Bodying Q3: 3 questions to ask that will ensure you’re on top of your 2018 goals
Believe it or not, but we’re already in the second half of the year — or Q3 as the world of finance and big corporations call it.
Being that the year breaks into four equal segments, naturally, quarters are the unit of measurement most often used to break down financial statements for long-term investors. By looking at these financial statements, investors determine the health of a company and its potential valuation.
It’s when companies make adjustments, comparisons and evaluate trends. But as creatives, it’s just as important time for us to be introspective of our own goals.
The first of the year is a space where when we’re the most locked in. We’re mentally reset, pumped about our plans, motivated for change, etc.
However, it’s a level we rarely ever return to. From that point on it turns into a downward spiral until they become dreams of the past.
While we may not be multimillion dollar corporation with a delicate budget to balance, we are a brand with purpose, with no time to waste.
The same principals, guidelines, and caution companies make, are the ones we should, especially when chasing greatness.
Because Q2 officially ended Saturday, June 30th, it’s as opportune a time as ever to reassess and determine where we are in our own personal development.
It’s when we’re When we are intentional about how we’re progressing, and not simply assuming we are, that we get the most results, and the best way to do that is with a periodical check-up.
What progress have I made, and what have I learned so far?
One of the biggest mistakes we can make is assuming that we’re doing something we’re clearly not.
As odd as it sounds, we can actually become blind to our own perception of hustle. Because we’re always doing something or because we haven’t changed what we’ve been always doing we automatically assume the results are the same. This is not always the case.
The beauty of breaking down the year into segments where you can go back and reconfigure a gameplan is to see how effective the initial gameplan has been working.
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Maybe the hour-long commute to that part-time job doesn’t make as much sense when you take a step back and sort through your priorities or possibly you’ve found that picking up coding could be the difference-maker you missed early on — you’ll never know if you don’t stop to ask yourself.
Furthermore, it’s just as important to ask yourself what you’re learning along the way. You may look at what you’re doing and not see any decline in progress but instead may find that you’ve stopped learning or benefitting from the course at hand.
Consistently challenging yourself to grow is an advantage you give yourself when you take time during these parts of the year.
What do I need to do differently?
A big part of the roadblocks we face in our personal pursuits often come from our inability to adapt.
For one, we simply fail to see the need for a different approach and secondly, we don’t give ourselves an appropriate amount of time for corrective measures.
When you stop to see what you’ve done and compare it to where you’re trying to go, it’s easy to adjust along the way. What happens far too often than not, however, is that we don’t do any correcting until it’s Q1 again.
With it being a new quarter, ask if the schedule you have set up for yourself is the most advantageous to where you want to go. Ask if yourself if you’re on pace to meeting your goals, and if not, if there’s anything you can do differently.
What do I need to let go of completely?
Among the all re-assessing taking place during the mark of the new quarter, that which is needed to be left behind might be the most important.
Sacrifice is something everyone agrees is necessary, but when it comes to down it, is what most show up with empty-handed. It’s hard to come to grips with letting some things go.
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We are creatures of habit prone addiction; so when we become addicted to a habit, regardless of how counterintuitive, it becomes something we’re reluctant to let go.
The advantage of these quarterly check-ins is the ability to self-audit, correct and amplify. Sometimes, without them, we’d never see what needs to be extracted, or on which fronts we should be doubling down, or in what areas we should stick it out and stay the course.
Whether it’s friends, a vice or part of a diet, there are always adjustments to be made. We give ourselves the best chance at making those adjustments however when we slow down enough to see what they are.
As Q3 kicks off, ask yourself what you can do differently to better get to where you feel you should be; challenge yourself to achieve higher efficiency, and make mental notes if what you’ve learned.
You may not be a million dollar company right now, but if you start acting like one there’s no reason why you couldn’t make yourself into one in the future.