Yesterday (05/30), in the United States, we had the Memorial Day holiday, marking the unofficial start of summer. Perhaps the season changes are the aspect of the difference between living in New York and in Rio de Janeiro, which makes me think the most.

Here, people are expected to clean their closets at this time of year, donating what is no longer used and rearranging the closets with items more suitable for the current climate. I think the clothes changing super emblematic, a milestone that helps me live the present.

Summer starts on June 21, but the season for picnics in the park (GT link), rooftops, and dresses has already begun. My coats will be vacuum-packed for a good 4 months, but before thinking about the return of winter, I want to live the coming season happily. I use writing to keep myself grounded in the present, and I want to share some of what I’ve learned this year with you.

Keeping track of goals for the year helps you through bad days

I create goals in January for the year, and to keep myself excited, I also develop plans for each semester, month, week, and day. Tomorrow is an important day because it’s the beginning of a new month, but not any month. We are leaving the first half of the year behind and starting a new journey.

I like to think of these milestones as moments of organization. I do this exercise mainly to check if my routine is aligned with my goals for the year. I review what is not in place (even literally) in those moments.

Learning how to deal with frustrations has been my year greatest lesson. Today, I face situations more lightly because I know that not everything will happen as I would like. I feel more comfortable with results that are different from what I expected, which has shortened the time I need to recover after a setback. I find it interesting that I have not stopped dreaming, but I am more open to unexpected outcomes.

I’ve had a hard time believing I was doing enough for the past five months. Notice that I find it difficult to validate my effort. I’m not necessarily working too little.

We need to learn to deal with frustrations

In my perception, we need to create, achieve, and validate our achievements during life. If any of these elements are missing, you are more likely to give up.

Recently, I reviewed a book where Brené Brown talks about hopelessness as a serious matter. Not seeing the value of your work can activate unhealthy triggers that affect your view of yourself and, consequently, your actions. The same happens when we are not able to set achievable goals.

Are you following? I stop to review my goals for the week, month, semester, and year to give my brain a chance to assimilate the efforts I made, capture knowledge acquired, and align expectations for the future. Basically, I’m sending a message that what I do has value, even without achieving the desired results.

I do this because I’ve learned over the last few years that, in a few days, self-depreciation and self-demand will flood my thoughts and turn me down. It’s normal to have moments of grief after frustrations, but having a commitment to self-appreciation is a way of illuminating the present and creating strength to keep going in the future.