We tend to think of life in segments of time. You could definitely make arguments for and against this concept. But for the sake of what I’m about to share…I’m going with the “pro” argument. Time gives us very definable periods to gauge activity and progress.
As we start the 4th quarter of the year, it’s the perfect time to reflect on where we are and where we want to be. And after you’ve done that…you’ve got two choices. Coast into the last three months of the year or make the last three months count. Your choice.
But I want you to make a conscious decision. My experience is that most people coast, but I’m not sure they do it intentionally. They get toward the end of the year and they are just waiting for a fresh start, a new year to begin. In other words, they essentially waste one quarter of the year waiting for a “do over.”
Is that what you want for your year? Or do you want to end it with a bang – with a big exclamation point that said I did it!
If you’ve set goals for 2013, this is the time to pull them out and see how you can hit them. If your goals are nowhere to be found, if you really weren’t committed to them or if you actually hit them already; it’s time for a new goal (or goals) to take you to year-end.
It’s NOT too late for your “Hail Mary pass.” Set a goal that will stir your emotions, get you revved up and excited for the next 90 days. If you suck at goal setting, it’s even more important to follow-through now.
Let me explain. I have a client (I’ll call Lisa – not her real name) who beats herself up. She wants so much to be productive and get ahead of the curve, but she is feeling little motivation and hence is easily distracted. Lisa knows she’s not doing what she’s capable of, but she feels stuck in this slump that has her tired and uninspired.
Lisa, like many others, is in a vicious cycle. She says she wants to make positive changes and she starts the process, but then old habits kick in and she gets distracted and off course. When this happens, she gets upset with herself and her thoughts go to “Why can’t I do this? What is wrong with me? Why don’t I have any discipline? I am so …” You get the picture. She beats herself up and pledges to do better ‘next’ time.
What Lisa doesn’t realize is that beating herself up over her temporary shortcomings does two things. First, it reinforces her lack of self-worth and makes her feel worse about herself, which in turn leads to one disappointment after another. And second, according to the research, the harder she is on herself, the more likely she will doom herself to failure and continue the cycle of “Start – Fall Short – Beat Up Self – Abort – Repeat.”
Lisa needs to break the cycle and feel good about herself. To do that, she first has to be able and willing to “FORGIVE” herself. When she falls short and gets distracted, instead of going into “beat up self” mode, she needs to be gentler (not tougher) on herself. In other words, she needs to change her thoughts to something like, “Well, I had a little slip up…it’s time to get back on task. I can do this.” Next, Lisa needs to get little wins to build up her self-confidence. She needs to start believing again in her own abilities which will fuel even greater improvements and positive momentum.
And that’s why not coasting these last 90 days of the year is crucial. You can do anything for 90 days. It’s a short-enough time period that you can stick to what you need to do and get it done. It’s also long enough where you can make big things happen.
The bonus is that you’ll feel great about your accomplishment and go into the new year with a renewed sense of purpose and passion. So what are you waiting for? Go make the 4th quarter your bitch!
