This is the second post in a series on the three micro-seasons within Summer. For an introduction to the Summer season as a whole and to the first micro-season, see last month's post.

From July 22nd to August 21st, the Sun will be in the zodiac sign of Leo. This fire sign comes to us in the height of Summer. Since the Solstice on June 20, the days have been getting shorter, but the heat continues to grow in its intensity and weight. In the natural world, plants and animals are focused on the same thing that they focus on in the Winter: conserving energy.

Activity in the natural world picks up in the cool mornings and evenings, but underneath the midday sun, not much appears to be happening. You can imagine Leo as a lion or lioness relaxing in the shade on the African plains. On average, these animals spend nearly 22 hours per day resting and socializing. Only a couple of hours per day are spent “working” to find and kill prey.

Last year, I took an Animal Tracking Basics course with an organization called Trackers Earth here in Portland. One of the first things the instructor taught us was that animals are easiest to track when you remember that their primary aim is to expend as little energy as possible. As a result, they almost always take the path of least resistance; they prefer well-worn, direct routes to water and food sources.

This Leo season, we can integrate this wisdom into our own lives. Not only is the sun at its most intense right now, we’re also living under the weight of a world writhing through a pandemic and social upheaval. It makes complete sense to keep things simple and conserve our energy so that we can show up in a way that we’re proud of and that contributes to meaningful change.

Ironically, one of the best ways to conserve energy in our worklives is to do bigger, more meaningful work. Not to do more just for the sake of it, but to do the work that feels most aligned for us. When we work in a way that’s natural - that reflects our inherent strengths - things get easier.

Imagine taking on a project full of tasks that you abhor and that are difficult for you. Consider how much energy it would take to complete this project.

Now imagine a project that sounds fun. Imagine taking on something that actually felt easy; not effortless, but natural and meaningful to you.

This is our invitation in the Leo micro-season: to take the paths of least resistance in our working lives. To focus on the work that feels natural and fun more than we focus on the work that feels difficult.

The sun is hot. The world is intense. Conserve your energy by focusing on the work that feels easy and refreshing to you.

This micro-season’s suggested inquiry:

How can I do bigger, better work in a way that’s unequivocally natural to me?

Suggested actions:

As much as you can, minimize the amount of time in your work day or job search that you spend on tasks that you despise doing;
Each morning, consider how you might add more fun or ease into your day;
Take an assessment to learn more about your strengths. This one is free;
If you’ve been feeling extra drained lately (as many of us are), consider where you can radically simplify and conserve energy. It could mean logging offline 30 minutes earlier than normal, eating more basic, simple foods, letting go of trying to keep up with a particularly draining relationship, etc.

I hope this orientation to the upcoming micro-season has felt helpful to you. To receive the next micro-season summary, join my email community or check back here in August.

This Summer, Take the Path of Least Resistance (Part 2 of 3)