Mid-Year and Stuck? Resources for the Needed “B12”

It is hard to believe it is July already and we are half way through 2013! Good grief – where is the time going?!

Many of my clients have lamented they are not where they wanted to be at this point in the year. Some are frustrated with their lack of progress against their desired goals; whether these are with their brand awareness, loss of extra weight, or building their small businesses. Others are just tired of not seeing the results of ANY of their labors up until now. It is easy to get discouraged in business and in life. What can we do to get our ‘mojo’ back?

One thing I know for sure – if we stop pursuing whatever goal we aspire to achieve, we are guaranteed not to achieve it! And, the other thing I know for sure – we are not in this alone. Ever. We have support – we just need to ask for it and look for resources that can buoy us when we feel we are sinking. A few to consider:

1. When it comes to building our businesses and our associated brand there is no shortage to social media blogs and publications to help. There are a few books and articles I can recommend to those needing to boost their awareness and visibility AND subsequently their business: Michael Hyatt’s, Platform – Get Noticed in a Noisy World, is chock full of tips, tactics, and techniques to build your brand. AND they are actionable and easy to understand. I also found David Newman’s, DO IT Marketing to be a relevant and succinct list of 77 action packet ideas to boost sales and convert media traffic to business results. BOTH books are worth purchasing and subscribing to their blogs for ongoing reference.

When we feel stuck, often sharing our messages and starting a dialogue with our readers can help spur us on!! TRY IT!

Energy begets energy – of this I am certain.

2. Frankly, it is often hard to keep up your stamina and energy day after day, especially when the temperature outside is over 105 degrees! It is tempting to revert to coach potato indulgences. Yet, the mind, body, spirit connection is undeniable. My body connection had gone on the back burner earlier this year.

Recently, I have found incredible jolts of energy by stepping up 2 small aspects in my life. First, I have a power juice smoothie every single morning. I have no idea if this is the placebo effect or if I truly was nutrient deprived; however, what I do know is I have more energy mid-day than I have had over the past 6 months!! I use the Nutribullet, it is super easy and I LOVE the taste. EASY!

Secondly, I have stepped up my workouts and am now back into my 6am daily routine of Beyond Pilates. Paybacks are tough – and I feel every muscle that has been lazy these past few months. Yet, I am also SUPER excited about how I am going to achieve my desired weight/size in the next few months!

NOTHING like FORWARD MOMENTUM to energize our efforts.

3. Finally, for those that perhaps have lost their plot and are just not sure where they are going much less how they are going to get there…a few final resources to reacquaint yourself with:

  • There is simply no replacement for Stephen Covey’s ‘7 Habits’ book. I find myself referring back to his lessons time and again. You need not read it cover to cover again (unless you want to); simply scan to the chapter where you feel drawn. You will be amazed that by simply “starting with the end in mind” (page 95) will help to re-frame where you want to go – which is the very first step to getting there!
  • There is another amazing book written by David Schwartz, which a colleague of mine reminded me of not too many months ago: The Magic of  Thinking Big. This book was written over 20 years ago; yet, his messages are sound and his simple writing style has made it a consistent best seller over the years. It has everything to do with changing our frame around our reality. Yes, it is all about the truism that our thoughts absolutely create our reality. He shares basic tips on how to overcome our fears and establish powerfully positive beliefs.

So, folks, I totally understand and empathize with the mid-year slump. AND I also know the only one that can get us out of the dip is ourselves WITH the help of a few resources to help change our frame of reference (and reality) AND help us integrate new HABITS to achieve our 2013 year-end goals.

What suggestions do you have to share? How do you lift yourself out of a slump when you are there?