Since the time we were kids and summer meant leaving our old class, teacher and school behind to become someone completely new, and return a year older in the fall, summer has been a time for re-inventing ourselves.

Most of us won't get to leave our careers and co-workers for the entire summer, but you can use your summer vacation as a way to re-charge your batteries and give yourself a Feng Shui makeover. Here's how.

Decide who you want to be and live “as if.”

Before you embark on your life-changing summer adventure, make a list of the traits you'd like to possess every day of your life. This is similar to goal-setting, but you're actually setting goals for your attitude and beliefs. Then live “as if” you have those qualities. When you're on vacation and surrounded by strangers, you're not bound by the perceptions that your friends and family have of you. You can be anyone you want and no one will know any different.

Pack your positive attitude.

If you hit the road expecting stellar service and a great experience, the chances are good that you'll get it.  If you tend to look on the dark side, leave that part of yourself at home. Better yet, lose it at the airport when you get on the plane and don't bring it back.

Bring home a souvenier as an anchoring object.

It doesn't have to be expensive, even a bit of sand in a water bottle can be a reminder of your vacation and the person you were during your trip. Or maybe you want to spend a lot of money and buy a really fabulous piece of artwork native to the locale. Whatever you decide, place your souvenier in the travel trigram of the Feng Shui ba gua. Every time you see it, remember that you do possess the qualities you had on your vacation and continue to live every day as your best self.