It’s happened to all of us….we look around and realize that December is here. The rush of the holidays has begun and we know that the next month will be a whirlwind, to put it mildly. There will be parties, food, family dinners, shopping, food, presents, food, and Facebook posts filled with “I’m grateful for…”
We will spend some of the time wishing it was less hectic and yet we are unwilling to give up any of the things that will contribute to the feeling of too much busy. Panic may set it in as we realize that the last few days of the year are slipping by like those last few leaves gently falling off the trees and we still have things that we haven’t accomplished this year. Goals that haven’t been reached, dreams unfulfilled, and a few “should have/would have/could have beens” remain on our wish list.
I don’t pretend to be perfect – the pursuit of excellence in my life is exactly that – a pursuit. There will always be things we want to do better, as long as we are continuing on a journey of personal (and professional) growth. Even as I coach others on their own journey to do more, be more or have more, I share my personal struggles because I recognize that no one gets inspired by a message of “I am perfect.” There are more lessons to learn from my mistakes than my successes. Which is fortunate – there are plenty of mistakes to learn from! I shared in a previous blog my epic marathon this year. Epic because it wasn’t a personal best but a personal worst.
I consider myself pretty goal oriented – I can say I’ve set goals more than ten years in advance and worked until I reached them. However, I’m no different than anyone – I too have things that I set out to do and didn’t. One of the things on my list this year that didn’t happen was a trip to visit my brother. I realized it this weekend when he came to visit and I was bidding him goodbye…I started the year with the intention of visiting him well before now and that just didn’t happen. I am always sad when he leaves because there just isn’t enough time to catch up when he is here. I won’t spend time making excuses because that doesn’t change anything. I’m just as creative as anyone else is in coming up with reasons why I didn’t follow through on something, but I’m also quick to realize that I’m the one, and the only one, who can change it.
What I do differently than a lot of people is realize what I need to change. And, then I work to change it. What I do differently is stop making excuses and start making it happen. I create a specific plan that, if carried out, will help me be successful. Maybe that’s getting the calendar out and setting some specific dates. Maybe that’s identifying a daily action that will help me reach a goal. Maybe that’s taking action on something I’ve been putting off. Deciding to do something is easy – if you don’t believe me, just wait around for all the New Year’s Resolutions that will be rolling out in a few weeks – it’s the action steps to carry it out and make it a reality that are hard to do. When I’m teaching a group fitness class, I love to say “If it were easy, everyone would do it.” Resolutions are easy. Actions are not. Deciding to go to the gym three times this week is easy. Making time to actually do it is much harder. Deciding to lose 10 pounds is easy. Making the right choices each day for a month to lose 10 pounds is much harder.
I saw a Facebook meme this morning and reflected how true
it is for so many people. Maybe it’s true for you. If so, it’s not a time to lose hope or give up on your dreams, goals and aspirations. It’s a time to become more
intentional, more determined, and create an action plan around that area of your life. Don’t let December 2016 roll around and find you in the same spot you are right now! We can’t change the past. But, we can choose the future.
Ria is a certified, executive coach with a passion for asking questions to empower others to make the right choices today to reach their goals tomorrow. Contact Ria for more information on her coaching programs. To sign up for Ria’s mailing list and receive her complimentary leadership series CLICK HERE.
