1st Quarter Reflection: Winning the Next 9 months

Posted by Seminal Wellness Team on 3/1/2025 to News

We're almost through the first three months of 2025. One quarter done already? Yep, and it's a good time to look back. What have you powered through? What challenges did you never expect, but you still navigated? On the other hand, what do you have to leave behind? What's still holding you back? What do you have to let go of? What's really critical, you know, what do you absolutely have to do this year? We still have nine months. Let's focus on winning this thing.

Celebrate the Victories

You've already done some masterful things in these first three months. Maybe you closed a big deal. Maybe you aced an important exam. Maybe you and your partner have finally overcome a rough patch. You might have gotten the courage to make a recommendation to your boss or fight for that raise. No matter what the accomplishment was, a major one or another that's relatively small, celebrate it. You need to take stock of how far you've come, give yourself credit. And, this will build the momentum to achieve something greater.

What Haven't you Done—Yet

But, there are still a few things you haven't done. You still need to attend that workshop or start on that certification. You still need to complete the painting or the last songs on the album. You still need to conquer that fear of public speaking and perform more presentations at work. You still need to talk to your son about all his time on Discord, and the people he's hanging with. You know what you need to do. The question is, what's holding you back? What are you afraid of? You're afraid that you'll fail. You're afraid it won't be good enough. You're afraid you'll embarrass yourself. You're afraid that they'll get angry. Guess what, you might be right. But, the most rewarding thing is facing your fears, and having the chance to get past them. The lucky ones are slammed with the biggest challenges, and the opportunity to realize—by dint of your deepened resourcefulness, creativity, and grit—it's not that bad. There are few things you can't through, with some planning and openness. The

Source always Guides—if you let it in. Face the obstacle—face your fear—and plan to break through.

Don't Be Afraid to Walk Away

Sometimes you can't make it work, nor should you. You've thrown all your resources at it, and you're still not making progress. You have been in this relationship for a better part of a decade (perhaps even longer) and the other person hasn't demonstrated commitment. A deal is turning into a boondoggle, and you have to cut your losses. Yeah, you got the degree in this, this is a stable job that pays pretty well, but it's not fulfilling you. You know there's something else that would give you the satisfaction you need. Many of us pride ourselves on our persistence and follow through, but, sometimes, that's not enough. We do read our own articles. The author of this post is facing the same situation and is in the middle of making a critical decision. What has been promised has not been delivered, and she is deliberating whether to pull away or continue to see this through. We don't pretend to have all the answers. But, we'll be asking these same questions:

Will accomplishing this move me closer to a cornerstone goal?
Do I have the supports, the "fallbacks," to get through me through the nearly inevitable setbacks?
Will completing this allow me to be truer to myself, nurture my essence?

If you answer "no," to any of these questions, the effort—the project at work, the relationship, the career, etc.—should be jettisoned. It seems stringent, but what's the alternative? Twenty years from now, you'll look back and consider all the time you lost, that you can never get back. Don't do that to yourself. You deserve—and we deserve—your best.

You, and the author, should not berate themselves for getting involved in this situation in the first place, and, perhaps, having to abandon it. There's a lot you have learned through this, including all the crises, that you would never have learned without undertaking this experience. You gave yourself the chance, and make sure you profit from it (even if there are some tangible losses). No matter your decision, cherish these lessons, keep these takeaways—these hard-won nuggets—at the forefront of your mind, for your journey and to help others. We'll make it through this. I know that.

Making the Next 9 Months Count

All right, some things have gotten done, there's still more to do, and there might be some things you need to let go. How do we maximize the next nine months? First thing you need to do if shift your perspective. Huh, what about making a plan? Getting your money together? Getting an advisor? Yeah, you'll need all that, but you have to have the mindset first, the "winning" mindset. The winning mindset is typified by being driven to make it work; being adaptable when you need to (including going out of your comfort zone when necessary); and making use of every moment. "Winning" also can mean you won't get it all accomplished by December 31. But, you have to lay the groundwork to make success not only possible, but almost certain. Here are some tips:

Visualize what will happen—what you'll be able to do and how you'll be better—when this is complete, consider it a fait accompli
As it has already been done, just lay the path to the destination—make a strategy (don't be afraid to adjust); arrange or build your contacts; coordinate on objectives (make sure the other, or others, have bought in)
Have shared goals, and remind others about the potential gains (builds morale)
Even when it's going well, take a beat—how could we be better?
You may have to abandon this, but only give it up for something better

Just as importantly, you need to prioritize. What has to get done this year? What do you have to do to get to the next step? You have to start building up your savings. You need to make more time for your mom as she recovers at home. You need to bring down your blood pressure and get some walking in, even if it's just a few minutes after work. You need to get the AAC device for your daughter. And, make these non-negotiables. You must attend to these every day, every week, or every month. No exemptions. And, schedule these priorities into your day. Formulate intermediate objectives, at least on a weekly basis, that will keep you focused and on track. The goals are important enough, but there's something more important: you. You're worth all of this. For each goal, remember: you can; you must; and you will.

Nine months is a long time, to get it accomplished or set a fateful track. Time is on your side. Ensure your strength, drive, and belief in yourself are there too.

1 Comments

Zaida Hix

Date 3/12/2025

I think I speak for a lot of people when I say 2025 has already been a long year. It's hard to make plans when you don't even know what will happen in the next hour. I want to lean in. But, what am I leaning into?

Seminal Wellness Team

If there's a word that has already defined 2025 it's uncertainty. Thanks so much for your question Zaida. Yes, what do we lean into when it appears all the pillars are unstable, if not collapsing. This author is traversing her own challenges. What I have been doing--ajd what I recommend we all do--is make some contingency plans with trusted contacts. This can be experts on your team or prudent friends or family members that have effectively navigated challenges. Be there for each other; be planning your strategies as you help others develop theirs. Consider the different outcomes and have a plan--the details will come, but a solid blueprint--for each. And, be ready to adjust, especially when conditions are as fluid as they appear to be now. Continually tell yourself that you will get through this, because you're being proactive--with vital support--in managing the situation. Let me also say, be willing--and, be ready--to do what you haven't done before. Be creative and resourceful with possible approaches (I've had to be). Right, this has never been done before--much less even considered before--but once it accommodates others' needs, while fulfilling the end goals, the plan is viable. So, what do you lean into? Lean into that uncertainty. Don't try to sugarcoat what's happening; recognize the seriousness, even the severity, of the current situation, and attack it. Seize--grab hold of--the moment and the opportunities it offers for you to become more practical, more creative, more courageous, and more daring. There's a better you--a better us--on the other side of this. Adjustments and sacrifices will be made, but they are necessary ones. Face this new era and lean into the better you. I'm coming along.

1st Quarter Reflection: Winning the Next 9 Months

1 Comments

Zaida Hix

Seminal Wellness Team

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