We’re 6 months into the year. It’s time for a pep talk…
It was my birthday this week.
What’s struck me more than ever this year is that my birthday marks the halfway point of the year, and so I’ve since come to think of this as ‘half-time’.
In sport, the talk that a coach will give his team at half-time is very different from the one they would have gotten going into the first half of the game.
When starting out we ask, “What’s going to make this year better than the last?”.
Now we’re midway in, we need to adjust course based on what’s now happened and where we are in the plan.
When you look back and ask yourself if you’ve achieved the things you wanted to have achieved by this stage in the year, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed with the urge to want to write off the rest of the year before you’ve even begun playing the second half.
I know I’ve been a little frustrated at myself at there being a few things I’ve wanted to get done that I’m yet to get to.
There are certain projects that I still haven’t been able to start, and I have to accept the reality that I may have been overly ambitious with a few things.
But here’s the thing…
At the end of June, there are six months left in the year.
184 days to play with.
184 days to be productive, to be efficient, to go out and love, to have adventure, to do new things, to build an amazing life, to work towards your goals…
And this is time that we all share in, right now, that we all have in the palms of our hands.
If we focus on frustration from not having achieved what we wanted to have achieved by this point, we’re never likely to achieve what we have the potential to achieve throughout the second half of the game.
To combat this, I’ve looked at three areas of focus to help in making the next 6 months what I want them to be personally for me. I hope in sharing them they will serve you in doing likewise…
1) Know your weaknesses
–What are the biggest weaknesses that you need to combat?
For me it’s: distraction, the feeling of overwhelm, losing touch with those I love, not sticking to daily habits, and not re-focusing on goals every day.
Awareness of our weaknesses allows us to bring attention to them and see the pitfalls that we would otherwise drive into if we weren’t able to anticipate them.
2) Know what drives you
The quickest way to lost motivation is to lose the connection you have with the reason for why you’re doing something.
We’ve all had days where we’ve felt incredibly productive. What was the difference? It’s likely that our focus was in a different place – set on something that drove us in an extraordinary way, and gave us the zest to go out and conquer in whatever it is we went on to do.
–How can you bring that feeling back into your every day life over the course of the next 6 months?
3) Renew your goals
The need to feel creative and that we’re making progress can lead us to coming up with new sets of goals, before ever having rounded off our last.
I recently heard someone say that…
“It’s better to go back to old resolutions than to keep creating new ones.”
And I think this is so true.
Coming up with new goals gives us the feeling that we’re being creative and that we’re evolving, when sometimes the biggest point of leverage we have is in going back to a set of goals that we’ve long since abandoned and taking them on with a new rigour, energy and determination.
–What goals / habits have you lost touch with? (that if you could get back, would really make the difference in your life)
We can all make this into the most incredible year of our lives.
I hope you’re excited. Here’s to the rest of the year!
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Question of the day: What is your #1 goal / area of focus for the rest of 2013?
Let me know in the comments!
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Matt, your video blogs are sooooo informative, and not just you trying to sell what you do, or your product as a lot of people in your role can tend to do.
Each time I click on the video button to watch what you have to say, it’s like i have been enriched in some shape or form, during those moments. Thank you!
Thanks so much Kelly. That’s a really lovely message to read.
Hi Kelly,
This is just the best news! The ultimate goal is to always be a source that continues to add value to your life : ) thanks so much for your comment and support!
x
You are awesome & a genius haha I ♡ your work. Shout out from Dallas, Texas. Doing all this is very difficult when you’re heartbroken & still in love with a great person that no longer corresponds to you, sigh :/ But I’m working on it. Keep up the great work & wish me luck ♥
G, you have a great energy about you I can tell. Best of luck!
Haha thank you lovely. Just keep focused on you and your core confidence and you’ll do great. I believe in you! : )
x
Soooo, this wonderful birthday video begs the question…how old are you?
I tried to ask you on Twitter, but I got nothin’. :) My friends and I have a fun little guessing game and I want the edge. haha
I think you are in your thirties because in the book you said, ‘When I was in my twenties…” So either that, or you are a little tease and you don’t want us figuring out how old you are!
