Nothing lasts forever, so live it up, drink it down, laugh it off, avoid the drama, take chances and never have regrets. Because at one point everything you did was exactly what you wanted.
– Marilyn Monroe

August is barely upon us and already we can feel the season changing: The days are getting shorter, the fashion world is primed to roll out new Fall trends, schools and businesses are geared up to put us back on the grid with familiar routines. But what if summer weren’t a season but a mindset?  What if we could make it last throughout the year, even when the curtain of winter weather starts to fall?

Here are a few things you can do to cultivate a summer spirit all year round, in no particular order:

1.  Wear a summer dress indoors even when the weather gets gloomy outdoors. Better yet, take off your summer dress and spend the day in nothing but your lingerie.

2.  Turn off all of your electronics (we dare you) and read a book. Make your summer reading list your all-the-time reading list.

3.  Make a picnic dinner and enjoy it at home with friends. Keep it simple: Great wine, fresh bread, wickedly delicious cheese. Don’t count calories; count units of joy.

4.  Remember that weekends are made for R&R. Take full one day off every week and slooow down.

5.  Break the codes of the bourgeoisie: Don’t do the dishes. Press snooze. Take the time to daydream, journal or sketch in a notebook. Kiss your own rules goodbye from time to time and let your hair down.

6.   Don’t just go through the motions of life. Hone in on your sense of purpose in life and follow your own North Star. Remember that some platitudes stick around because they’re true, like today is the first day of the rest of your life or life is not a dress rehearsal. Author Paul Coelho once wrote: “One day, you will wake up and there won’t be any more time to do the things you’ve always wanted. Do it now.” We couldn’t agree more.