When you set your goals you said to yourself, “These matter to me.”
As you review where you have been and where you want to go, ask yourself, “What matters now?”  And then act on it.

While we set goals throughout the year, New Year’s Day tends to be a starting point for many people. Whether the goal involves getting in shape, finding a new calling, saving more money, or working for social justice, we search for a better/renewed version of ourselves.

In about 65 days or so, we will be saying goodbye to 2018 and facing the entrance of 2019 and all it holds. I’ve written in the past about the 52-Week Review. I do it the last week of the year.  It helps to remind me of the journey I have traveled. And it holds my feet to the fire. Have I been authentic to myself? What stories have I been telling myself—and what stories have I been living?

A recent post by Michael Dolan titled the “Bottom of the 9^th” reminds us not to wait until the New Year to seek what we want or what we said we wanted 10 months ago. He said,

There is one thing you can do right now that could make all the difference as you put the finishing touches on the final two-months of 2018 and boldly head off into the uncharted waters of 2019: In the deep silent privacy of your own soul, remind yourself what it is you really want. Remind yourself what truly matters. Remind yourself what your biggest most important dream is and refocus on the ultimate vision you foresee in your future. Then ask yourself, “What am I really committed to?”

Remind yourself what your biggest most important dream is and refocus.

I used to send my students an email titled “Now is My Time.” They received it with about three or four weeks left in the term. It challenged them to double down on their semester goals; not to give up; believe in themselves.  With a few semantic adjustments, I offer it here as the challenge we all might need to remember moving toward the end of the year.

You have arrived into the homestretch of the year. Now, you can see what you have accomplished to this point.  Congratulate yourself. Understand where you came up short. And get ready to cross the finish line. 

Keep your energy and passion flowing.  Repeat the following out loud: “Now is MY time!”  Say it again. “Now is MY time!”

Yes, you may have lots of responsibilities with family, children, work, and community. You must always take care of the non-negotiable priorities in your life.  And at times you might have felt like quitting.  Remember, each day brings you closer to your dreams—but only if you continue to move toward your dreams.  This is your time. What will you do with it?

Say—and mean it—and be it: “Now is MY time!”

When you set your goals you said to yourself, “These matter to me.”  As you review where you have been and where you want to go, ask yourself, “What matters now?”  And then act on it.

Video Recommendation of the Week:

Sometimes, we hinder ourselves by not paying attention to, or understanding the importance of, boundaries and limits. As you review your goal progress, do you need to reset yours? Maybe this 60-second video will jumpstart that process for you.

For more about community building and sustainability,
look for my new book, Community as a Safe Place to Land,
due out the beginning of 2019. More information to come.

Make it an inspiring and grateful week and H.T.R.B. as needed.

For information about and to order my most recent book, Stories about Teaching, Learning, and Resilience: No Need to be an Island, click here. A few colleges and one state-wide agency have adopted it for training and coaching purposes. Contact me if you and your team are interested in doing the same.

The paperback price on Amazon is now $14.99 and the Kindle version stands at $5.99. Consider it for a faculty orientation or a mentoring program. The accompanying videos would serve to stimulate community-building conversations at the beginning of a meeting.

My podcasts: The Growth and Resilience Network® (http://stevepiscitelli.com/media-broadcast/podcast).

My programs and webinars: website (http://stevepiscitelli.com/programs/what-i-do) and (http://stevepiscitelli.com/programs/webinars).

Pearson Education publishes my student textbooks for life success—Choices for College Success (3^rd edition) and Study Skills: Do I Really Need This Stuff? (3^rd edition).

(c) 2018. Steve Piscitelli. All rights reserved.