Ps. I was with a ‘Get the Guy’ girl friend at Starbucks and we were working on our GTG skillz. We are trying to meet regularly to practice. My stepping stone skill is trying to actually just look at a guy without bouncing my eyes away too fast…bonus points to look and actually give a cheeky smile. Well, I did it! He responded by smiling from where he was seated. Then he got up, walked around the store, and weaved his way back over close to our seating. When I looked up, he was smiling so I smiled again and said ‘Hey’. This started and led to a interesting convo. And here I say, “I can never meet new guys” There he was, at my local Starbucks from out of town. We left with a ‘great talking to you’ but I was so thrilled that I even looked (much less spoke!) I think I deserve an A+. :)
Sorry to keep replying to my own post, but the link in my name was an old one (FYI). My blog is still there though. wwww.princessandthe-p.blogspot.com
This is great news Katie! Thanks for sharing your story and keep up the good work!
x
So I guess this means you aren’t revealing your age? ;) haha, not that it matters…
Matt, I really love your videos. I learn so much from them, but not only do you make it a life commitment to help people find their other half and keep them. But you also give them advice on keeping focus with goals & dreams. You inspire me and I look forward to your blogs, shows, and videos. Take care and Happy B day! D :)
Thanks so much Donna, really a lovely message : )
x
Happy Birthday Matt!
Thanks for the mid year reminder — and encouragement — and thanks for sharing your new beginning :) with the rest of us. May this be your best year ever!
Thank you Dena, you as well! : )
x
my goal is to get off public assured income. I can’t stand it anymore and until then I won’t be able to pay off the massive debt I have or feel proper even getting married.
thanks for the peptalk – I’ll be passing it on through my blog and fb and twitter. just too important a message to not share with friends.
on another note, I never got the book.
thanks for another quality post.
PS. Happy Birthday.
I posted about your post and put up your video and some of your links on my site.
Happy birthday Matt! My birthday was last week, and when it passed I had that same thought. I felt like half of the year is gone already and still a lot of things I didn’t accomplish. Your video came right at it’s time for me! And it gave me the motivation I needed to get more things done.
Thanks for the great videos and posts! You are amazing.
Love from Lebanon!
Rachel.
Glad I could give you a bit of a boost Rachel! Thank you for the lovely comment : )
x
Many happy returns of the day. Belated greetings, sorry for that. Hope you had a good one.
Many thanks Mandira : )
x
Happy B-day!!! I hope you had a great time with cake and your loved ones.
My first goal is to know what I really want. A important goal.
Thank you lovely! : )
x
Good Morning from Canada, Matthew!
Fabulous halftime talk!! :) “Discovered” you a few months ago and absolutely having a blast practicing what I’m learning from you. Loving the videos and this is one of my favorites so far. Your energy, enthusiasm and warmth are always so evident. Thank you for brightening my day! I look forward to sharing my next 6 months with you and your team! Happy Happy Birthday!! xo
Oops:Each year since my divorce has been a different focus: finances, job, fitness…Right now my biggest goal this year is getting my home/household organized. Raising 4 kids is craziness especially in a home that looks like its been lived in by monkeys. Cheers! :)
This is fantastic and we look forward to having you with us! Thank you Alena from Canada : )
x
Happy birthday! My birthday was the week before. Birthdays are fun…
My goal is to embrace my Snow White/Cinderella/Ace Ventura Pet Detective tendencies and implement more ways to help animals. I used to want to be a vet when I was a kid and animals seem to flock to me. Like when a lost pet parakeet found me outside of a Mexican restaurant. And I recently came across an abandoned 4-5 day old rabbit (sooooo small). I’m not even going to tell you how many stray dogs like me… (I may have kept two of them.)
Haha I love the alter-ego’s of your tendencies, and neat stories! Thanks for the comment Erin : )
x
Congratulations, you made it to 26! :D #belated #hopeyouhadagoodone
Haha thank you Christina : )
x
This was such a refresher. I feel so much more motivated now! Happy belated birthday, you’re such an inspirational person.
