New Quarter’s Resolutions
What I am focused on for Q3'21 and more importantly why
As we head into July and the coming holiday (for those of us in the US), a new quarter represents a new opportunity to reflect on what we achieved in the first half of 2021 and set our goals for the second half. I choose to break these into 3 month chunks to create simple, actionable, and achievable targets for myself that keep me moving forward towards my longer term goals. In this short post I share my three Q3 goals (the what) and my resolution to meet them (the why).
1. Publish a new piece of content every day
The What
Throughout all of Q3 I will publish a minimum of one piece of content every single day. This will apply across platforms including Medium, LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.
The Why
As part of my professional development I want to grow my profile and share the insights and knowledge I have been able to gather over the last 10+ years. My goal is to give away this information so that others may learn and benefit from my experience and in doing so I believe I will create an abundance of opportunity to grow myself.
This is by far the biggest challenge I am taking on this quarter. I’ve never been an active social media user and while I am an avid writer, that writing has been almost entirely private journaling. That said, I am extremely excited about taking on this challenge for myself and suffering through to get to the other side as by the end of this quarter what will have started out as a daunting and foreign task, will have become a skill that is honed and can be used for creative and impactful ends.
2. Run a sub 20 minute 5k
The What
I will execute on a training plan to increase my speed and endurance so that I can run a 5k (3.1miles) in under 20 minutes, or at 6:26 mile pace.
The Why
I benchmarked my 5k time yesterday at 22:07 (ran on road with several stops due to traffic), or roughly a 7:10 mile pace. I’ve been running regularly for approximately 3 years now, but was always focused on longer distances and have completed half and full length marathons. Taking on this speed challenge is exciting because it will force me to alter not only my training, but my mindset. Running is more than physical exercise for me, it is a cleansing exercise that delivers more for my mental health than anything, so in taking on new and varied challenges I can continue my practice of self-awareness while pushing myself to new and different levels of growth.
3. Read 3 books on leadership and coaching
The What
I will read 3 books specifically on the topic of leadership and/or coaching and will do a write up of each as a blog post.
The Why
I already have a healthy reading habit, so this is more of a focusing of efforts around this specific topic. Leadership is something that I am passionate about and believe in the importance of, so continually making a focused effort to improve my own leadership skills is part of my commitment to mastery in what I do. If I can be a better leader and coach for those I manage as well as all the people in my life, I can fulfill my purpose to uplift those around me and create a more positive and meaningful life.
So there you have it. I chose this quarter to focus on goals that will improve my personal connections, physical and mental well being, and continue my work towards mastery in my calling as a leader. By taking these incremental steps towards improvement and embracing a growth mindset in these facets of my life I know that the compounded effect will have a significant impact on the lives of myself and those around me. Now I am off to the races . . .
