Blog Written by Brady Ross with Clear Path Leadership
Okay, this title is a bit of a reach. I’ll admit it. It’s currently 95 degrees outside and football season hasn’t officially kicked off yet.
I would apologize, but I can’t help it. I love Christmas. As a kid, I looked forward to receiving gifts and enjoying an extended break from school. As an adult, I don’t care about the gifts nearly as much, but I love spending time with family and breaking the script from regular day-to-day life.
Last week, my family teased me when I announced to the whole house that we were only four months away from Christmas. It might not be on their minds yet, but it’s certainly on mine (don’t worry though – I won’t start listening to Christmas music until at least October 1st).
It may not look like Christmas yet, but it will soon. And, like every year, with Christmas will come the end of one year and the beginning of another. We’ll start thinking about what we accomplished over the past year, what’s different about where we are at the end of 2024 compared to where we were at the end of 2023, and what we want to see happen in 2025.
Perhaps that paragraph left you feeling more guilt than anticipation. You’re feeling uncomfortable because, well, you started 2024 with big, ambitious goals that haven’t yet come to fruition. You had good intentions, sure – but the follow-through was lacking.
If you can relate to the last paragraph – I have good news for you: there’s still time.
It may be late August, but we still have four months left in 2024 to make it a great year. No matter what the first eight months of the year have yielded, it’s up to you to decide how the last four months will go. They can be the best four months of the year if you choose the right mindset and actions.
Imagine yourself celebrating Christmas with family and friends later this year. Perhaps you went the traditional route and you have a ham, or maybe you’re like my family and you decided to put a fresh twist on the dinner menu (we had an Italian-themed Christmas a couple of years ago that was awesome). There might be football on the TV, or maybe you’re watching Christmas Vacation for the 100th time like I am.
When you reach this point, what do you want to be true about the last four months of the year? What do you want to accomplish at work or in your personal life? What attributes do you want to strengthen? What areas of life do you want to emphasize? Where do you want to build positive momentum for 2025? If you haven’t already learned this, you won’t magically become a new person and start living a different life on January 1st – the best way to enact meaningful change is to start immediately (even if you don’t feel fully ready yet).
Let’s make the last four months the best four months of the year. No matter what you have (or haven’t) accomplished so far in 2024, the way you finish could define the entire year.
