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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Great video – inspirational & motivating. Thanks x
I have NO idea how I missed this!! But I’m soooo glad I’m seeing it today!! :)
First, FELIZ CUMPLEAÑOS!!! Hope it was wonderful and fabulous and may ALL your wishes and dreams continue to come true! :)
Second, thank you for doing this and for the MUCH needed pep talk! ;)
Third, I spoke to John and was interviewed and accepted. However, some things shifted and I hope that this doesn’t ruin my chances of attending another one of your retreats in the future. I LOVE your work and you have an AMAZING staff by the way. I’ve only come into contact with John and Brie, but they are wonderful and I can imagine what the retreat staff must be like. Hope to see you soon!
Grande abrazo!!
Matthew,
I’m watching your video’ A Glimpse Into A GetTheGuy LIVE Event!’ right now and I just felt so thankful for you advise that I had to let you know how amazing you are.
Really.
Thank you for being here, that’s all I can say!
I hope that there will come more amazing years that bring you all great things, this is just the beginning.
(Happy Birthday handsome :)
Helga
Hi Matt, I am so happy that I found you early this month through Yoututbe. Your advice is practical and revolutionary. You inspired me to get up early in the morning. Borrowing one line from the movie Google Internship “We can’t stop time, but we can manage time.” :-)
You made me understand that getting the ideal guy and achieve the ultimate happines is not just about the techniques. Techniques are important, of course. However, it also involves self confidence, the way we think and the we do things, and most importantly the Attitude that women should have in life. Simplest things, such as we get up early in the morning and set up a plan for the day and set up the goal for ourselves for a week, a month or even a year, and being consistant about it….The whole a lot of factors contribute to a result that we will become a better person and have a better relationship with ourselves. Trust in oursevles, have that core confidence in ourselves that we can do it, and set up a plan to make it happen.
我喜欢你的视频。希望有机会在悉尼看到你。
Cath xx
Hi Matthew!
I’m always so glad whenever I find new content from you. I was just watching the retreat video as well, and I don’t know how you do it!! — but you manage to speak directly to the heart and address what exactly we’re feeling and trying to figure out.
I’ve been trying hard to figure out a game plan (and so good that this video was like a mid-year check in on progress) of how to maintain intrinsic motivation everyday, and not go from one week of being super excited and revved up, to slipping back into where I was before and feeling discouraged.
I feel like your advice is always so exact, I would want it on a podcast I could play whenever I need a push to stay focused and motivated.
Thank you SO SO much.
Cheers to 2+ years of following your videos
Steven from New York
Inspiring words and yet practical ‘let’s do this’ stuff! Your blog is a treat to read x
Ooops – goal is… better time management, not just so that I can get work done easier, but to make more time for the writing (novel and play) I’m doing aside from work :)
As always…inspirational……but when we are goal driven, sometimes less is more. A walk by the shore…
Happy Birthday and thank you x
Happy Birthday! Thank you for your work, it is always very inspirational!
Matt, happy belated birthday!!! I wish you many more, filled with happiness and success.
Oh and, by the way, I just noticed I always read these articles in your accent! Haha!
I am a new viewer to your videos on youtube.com and your site here. I find your conversations to be very interesting and straight to the point. With this video “3 Tips For Making The Second Half Of The Year Ten Times Better Than The First”, the topic of creating new idea while not finishing old ideas is not being productive really struck me. Reason being has to do with the fact that I love writing and coming up with story ideas. The only problem is I have so many ideas that I don’t go back to the old and finish. I have tried before I watched this video but I feel by watching this it gives me some more ambition and strength to continue. Thank you!!
Also many women go to your lessons and seminars commenting how handsome and cute you are. Would you say that the fact that women find you attractive a huge factor as to why they listen to your lessons and go to your seminars? I am sorry if this is a weird question but I am really curious to hear your opinion.
My number one goal of 2020 is to maintain my weight or drop @40 more pounds. In 2016 I weighed over 350 pounds. I now ping pong between 192-197. Ideally I would like to reach 170. I married in December 1985, the man of my dreams. It was the last day of November 1994, that I lost him. I was lost, depressed and my life just fell out of control, with weight gain. In 2016, I had had enough. I decided to do something and I decided it had to be me, for me. So I started the Keto diet and it worked for me. I feel good about myself and my accomplishment. I now would like to find someone that would bring out the best in me, while allowing me to still be me. My friends say I’m the most loving and caring person they know but I can’t seem to find a man that sees those qualities in me. I enjoy traveling and teaching. I taught for 34 years and have been retired for now into my 8th year. I’m thinking about returning back to teaching to occupying my time. I would love to find someone to spend time with, I’m not sure I would ever marry again. I was lucky once but I’m not sure lightning can strike twice. I’ve been so out of touch so long, I’m not sure I have what it takes to be in any type of relationship again. However, I know I don’t like sitting at home with my Yorkie and two cats every weekend. I’m not sure you or anybody can help me but I’m a good student and any and all help would be greatly appreciated. I just would like to say “Thank You Matthew, for any help or suggestions.” I saw you on the Rachel Ray Show today. This message may fall on deaf ears. If so, I suppose it’s fate.