It’s the Fourth Quarter–Time to Focus
In the fifteen months I’ve been writing these blogs, I’ve noticed that my stories fall into one of three categories: people, travel, and goals. Because today, October 1, 2024, marks the first day of the fourth quarter, this blog is about goals. If setting and reaching goals is important to you, I’d love for you to go back and read or re-read, Consistency, I Can’t, One Word, Starter’s Day, Eternal Hope, and The Big Rocks.
In January, if you picked a focus word for the year or set a few goals, you are among the top twenty percent of achievers. If you reach those goals, that puts you among the best of the best of goal setters. But you need to know the fourth quarter is the pinnacle of the make-it or break-it point. This is when everything you have done all year comes to a head. It’s time to put your head down, focus, and reach your goal. Now is not the time to make excuses, tell yourself it was only a pipe dream, or let yourself quit.
Because I’ve told you from the beginning that my goal is to finish my book Finding Joy by the end of this year, I’m in the former group. My word for the year is focus, so that is what I must do. Quitting is not an option. I know you wouldn’t let me quit if I wanted to. You’d tell me, “You are so close. You can’t quit now!” So that’s what I’m telling you. “Don’t quit.” Let’s reach our goals together. The best part of the game of life is that all of us can win.
That said, I’m behind where I had hoped to be today. I hoped to have my manuscript ready to send back to my editor by the end of the third quarter. It’s not ready. In fact, it’s probably two weeks from being ready, but onward I trudge. Just like I’m encouraging you to keep going, I will persist. We must push through the challenges, for it’s the struggle that makes us stronger.
What I need is more time. Yet, no matter who we are, we all get 24/7/365. Only what we do with our time can make the difference. Can we take something off our plate for a while? What doesn’t have to be done right now? Or what can we finish faster or with less perfection? Can we pay someone to mow our lawn or clean our house so we can focus on what only we can do? Or if our goal is a financial goal not yet reached, can we get a second job, work a few overtime hours, or get one more client?
Or how about putting the phone or the remote down? Please don’t judge me, but when I look at the stats on my phone, it shows I am on my phone four to seven hours a day. Granted, some of that time is talking to someone, or listening to a book or podcast while driving, cooking, or cleaning, but clearly that is time I’m not writing. If my book is my biggest priority (see The Big Rocks blog), I’ve got to put the phone down.
How about you? What is keeping you from accomplishing your goals? Would you have time to get to the gym if you gave up watching football for the season? Is going out to eat, eating up your budget or keeping you from losing weight? Or are you right on track and heading for the December 31st finish line, just as you planned on January 1st? Honestly, I hope that is the case. If so, kudos to you. Perhaps you could post a couple of tips or words of encouragement for the rest of us in the comments section below. Please share your strategies that have helped you accomplish your goals this year.
If you’ve read this far, thank you for your support. We’ve got three months. Let me know if there is anything I can do—barring picking up my phone—to help you reach your goal(s). In the meantime, I will focus on Finding Joy. I hope you will do the same.