Things You Can Do This Summer 2013

Check it out... this list contains NOTHING that you HAVE to do, just things you CAN do, because it's summer!

jumping off a rock in Hawaii screaming WU-TANG!!! (2007)

1. See something new - Travel!
One great thing about traveling is, you don't have to travel far. And it doesn't have to cost much money. A Google search can give you access to all the info you need. You can go to another side of town and have a local vacation (called a "staycation", look it up). Walk, skate, bike, or drive to an area of town you haven't been, and see something new. Just be safe!

this was on a staycation in Long Beach @the Grand Prix!

And for the more "monetarily-inclined," another great thing about traveling is, you can travel far!

Traveling to different places will help you understand the world in ways that books and videos cannot. Experience new things, see new communities, meet new people, shop/eat at new places! Shopping and eating at new places might sound funny, but don't take it lightly, because you're actually re-routing your money into another local economy! $400 in America can go quickly, but over in another country, it might help a few families! If you have time off from work or school this summer, then you can travel! Vegas doesn't count!

For more on why traveling is great, see Lena Desmond: Date a Boy (or Girl) Who Travels


2. Learn something new - Practice!
The best things are learned outside of school. How many people do you know would agree with that?

Summer Learning is the BEST learning! Practice something. My best summers are ALL about practicing something new. It's when I learned to swim, and when I learned to break. Summer was the time I had AWAY from school that allowed me to focus on something else and learn something new!

This was what I learned one summer!

If you already found a passion, art, sport, or hobby that you like to do, PRACTICE! Get those 10,000 hours of deliberate practice in, you'll be in good shape!

MOST PEOPLE have wasted summers. I've had it too, the summers where you don't learn anything, and just get really bored! Turn your boredom into fascination. Go find a hero, role model, or competitor/enemy to motivate you to practice something! Have a goal or greater vision in mind!

You don't necessarily have to take a class... just be OPEN to learning. Position yourself to grow and get help from others.

I learned this from a gas station!

I learn stuff all the time just by keeping my eyes and ears open.


3. Help someone new - Teach!
This might be the most inexpensive and meaningful thing to do this summer. But don't teach before you get enough practice or experience.

"Approach tests like a warrior,
And ATTACK each problem!"

Knowledge is powerful, and throughout the years of your life, you might LEARN something that other people don't know. Not only is knowledge powerful, it's useful and beneficial to other people's lives. If you're in a position to teach, give advice, or mentor someone... can be a younger sister, brother, FRIEND, or colleague... then not only will you have a positive impact on someone else's life, but you can also build a great relationship. Help someone new.

Some people combine traveling WITH teaching, as I know a few friends who are on English-Teaching and Mission Trips abroad, doing excellent work that I highly commend! And AT THE SAME TIME, by traveling, they are spending money locally and circulating it back into another country's local economy!


4. Do/Feel/Try something new - Experience!
Hey, if your idea of having fun is climbing a mountain, or going camping, or anything else experimental (but safe), then go for it! I know technically, everything's an experience, but I mean experience something NEW. TRY something new. Step out of your comfort zone.

You might make a mistake... Turn it into a learning experience. You can do something adventurous. Or do something awesome. Just DO something. And enjoy it! Live in the now, take in each precious and unique moment. Appreciate this temporary life.

5. Make something new - Create!
Go do something that no one else can do.
Everything you make will be unique to you.

We all have a unique fingerprint, but no one will see it unless we make a mark. Once you make something, it's yourself forever. Write, sing, record, put something together that you want to be remembered for. Think of the future, you can make something for your kids and grandkids. Think of the present, you can make something for your friends and family.

Current example: This blog post.