Keeping Focus through Holidays- A lesson from the stranger in the cold

I sit here at my computer, my stomach overflowing as I chip away at the large tedious task of creating automated email drips in my CRM software, the temptation to "take a day off." is invariably on my mind.

"There is always tomorrow" my brain softly whispers. Lucky for me, I am still in control, and I am taking a break from creating the automated emails to type these quick thoughts.

We must not lose focus during the holidays.

Time with the family and the people close to us is important, but being on autopilot for the last 60 days of the year just because of the holidays is a serious setback for all of us.

Let me tell you a story

Years ago when I was in the military, the holidays were not always with family, but I still loved the people around me. Thanksgiving and Christmas were always a time I felt appropriate to relax and put everything to the side. After all, it is the holidays, right?

I remember my friends, and I would be driving down the road, and without fail, I would always see that one person who was out running in the bitterly cold morning.

I would tell my friends "Look at this crazy guy out running in the cold, Does he not know that he is supposed to be home with friends and family on the holidays" We would all laugh at this stranger, and go on about our day.

As I look back, I realize that this stranger was not crazy. He was someone who realized that to accomplish goals you must choose the path no one else is willing to take. He knew that he could spend 1 hour of the day on his fitness goals, and the rest was free for other activities. He was someone who could endure the peer pressure and get things done when those around him said it could wait until tomorrow. He is a person who could continue when everyone else was pointing and laughing.

So with every stinging cold run completed, every tedious email typed, I am one step closer to the accomplishments I have set for myself, and I remain thankful for the lesson the stranger in the cold has impressed upon me.

Stay focused my friends, and I hope that you are moving one step closer to your goals every single day :)