September is the new January
I love this time of year. The weather is getting a little cooler, the sun is setting earlier, pumpkin products are lining the shelves, flannel shirts are about to be everywhere, and most importantly, football is back.
Fall is a season of change, transition and fresh starts. It is associated with back to school and getting back to work after the long, sunny days of summer.
Fall is also a popular time to set goals. While January is the time most associated with resolutions and change, research has shown that September might be an even better time of year to actually accomplish your goals. September gives us the feeling of a fresh start and is a natural time of transition, making it easier to adopt changes.
We are also much more motivated to change in September than in January, which is right after the holidays and during the middle of the cold, dark winter. We are used to hitting the ground running in September and working on new challenges and towards our goals. This is the perfect time to reflect on what you have accomplished so far and what you would like to accomplish for the rest of the year and bring into next year. Take advantage of that feeling of a fresh start and use it to make changes and move towards your goals.
One of my favorite exercises to get clarity around my goals and next action steps is a future self visualization. Here is how you can do it -
Close your eyes and take at least 5 minutes to imagine your best possible future self. It can be six months from now, a year from now, or five years from now. Whatever feels the most realistic to you. Imagine all aspects of your life - the personal and professional, where you are living, who you are with, what are you doing, even what you are wearing. Fill in as many details as you would like.
Note: it should be in the realm of possibility for you. So don’t imagine that you are living in a mansion in Malibu and are a professional athlete if that is something that is not remotely realistic.
Open your eyes and journal in as much detail as possible about this future version of yourself.
Write down at least five things you can do in the next month to help you move towards that future version. They should be reasonable action steps that you can take immediately and will help you accomplish those big goals.
This is a great exercise to do every month or every quarter to help you get clearer on your goals and the steps you can take to accomplish them and move towards your ideal future self.
There are four months left in 2021 - how can you use them to move toward your goals and the future version of yourself?
