The Fourth Quarter Push

This week marks the beginning of a new quarter of the year: the fourth quarter. When we started the year, we talked about the importance of setting goals for the whole year, then breaking them down into smaller, more manageable parts. If you wanted to lose 40 lbs this year, then you would want to lose 10 lbs every 3 months. If you want to gain 100 lbs on your deadlift, then you would want to be gaining 25lb every 3 months. Simple idea; not so easy in practice. The problem is that we tend to have an all-or-nothing attitude and if we did not make major changes in the first part of the year, by now we may have given up all together. Well, here is the good news: every quarter is a chance to start fresh. Really, every DAY is a chance to start fresh. So even if you have not been as productive this year, or have struggled with some of your goals, there is no reason that you have to wait until the New Year to get going again. If anything, this is the best time to get started. Summer has ended, we have a few more months until Christmas, and if you have a health or fitness goal, this is exactly the time to make your health a priority.

What most people do, however, is the exact opposite. They think, "Well, I will get back into shape starting January 1st, so I can take it easy these next few months." The problem with this mentality is twofold. First, most people do not actually achieve all of the things that they resolve to do in the new year. Second, you can put on a lot of weight over the holidays if you are not careful (and/or backtrack on other goals you have set) and you will have set yourself up for an even harder road ahead. Instead, what if we think about this fourth quarter as preparation for the next year. For these next three months we will dedicate ourselves to setting up our routine and habits so that when 2013 hits, we will be ready to rock and roll. It’s not about the goal—it’s about the set-up. It doesn’t mean we won’t make progress; it just means that we are taking this time to practice all of the habits, actions, and systems that will be needed to make next New Year’s resolutions the most real and lasting ones we have ever made.

And here is the best part…three months is a long time! If it takes three weeks to build a new habit, you could have four new habits by the time the new year comes around. And if you are doing the right things, you may just make some solid progress toward your goals in the process.

So, if you are on track with your 2012 goals, well done, but don’t lose momentum. If you are behind schedule there is still time to catch up. If you have not started yet, please believe that it is NOT too late. You may not complete your 2012 goals, but who says you have to? Isn’t ANY progress toward your goals better than waiting until next year to get going (or even worse, going backwards?)

Let’s finish 2012 strong, while setting ourselves up for even greater achievements in 2013. If you start now, there is no telling where you will be in 3, 6, 12, and 18 months. It just takes sitting down and establishing what you want for yourself and what you need to do to get it.

Fourth quarter: here we come!