Amazing news Tracy! Get out there! : )
x
Thank you for your message Matt, my birthday is coming in a week and I feel like I’m wasting my time still as nothing has changed much the first half of the year! Anyway, “You gotta get up and try .. try .. try” is what I’m thinking!
Happy Birthday Matt, you have done a lot to be proud of! :) ..
Love from Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam!
Amazing attitude Beanie. Keep it up! And thank you : )
x
Hi Matthew!
Happy Birthday! :) I hope you enjoyed it spending time with family and friends. I attended your seminar in Atlanta and thoroughly enjoyed it. Always looking forward to your words of encouragement.
Do you have any advice for the shy girl? I always find it hard to break out of my shell and feel comfortable in my own skin. Also, where do you get your daily inspiration?
I hope your having a great weekend!
Caitlyn
Hi Caitlyn, thanks for the birthday wishes! So sweet.
My advice to you would be first and foremost, always remember to smile. You don’t have to be an extrovert to give a flirtatious, demure, Mona Lisa smile that will surely peak a guy’s interest. If you feel nervous about this, like you don’t know how to give the ‘right’ smile, just focus your attention on something in the room you find beautiful or intriguing, or think of a lovely memory. The smile will come naturally : )
Thanks again for your comment!
x
Happy Birthday Matthew! My birhtday is this coming Friday and I feel the same way about birthdays, a milestone for a new year and assessing things. Great to have!
I do have to share with you something a friend has just e-mailed me that I’ve reconnected via e-mail with “the difference I see in you now is pretty remarkable. It looks to me like you’ve finally settled in to being the great person that you are, I feel a calm confidence coming from you that wasn’t there in the past. Just being instead of over-thinking things.”
I’m being that woman of worth, Matthew and this is thanks to you. I am an accountant and have realized my over analytical thinking doesn’t help me in my personal relationships. Your book and the newletters I’ve been receiving really helped me to move forward. Thanks for extending beyond just a book to read. You are GREAT!
Angela, this is such a beautiful post! I’m so glad to hear about all your successes and growth : ) Thanks so much for sharing and happy early birthday!
x
Happy day of your amazing birth!!
I have had a very interesting weekend….. just watched the last two episodes of Looking for Love and it was so empowering for me….. to end the relationship I have and search for the authentic love that is meant for me. THEN I opened my email and saw your post…… Perfect timing for me to hit the reset button and step up my game for the second half of the year.
Thanks for all you do and thanks for your work, it’s a gift for so many of us……
Thank you so much Judith, your support means the world to me! You are outstanding : )
x
Hi Matthew –
First of all Happy Birthday! I hope you had a great celebration!
Thank you immensely for the halftime pep-talk. :) Love the sports analogy here and it is so, so true. I tend to focus on thinking about these things at the beginning of the year and rarely revisit them. Having received a promotion last fall, I’ve spent most of this year very focused on work. Now I’m looking forward to shifting that focus towards my personal life and actually having some fun and accomplishing some goals in that area now too! :)
Birthdays are a great time to reevaluate where you are in life. Last month when I saw that my birthday takes place during the Palm Springs retreat, it made me actually pull the trigger on pursuing it. What better time to really dig deep into making changes and learning how better to move forward? I’m also really looking forward to spending these next six months getting ready for all the amazing things I’m sure that will happen when I’m there. The hard part will be being patient. :)
Thank you again – and see you soon! :)
Cheers,
Erin
Thank you Erin! Haha I’m excited to hear that being patient is going to be the biggest hurtle. That’s an amazing feeling! : )
x
Happy bday Matty!!! thanks for the reminder wish you all the best GOD Bless you.. :)
Thank you Anna : )
x
Hey Matt! Hope you had a wonderful birthday! wish I could have licked the icing off your balls :)
Any who, my number one goal at the moment is to stop being lazy and find a job! Like you said in your book, in order to get the guy you have to get a life!