How will you use the last 78 days of 2015?

It’s hard to believe the year is coming to a close. Autumn is in the air, Thanksgiving is around the corner, then the holiday season, and poof — the year is gone.

Think back to January 1 — what were your plans and dreams for this year? What did you want to achieve? Have you reached those smart goals you so carefully planned on day one?

The truth is most of us abandon our goals before Spring arrives. We lose our momentum and motivation, we lose interest, we get pulled away by life distractions and demands. And then we reach this point in the year and feel frustrated with ourselves. “Why haven’t I done anything toward my goals? Why have I let so much time slip by without achieving something important this year?”

Yes, there are only 78 days left in the year, but 78 days is plenty of time to finish the year strong with a really smart goal.

Instead of focusing now on what you want to achieve next year, why not make the next 78 days your training ground for achieving any goal, any time you want! Don’t allow your mind to slip into the limiting belief that, “There are only a few months left in the year so I might as well give up on 2015.”

You have to finish strong so you can walk away with that amazing sense of pride, self-confidence, and achievement.

The next few months are busy, the holidays are distracting, you’re not sure if you want to focus on a smart goal when there’s so much else to do. I know you are already feeling resistance in the pit of your stomach.

But truthfully, lack of time, knowledge, or ability are not what’s holding you back from making the next 100 days the most productive in the year. There are only two obstacles holding you back . . .

Lack of focus.

Lack of motivation.

We lack focus and motivation for one main reason: we allow distractions and busywork to overwhelm our most important goals. Rather than focusing on achieving what we really, truly want for our lives and harnessing the motivation to stay on task, we allow less important “stuff” to take up our time.

Think about all of the truly important and smart goals you have in a holding pattern right now. Think about who you could be if you weren’t too distracted or tired from all of the “time sucks” and actually made it happen.

How to get motivated

One of the great things about motivation is that it attracts focus. When you are really motivated to achieve something, you become highly-engaged and determined. I’m sure you’ve noticed that.

So how can you get motivated in these last 78 days to end the year with a bang?

Here are some thoughts:

1. Pick one goal

Don’t overwhelm yourself with a laundry list of things you want to accomplish. Most important life goals involved many smaller goals anyway. So choose one that will be your focus for the next few months.

2. Make it fun

Pick a goal you can feel excited about — one that you know will give you a sense of joy and fulfillment even as you work toward achieving it if you choose to view the next 78 days with a positive outlook.

3. Focus on the deadline

Having a specific deadline, 78 days, harnesses your energy and forces you to remain motivated and focused. You know you have a specific amount of time to get it done — so you do!

4. List the benefits

Think about who you will be and how your life will improve when you accomplish this goal. Write it down, visualize it, talk to people about it and let the excitement and energy seep into your psyche.

5. Set an intention

Rather than thinking, “I’ll give it a try,” change your mindset and think, “I intend to achieve my goal.” Intention implies total commitment and the belief that nothing will get in your way.

6. Create accountability

When you announce your intention to accomplish your goal, you’ve just added rocket fuel to your motivation. No one wants to fall flat in the eyes of other people. Serious goal-setters know that accountability is a key to success. So let the world know about your 78 day goal challenge. Tell your family and friends, announce it on Facebook, write a public promise.

Take the challenge


Don’t write off 2015 as already over and done. Don’t waste a wonderful opportunity to remember 2015 as the year you made it happen. Finish strong! Make this the year you take control of your destiny by learning the skills that can make every year amazing!