Today is the last Friday in January and the 27th day of 2017.
How did that happen so fast?
It certainly should give us perspective on how fast things can change. If you are still clueless about how quickly time moves just replay the last five minutes of the Dallas Cowboys season and you can see how fast life happens.
With the year being almost 1/12 complete I want to check in with you and see how you are doing on your personal and professional goals for 2017.
Either you are on your way to having an incredible year or you are not. Unfortunately, it takes daily steps to be successful and if you are struggling then it is time to revisit what you are missing in your life to be successful towards those goals.
I was reminded of those step this past Wednesday morning at the Executive Toastmaster Meeting. Kathleen Taylor-Gadsby gave an incredible speech titled, “I’ve Fallen and I Can’t Get Up”.
As she spoke, I was struck by how appropriate her four actions to take were for getting ourselves back on track when we are struggling resonated with me. I committed to doing a half-ironman in September and my training for January has been lacking.
If you are struggling then these four actions will get back on track working towards your goals and ultimately your success.
- Have a support system – Everyone needs the fans in the balcony section. These are the fans that show up to support you. They adore you and are willing to support you all the time. Everyone needs them, except often when it is the most difficult, we forget about those people in our life and focus on our failings rather than ask for support. They are right behind you, ask them for support.
- Embrace change and ambiguity – Earlier in my life, I went through a period of change and hired a professional to work with me through that change. We came up with a funny acronym to explain that feeling of knowing you are moving forward yet feeling like you are in quicksand. F.G.O. Another Frickin Growth Opportunity – if you cannot embrace the idea of being uncomfortable and open to change, then change will be difficult to take hold.
- Self Confidence – Everyone has some, many need more and some need a lot less. In the 10th grade, I experienced a football coach giving incredible support to a fellow athlete. The player was struggling terribly. It was making everyone on uncomfortable. Rather than giving up on his player, Coach Wheeler called to the trainer and asked him to “bring me that bottle of liquid courage”. When the trainer realized that all he wanted was a bottle of water, he quickly grabbed and ran it to the coach. Coach Wheeler then doused the player with “liquid courage” and started the drill over. Amazingly, the player found the self-confidence within himself and not only survived but thrived that day. When my days are difficult, I often think about the “liquid courage”.
- Set Goals AND TAKE ACTION Paraphrasing Newton’s first law of motion – an object at rest remains at rest and an object in motion remains in motion. Setting a goal gives you a target to reach. You have to take action to accomplish that goal.
My support system includes my Garmin watch and my connections. They are often calling, texting and emailing about how the group is doing. Without their support, there is no way I would undertake my September goal.
The Tannery & Company team believes in having goals and utilizing technology to support our clients in measuring how they are achieving those goals.
If you have fallen and can’t get up in your financial world, then schedule a meeting with us and together we can discuss the actions that you need to take to get back on track.
Enjoy your last January weekend – Spring is coming.
Michael
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Michael Tannery CPA CDFA® AIF® ● CEO
Registered Principal
