Remember when the beginning of the year felt like a fresh start? Many of us were optimistic about setting goals for the year — and we shot right out of the gates in a cyclone of enthusiasm and for some, a clear vision of future success. I know I did. I was fully engaged and inspired by the opportunity to begin with a clean slate and a new set of goals I hoped to accomplish before the end of the year.
Some of you may still be riding that new-year wave, staying on track with your vision and meeting your commitments. For some of you though, that fresh-start momentum is dwindling. You’re feeling overloaded, apathetic and like you’re running on autopilot — and yet the pressure of what’s to come for the second half of the year (or the fact that it is almost summer and you are not where you wanted to be at this point) is hovering.
That’s okay; it happens. But if you’re not where you want to be at this halfway point, it means you need to recalibrate, dig deep to become reacquainted with your passion and light up your brain again with those feel-good, “fresh-start” thoughts that yield activation energy — the force that gets you to break from routine and do something difficult. Here are three simple steps for how to do it.
1. Get a good grip on your vision and your goals — and understand that they are not the same thing. If your vision is to write the next great American novel by the end of the year, your goal might be to write one page every single day. Take yourself back to that day in January to remember your vision, revisit your goals and then reset them, starting today.
2. Let go of what is predictable, familiar and comfortable. You’ll be surprised at the creativity and inspiration that abounds when you take yourself out of your comfort zone and test your tolerance for risk and uncertainty.
3. Give yourself a little love by finding your inner I-deserve-a-seat-at-the-table version of yourself — and then go for it, whatever your “it” may be. Do you have sales goals you want to achieve? Maybe you’re seeking a new opportunity before the end of the year. Be kind to yourself. Believe in yourself. You have to do it first before anyone else will.
This is a busy, transitional time of year for most people, and it’s easy to lose momentum at this halfway point in the year. But I invite you to take advantage of this time and reset for the second half of 2018. You had a vision back in January. It’s still out there. Now is the time to make it a reality.