin returning, don't just fill your calendar.
• 9:00
  SPEAKER_00: Take a moment to decide what deserves to be on it.
• 9:04
  SPEAKER_00: And remember to live life to the fullest.