Hi friend,
I have officially run myself ragged on travel for 2018. A last-minute weekend in Parisfollowed by immediately hopping on a plane to San Francisco 12 hours later to give a talk at a conference–this is the calendar straw that finally broke me.
I realize it's a glamorous ending.
But regardless, here I lie, sprawled out in the Virgin Atlantic terminal at SFO, writing to you a broken woman.
*whimpers into my peppermint tea*
God, I want a nap. Genuinely. I want the world to stop for about 3-4 weeks so that I can do laundry, hydrate, clean my room, and prepare for what comes next. But as we all know, that moment is always just out of reach. We must carve out the recuperation moments and the get-ahead moments and the get-some-rest moments–by forcefully whittling them into our never-not-full calendars, one sporadic 30-minute increment at a time.
Because I'm no different than you.
I, too, am often unclear as to where the time or energy is going to come from.
But here's the thing: I find that late September is where we separate into two groups.
Group 1 people feel that they've already fallen too far behind. They will start talking about 2019 more often. They will tell themselves–and anyone else who will listen–that the end of the year is just around the corner. That nothing really happens until after Christmas anyways. That the holidays are basically here, aren't they, and gosh, didn't this year go by so quickly again?
On days like today, when I'm exhausted, I envy the Group 1 people.
But then I stop myself. Because I want to live life as a Group 2 person. I am a Group 2 person. And when I remember that I am a Group 2 person, I can already feel my blood circulation coming back.
Because Group 2 people know that we haven't even hit the 75% mark in this year yet. They know that it's back-to-school season, and that there's still a huge chunk of productivity left to happen. They are preparing for 2019, sure, but they know that good things don't happen next year unless you prepare for them this year.
And they know there is puh-lennnty of time left in this year to get hired into a new job, that's for damn sure. And getting hired as a Group 2 person is actually quite efficient. Because Group 2 people recognize fellow Group 2 people.
It's time to ruthlessly prioritize, my friends.
What do you need to accomplish in the next 6-8 weeks? Because there's still time. Those weeks are still going to happen, whether you think they count or not.
So maybe we won't get to everything we set out to achieve–in fact, we almost certainly won't. So what? Instead of muttering about where the time went, go decide which thing you want to take one more stab at this year.
Because I promise you, you'll surprise yourself with how different your life could look by the time the holiday season actually rolls around.
I know. I'm tired, too. So, let's nap today. And tomorrow, we work smarter.
We spend less energy worrying, and more energy sending that email. Asking for the introduction. Building the career we want for ourselves.
Because it is what we want. And it's what we're gonna go get.
Right.
Everybody say "Group 2 people" on three.
Here we go.
Big love,
xxA