Many of you have been working hard to boost morale and productivity – trying to make the most of this tough year. And now – they’re here. At least for some of us. Those hot, sticky, summer days that Webster describes as “a period of stagnation or inactivity”.

The ancients believed that these hot, sultry days were caused by Sirius (Latin for the “Dog Star”), which rose just before or right at sunrise during this time of year. In an effort to appease the rage of Sirius, they sacrificed a brown dog at the beginning of Dog Days.

In 1813, John Brady wrote that the heat was so excessive that “the seas boiled, wine turned sour, dogs grew mad, and all creatures became languid, causing to man burning fevers, hysterics, and phrensies”. From Clavis Calendarium, by John Brady, 1813 (see title page and full excerpt below).

I see signs of both the ancient and modern definition of “dog days”. Stagnation, inactivity, sour attitudes, madness, hysteria, frenzy. And I know that we can’t afford to succumb to this during a normal year – much less a year like this one.

So we MUST find ways to overcome the dog days of summer. That will be our focus for the next few months – beating the heat – literally and figuratively.

So stay tuned for lots of cool ideas and articles in July*. If you have ideas you’d like to contribute, the answer is “YES”. Just write them in comments section below!

copyright 2009 – Jan Bolick, Business Class Inc

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excerpt from page 84

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