What Did You Do This Summer?

This summer I:

• Overcame my fear of zip lining (and actually loved it!)
• Launched a new product for one of our clients, a pickle company, a client I started wooing a full year ago
• Published a book and a new blog
• Hired two fantastic interns
• Forged an alliance with a new creative director
• Vastly improved my company’s profitability
• Developed a detailed growth plan for the fall…all while managing to work remotely (and outdoors) most Fridays

No, I am not bragging. (Well, perhaps a little.) What I really intend to do is give readers an example of the type of “essay” you should be able to write at summer’s end.

Remember how during the first days of school, our teachers would ask us to tell or write how we spent the summer months? Well, now pretend that the business equivalent of Miss Crabtree (or, more aptly, Professor Profitability) is standing in front of the room, asking you to share.

When you are asked, “What did YOU do this summer?” of course you don’t want to say, “Nothing much…same ol’ stuff…sat in my room (office)…moped and fretted…cursed about the recession.”

One technique that can work well in goal-setting is “projecting forward” and writing the essay before you have even actually accomplished your goals. But, of course, do not forget the “A” in SMART goal-setting.

You’re not too late (or too early) to write your summer essay! You still have some time left. And you can even start on your “What I Did in 2010” essay now!