Interval: Limbo or Renewal?

Q. "I hate my job. I'm considering starting a business?and I really want to move to a warmer climate. Arizona sounds good! But it's the holiday season. I'll start the process on New Year's Day."

A. The time between Thanksgiving and Christmas often gets dismissed as dead time. It's a happy, limbo-like state, where you can enjoy the present, knowing the future will be on your doorstep soon enough.

If you're drowning in year-end deadlines and family festivals, you may feel too overwhelmed to consider your own future. However, people who accomplish successful transitions refuse to be derailed. They may take extra breaks but they assign a minimum number of minutes per day to work on their long-term goals.

And they gain leverage by putting their subconscious minds to work for them, even while they're attending a party.

How does this happen?

Let's say you allocate fifteen minutes a day to your Number One long-term goal. Maybe you add a weekly power surge by calling a coach or mentor. You're verbalizing your goals and hearing reinforcement from a supportive resource.

As you're walking the dog, driving to work, or chatting at a party, your subconscious mind remains tuned to your goals, processing the data you generated during your fifteen dedicated minutes and your phone sessions.

Additionally, everyone you meet will view you as a source of purposeful energy.

Enjoying a party?

As you spread onion dip over a cracker, you fall into conversation with someone who adds a critical piece to your long-term puzzle. You attract strong, motivated people like yourself, and you reinforce one another. You ease away from the group that's moaning, "I haven't done a thing all week. I really dread the coming of January."

What can you do for fifteen minutes a day, between now and New Year's Day, to reach your long-term goals? And if you're struggling with goal-setting, what steps can you take to explore options that will lead you, almost effortlessly, to find a goal?

About the Author

Cathy Goodwin, Ph.D., author of Making the Big Move, helps midlife
professionals navigate career and business transitions. "How Smart
People Can Derail Their Transitions" complimentary Special Report
http://www.cathygoodwin.com/subscribe.html . Contact:
http://www.cathygoodwin.com/feedback.html Phone: 505-534-4194