The Half-Year Reflection

“Strategize yearly, plan quarterly, examine monthly, reflect weekly, act daily, and live intentionally.”

With June in full swing, we are officially approaching the halfway through 2019, and with it comes the realization that you only have six months to decide where you want to be when the crystal ball drops on New Year’s Eve. 

When it comes to business, halftime is as crucial as the halftime at sporting events. And sometimes depending on the type of business you run, it’s important to give yourself a chance to review, reflect, recharge and get back on the field to play the game right.

I remember making my first New Year’s resolution which I promptly forgot by the second month back in 2007.  This was the beginning of my writing things down and journaling daily.  It was interesting how easy it was to make excuses, lose direction and sight of my vision.  I let procrastination kick in, and never felt satisfied with the level of achievement.  It was in 2009, I made up my mindto stop making excuses.  It also meant trying new things and getting out of my comfort zone.  The challenge was on and I was READY.

I started to take a closer look at how I did things, challenged myself to trust that I could meet my objectives and realize I truly had passion for what I believed in.  It was about adding value to people around me, living the life to the fullest, and impacting lives.

By the middle of 2009, I formed the habit of writing articles, leadership quotes, and started journaling, resulting in the publication of my first book in 2013.  Since then, I have published two more bestseller books, that were published in 2017 and 2018.  One of the rewarding New Year’s resolutions was starting a blog.  Over the last 7 years, I’ve had the pleasure of sharing my thoughts and comments, reaching more than 15,000 readers. It’s amazing how much you can accomplish when you give it all you got. 

So take a moment and rank your Top 10 halftime’s resolutions for 2019.  Some might include:

1. Lose Weight

2. Get Organized

3. Spend Less, Save More

4. Enjoy Life to the Fullest

5. Get Fit and Stay Healthy

6. Learn Something Exciting

7. Quit Smoking

8. Help Others Achieve Their Dreams

9. Fall in Love

10. Spend More Time with Family

A few facts for your review:

45% of all Americans usually make resolutions 

17% of all Americans who infrequently make resolutions

38% of all Americans who absolutely never make resolutions

8% of all people who are successful in achieving their resolutions 

49% of all people who are infrequently successful

24% never succeed to achieve their resolution each year 

Typically, people who make resolutions are 10 times more likely to attain their goals than people who don’t. Out of these people, 8% are successful.

What does it take to be one of the 8% who succeed?  Here’s my list:

1.    Burning Desire

They all have “Burning Desire” to do whatever it takes to get the job done.  There’s no hesitation or excuses regardless of circumstance.

2.    Visualization

They visually see what they want to achieve in their mind.  If you can’t picture the outcome, it will be difficult to achieve desired results.

3.    Life by Design

They believe in “Life by Design” versus life by default.  You gain so much more if you carefully plan rather than let circumstance take over.  Without “Life by Design”, it’s hard to break out of the viscous circle that takes over, causing you to feel you’re too busy solving problems and playing catch up.

4.    Power of Three

They understand the value of being laser focused on 3 tasks/projects each day.  Keep a list of three things to be accomplish in a timely manner.  This includes a “To Stop List” which intentionally works on ridding yourself of bad habits that are time consuming and reduces productivity.

5.    No Fear Mindset

This is the mindset that must be developed at all costs.

• No fear of sharing your resolution
• No fear of taking risks
• No fear of going the extra mile
• No fear of taking on challenges that may make you, leading to a comfortable life
• No fear of waking up excited and inspired
• No fear of being responsible for your choices 
• No fear of working hard
• No fear of helping others succeed
• No fear of failing and moving forward
• No fear of being the best that God wants you to be

6.     Bold Print

They have the resolution in BOLD PRINT and visible everywhere and at any time. 

7.    Reward Driven

Making sure that they list all the rewards to achieve the resolution by the deadline and also the list of consequences if not met. 

Here are a few questions to help facilitate powerful and sustainable changes in your life right here and right now:

1.   What's worked well for you the last 6 months?

2.   What hasn't worked well for you the last 6 months?

3.   What are you willing to change to make 2019 a better year?

4.   What types of massive action will you take over the next two quarters?

5.   How much income are you committed to earning in 2019?

Here is my bonus for you to start planning your future:

We are living in an era of constant evolution and development. It is a time of rapid transformations, inventions, and breakthroughs. If we desire to stay current then our goals and goal setting skills need to be revamped and become applicable to our time. The growth and transformation of technology are breaking through any past criterion or frontiers. The goals we set at this time need to be as boundless and seamless.

When Steve Jobs set his goal to recreate the cell phone, as we knew it, his goal was not S.M.A.R.T. His imagination fueled his goal. He dreamed bigger, better, and bolder. He did not restrain himself to a specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and time-bound goal. He had a vision and set it as his goal. Thanks to his courageous endeavor, we now have the iPhone. Therefore, now is the time to shift the paradigm. There needs to be a new platform with a new purpose for effective and modern goal setting that will expand potential, accomplish things beyond imagination and achieve extraordinary results. It is time to set P.O.S.I.T.I.V.E Goals?.

Wishing you a very happy 2nd half of the year in 2019! Take charge, and live with passion!