The holiday’s usually put folks in better spirits, with the sights, the songs, the tastes and the wonderful smells. When you think about it, the season impacts every one of our senses. Here are two simple reasons why I believe this truly is the most wonderful time of the year and no it’s not your typical holiday message.
Reason 1: The year is coming to an end. So, for whatever reason if things have gone not according to plan, you move on from here. Give thanks for the learning from whatever went wrong and makes notes on what you don’t want to repeat again next year.
Way back in 2003, the Detroit Shock won their first ever WNBA (Women’s National Basketball Association) championship title. USA Today told of their “worst-to-first odyssey” where the team, after winning only nine games in 2002, finished 2003 with a league-best record and the championship title. What was their formula for success? “They did not quit… they believed they could succeed and played their best… They also had a coach in whom they believed and who believed in them and helped give them confidence.”
You can do the same with perseverance and continuing to work toward a dream. Although your goals may seem out of reach, it is too soon to quit. There is still time to make significant progress toward your goals. Following are four tips to guide you in achieving your goals.
- Review Your Progress – look at what you HAVE done. Count both the big and the small achievements.
- Reassess Your Goals – Are you clear on what it is you’re trying to achieve? Do the key people in your life, your family, your team and your champions know what it is you’re trying to achieve?
- Renew Your Commitment to Your Success – Are you committed to achieving your goals? Decide that you will do what it takes to be successful in accomplishing the goals that are important to you.
- Get Support in Reaching Your Goals – Any endeavor is easier and more fun when shared with others. Having a teacher, mentor or a coach who is there to nurture and support you, to offer feedback and perspective and to challenge you to do more than you could accomplish on your own will increase your likelihood for success.
Reason 2: It’s the beginning of something new. In the 2004 movie, Fifty First Dates the main character, “Lucy” (Drew Barrymore) has virtually no short-term memory due to a car accident. She remembers everything up until the point of the accident but retains no new memories of anything that has happened since.
I’m sure you can imagine the challenges of such a condition! Anyone she meets, she forgets. Holding a job is nearly impossible since she can’t remember the previous day’s events. Relationships present another challenge. When Henry (Adam Sandler) meets Lucy, there is instant attraction between them, but each day she forgets she met him the day before. It seems impossible to have a long-term relationship with Lucy, since she can’t even remember him! Finally, Henry gets the bright idea to make a video that she can watch each morning, detailing her life since the accident and her budding romance with him. Lucy also begins to keep a written journal, so she can skim through the previous entries and read about her life from her own perspective.
This movie contains a beautiful metaphor for new beginnings. How much baggage do we bring to each new day in our own lives? How many grudges do we hold? How many disappointments do we cling to, and let them color today? What routines can you put in place to make sure that each day is your best day?
I think now you can see why I believe that this truly is the most wonderful time of the year. You can put to rest those things the burden you and you can begin all over again.
