Back to School...and the Final Stretch of 2017

Kitty Boitnott, Ph.D., NBCT, RScP

Career Transition & Job Search Coach

Many localities have already started back to school for the 2017-18 year, but in my area, school starts today...the Tuesday after Labor Day. Summer is officially over. The Halloween displays have already made their appearance in some places, reminding us that Fall is right around the corner. If you are in business, it also means you are entering the final quarter of the business year. It's time to take stock of progress made and what goals haven't yet been met.

For me, this has been a mixed year. I have done more with my business than any year since starting, yet I am not where I want to be and where I am striving to get, so I continue to work and plan and strive.

As a result of that striving, I am writing this post as I prepare to leave for a conference in Newport Beach, California at the crack of dawn this morning. I will be gone through Saturday. I am attending a conference where I hope to learn new techniques for growing my business while meeting people who are similarly striving to build businesses that are heart-based and service-centered.

So, I ask you. What are you doing that will get you where you want to be by the end of this year? It hardly seems possible because it feels like we were just ringing in 2017, but we are now less than four months from ringing in 2018. Are you where you wanted to be when you envisioned how this year would be?

Frankly, and I am being totally honest here, I am not yet...but I continue to strive and work and set goals that will get me closer to where I want to be. What about you? As you enter this final stretch of 2017, what do you need to do to meet the goals or accomplish the resolutions you set for yourself?

Do you have that new job yet? Did you lose that 10 pounds? Did you take that trip you wanted? Did you spend more time or less time with your loved ones?

Time marches on. When I was President of the Virginia  Education Association, I grew fond of saying, "Time flies whether you are having any fun or not." I had not always had much fun while in that position even though I knew the work I was doing was important and needed to be done.

The point is that time is the one thing we all get the same amount of, yet we often see some people accomplishing a lot more than we do, and we wonder what the difference is.

Whether you are where you wanted to be by now or not, it isn't too late. This Fall may be the time you need to kick yourself into high gear. Set some new goals that will be achievable between now and the end of the year. Don't forget to factor in the slowing of pace that occurs during holiday time. Given that, you have between now and the third week of November to really get moving.

What will you accomplish between now and then? Write it down. Make it a priority. You may surprise yourself.

Until next time.

Hey before you go....

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