The Beginning of the December Plague

It’s that time of year again…  We have four weeks left in 2017, and all hell is about to break loose as we begin the first full week of December.

The year-end goals you vaguely remember discussing with your boss over the summer come screeching back into the picture.  The holiday parties stack up, along with gift-buying and the general consumerism that defines the modern-day holiday season.

People become more busy just thinking about how busy they’re going to be.  December is like a torment of busyness.  Have I told you how busy I am right now?

The #1 Problem Lurking Among the Busyness

Among all of the busyness lies a problem.  Well, a lot of problems actually…  But there’s one in particular I want to talk about in today’s article:  Excuses.

I’ve caught myself saying repeatedly “nothing gets done in December anyway.”

As of this afternoon, I’ve decided this is the wrong way to approach the situation.

If what you’re trying to accomplish is contingent on a) budgets or b) other people’s time, then yes, the chance of it happening is slim.  This holds especially true for sales and hiring.

Though I now have another perspective.

What I’ve Found in My Life

I’m getting ready to launch a new arm of my business and had every intention of doing it in January 2018.  I got to thinking about it today and realized there’s no reason I can’t start testing it now, TODAY, Sunday, Dec. 3rd.  In fact, given the nature of what I’m trying to do, there’s value in making people aware of it before the new year.

Does it still make sense to invest the majority of my time and money with a clean slate in January?  Yes, most likely.

However, the point is:  Rather than write-off the entire month, I should focus on a few small actions that will continue forward momentum.

Jocko’s Crazy Training Insight

I heard ex-Navy SEAL Commander Jocko Willink, probably the scariest, most badass human to ever walk the face of the earth, explain how comforting it is to know that you’re training when your enemy is laying around doing nothing.  This is his justification for getting up at 3am or something ridiculous like that.

Consider this as it relates to Jocko’s comment…  If you can get one thing accomplished while your friends run around in December talking about how busy they are, you have won.

I’m not talking about setting the world on fire with your accomplishments this month.  I’m talking about completing one crucial task.

By doing this, you will continue moving forward as the rest of the world runs around in circles.

What’s the most important thing on your December to-do list?

See you next Sunday at 8:30pm.  🙂