Summer is almost at an end and we are preparing for the end of summer vacations, the hustle and bustle of school, crisper and cooler weather, the fall harvest, and the shedding of the leaves. We have worked so hard plowing the land, seeding, watering, and weeding. Now it is time to start enjoying fully the bounty of the harvest. In this slow (and hot) period between seasons—the end of August and the beginning of September, even if school is no longer a regular part of life and even if vacations occur at different times of the year than summer, our body still carries the memory of this time of year as the time to return to center. So make sure to allow time for returning to your center during the between times. This is an excellent opportunity to bring your business goals and personal goals in line with the changing season and final quarter of the financial year.

Going inward, when the seasons change and especially when each day we gain more darkness than light, will prepare you and your business for the next phase. This is a time to govern your thinking and thoughts. Return to your central core, nourish, generate, and continue to ripen the fruits of your labor. Take care of yourself. Remember to stay balanced and grounded. Give to your community, friends, and clients, in a balanced way to what you are giving yourself. The balanced way may at first glance seem unbalanced on any given day or week, yet over the time of returning to your center, you will be balanced.

Here’s an exercise for returning to center that I invite business coaching and personal coaching clients to do any time they get lost or stuck, and especially as the seasons change.

• Sit in a clean, organized, and comfortable room—clearing the space will in turn clear your mind
• Create sacred space by lighting a candle or using aromatherapy
• Concentrate on your breath
• Bring forward an affirmation or visualization or concentrate on a picture or object
• Focus
• Stay with the present moment
• Acknowledge thoughts wander to the past or future and guide them gently to the present moment
• Accept whatever comes up and whatever happens
• Be free of judgment

While we have little control over our lives and the lives of others, we have complete control over our thoughts, attitudes, choices and actions. Our central point of control, as author Louise Hay says, is in the present moment. Your thought at this exact moment helps shape your future. Use this slow, hot time in August to prepare for your future. Return to your center, ground yourself, and use your personal power in the present.