So we’re at that time of year, when everyone gets all warm and rosy and full of the holiday spirit.  It all started around Thanksgiving, then a mad dash to the stores both on-line and in person.  The radio started playing holiday music a few weeks ago and the retailers are doing their best to duplicate the “Norman Rockwell” perfect holiday to get us all to open up our wallets just a little bit more.  Black Friday, Cyber Monday, all hyped up to get us thinking about anything except for one thing… our businesses.

 I for one, absolutely love it!  No not all the holiday hype, even though I really do love the holiday season.  I actually love the fact that none of my competition is actually working over the next 30 days.  In fact they all mentally checked out of the game officially on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving.  It’s so great for me, because I can usually contact everyone that I need to either on the phone or with email because no one else is reaching out to them. 

The 3 weeks between Thanksgiving and Christmas have traditionally been my best 3-4 work weeks of the year, mostly because I tell myself that they will be.  As long as I stick to my goals and commitments over that time, my new year will start off with a bang instead of a whimper.

 Here are 3 action items you can take these next few weeks to make sure that you hit the ground running come January 1^st and get a head start on making 2014 one of your best years ever!

 1. Schedule it!

This month can get a bit hectic with holiday partys & events both at work and with your family.  Do yourself a huge favor and look at the entire month, then SCHEDULE, SCHEDULE, SCHEDULE!  Get very detailed and specific about the days you are working, what you will be doing, who you need to reach out to and everything you are going to accomplish this month.  Do not leave this to chance, that’s what you competition is doing and it doesn’t work.

2. Be Present!

Decide right now, which events you are going to attend, and plan to take the time to really BE THERE.  Look you work really hard all year long for a reason, and you deserve to take some time to celebrate your success with those you care about.  There is no point in taking a few hours out of your day to attend your kids party or play, or a gathering of Family or Friends if you are going to be on your smart-phone putting out fires and distracted the entire time.  Not only will that stress you out, but it sends the wrong message to the people you are with at the time.

3. Give Yourself Some Clean Uninterrupted Blocks of Time

Look, I get it, we live in a world where distractions are the norm.  IPhones buzzing, email boxes filling up, team members needing just a minute of your time.  Make sure you build in some blocks of time to unplug from the Matrix and focus on the most important task at hand.  Sometimes that is just calming your mind down for a few minutes, or keeping your commitment to excercise so you can get back into the fray and go fight the good fight with focus and clear perspective.

 Extra Credit:

Give yourself a little bonus!

Even if you don’t work in a role where you receive a little end of the year bonus, do yourself a favor and give one to yourself.  Do or buy something just for you, since you have most definitely earned it!

 Have a great Business & Holiday Season

Thoughts of the Week

“Every day should be passed… as if it were to be our last.” -Publilius Syrus

“Good health and good news are two of life’s greatest blessings.” -(Anonymous)

“You don’t stop laughing because you grow old… you grow old because you stop laughing.” -Michael Pritchard

“You can always tell a real friend…when you’ve made a fool of yourself they don’t think you’ve done a permanent job.”
- Anonymous
 
 

“Success doesn’t come to you…you go to it.”
- Marva Collins
 


 “Our greatest glory is not in never falling…but in rising every time we fall.”
   Confucius