It’s Fourth Quarter...There’s Still Time
It’s Fourth Quarter...There’s Still Time
Fall is here. This is my absolute favorite time of year. I grew up in Cincinnati and fall is beautiful there—I have the fondest memories of falling into piles of leaves after hours of raking, performing at halftime at high school football games and drinking hot chocolate from a Styrofoam cup in the bleachers. The leaves changed to the most beautiful colors. The air became a bit frosty but there were still many warm days as well. I loved Fall, but there was also a little sadness at the impending cold weather, shorter days, dark nights, and inevitable snowfall. It always made me a little sad.
Now in South Georgia, Fall is still beautiful. I am happy with the cooler weather, falling leaves, an abundance of hay bales and of course, Pumpkin Spice flavored everything.
There is Still Time to Adjust
This is the time of year that may also bring reflection. For me and my business, this is the time of year I take time to assess whether I am achieving my goals. I don’t wait until December to check in with my goals and see if I can be satisfied with what the year brought. I don’t set a New Year’s Resolution in hopes that I will do better next year. There is still time—this year—to achieve more.
This applies to personal goals and milestones in our personal lives, careers or businesses. Use October and November (before the holidays really kick in) to assess where you are and work to finish the year strong.
Are you on track to hit your goals for the year? Yes? Great. Maybe it’s time to raise the bar a little. Stretch yourself, your family or your work team and see what else you can attain before the New Year ball drops.
After a good hard look, are you going to fall short of your goals? It’s okay to be honest and realize you may not have achieved all you hoped. It has been a difficult year for everyone. Maybe lower the bar just a little so you can finish the year having a feeling of accomplishment. Then set aside some time to understand why you missed the mark and how you will overcome this shortfall next year.
- Did you do what you said you were going to do?
- Did you keep goals in mind every week of every month of the year?
- What obstacles got in the way (Pandemic anyone?)
Narrow your attention and focus on those activities that will bring you the most results in these last few months. Do you run a local business? How will you make sure this is the best holiday season ever? Have you gotten lazy with your fitness routine? There is still much that can be done in setting good habits. Get out that planning calendar and set weekly goals with tasks to be completed each day that will move you toward success by year’s end.
We’ve all had a challenging year. It will feel much better come December if we can feel some sense of accomplishment about the positive things achieved in 2021.
For more business information and tips, visit our blog at JDelSURMarketing.com/blog or listen to our local podcast at JDelSURMarketing.com/podcast.
