Where You Want to Go Starts Today
Using Labor Day as a holiday to springboard you to where you want to be or not be by next year, and celebrate every vista and view all along the way.
You’ll note that I’m in your inbox a day early, and it’s not accidental. Labor Day comes but once a year and it’s my favorite decision holiday.
The reason? It has been the day I've made resolutions way more powerful than any New Year's goals. Also, there are very few expectations on it as a holiday. As a solo person for whom big holidays have gotten…loaded…I love these sorts of holidays where others don’t expect you to have big plans.
Here's why I find it a powerful decision holiday, and how you too can use it to your advantage:
The routines and structure of fall provide a powerful contrast to the chaotic haze of summer. “Aimless” and “haphazard” as an approach to life is fun for a while, but structure and routine are reassuring and deeply satisfying.
After a taste of more freedom in the summer, September marks the month you get back to “real life.” This contrast gives you the chance to assess if you even like what you're doing for work and with that real life of yours.
The change in season from summer to fall reminds you that life also has its seasons. You're not meant to stay static, and maybe your heart really is calling you to make a change and telling you that your dreams matter.
For those of you who want to be able to leave corporate for your own thing by next Labor Day, below are a few ideas for using your corporate time to your advantage. This said, you could use them for goal setting in any area—I will be doing so on my holiday drive to Pennsylvania.
Pick the thing about your job/life that feels most counter to your purpose or that you dislike most.
Write down somewhere: "By next Labor Day, I will not be doing _______ anymore" or “By next Labor Day, I will be doing _______.” Keep this reminder visible and fixed in your mind.
Get serious about using your time to your advantage. Reduce your scrolling and aimless digital activities. Learn to master the alarm clock. Start building your email list for the business you intend to start. Listen for the excuses you make.
Get on purpose with your paychecks to maximize them for this remaining year. This might include making your plan for getting out of debt and starting to budget/take care of your money in earnest so you are financially way ahead next year.
For your reading pleasure, I dusted off the following real-life example and lessons learned from the archives. I hope you enjoy!
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Several years ago, a friend and I hiked Lone Peak in the Wasatch Range in Utah. It was Labor Day and I wanted to maintain a family tradition of hiking on the fall holiday and setting intentions for the year ahead.
A few stats about Lone Peak:
Elevation gain: 5,800 feet
Distance: 12 miles roundtrip. We got lost a couple times so we think it was closer to 13 for us.
Ending elevation: 11,253.
Difficulty rating: “For experienced adventurers…strenuous.”
Spectacularness of the views: I give the views 10 stars.
Days it took me to walk normally again: 4.
Neither of us had hiked Lone Peak before. And in fact, we started the day without a strong commitment to really summit the mountain. Even just a wander in the mountains sounded pretty good. At some point I think Sarah got more determined than I did to reach the top, but I did remain committed to putting one foot in front of the other. And that is exactly what it took to get there.
On the way up, it was reassuring to say out-loud and countless times in my head, “We’re closer than we’ve ever been before!” On the way down phrases like, “We chose this?!” and “Ow…ow…ow” were more commonly heard as we winced our way along.
We finished our hike in the dark, finally arriving at the car at 9:06pm, 13 hours after starting. We—hysterically in retrospect—thought we’d possibly be down from summiting in time to catch a matinee. I may never find the guts to hike it again but I can still say very enthusiastically that, even though it was one of the hardest things I’ve ever done, it was so worth it.
But this hike was so much more than a hike. It was the day I made a resolution in my soul: “By next Labor Day, I will not be sending millions of emails.” I was managing the team at an international company who deployed marketing emails to millions of recipients, and had received a text telling me that my team had made a mistake. A collaborating team was the one actually responsible, but I resolved not to be in this same position a year later. And I wasn’t.
Parallels to life
There are so many parallels between summiting a mountain and learning to change spending habits or getting out of debt or getting rid of mountains of clutter or changing the trajectory of your life.
Ideally, you’ve got to be close to 100% confident you can and will get there. You want to have Sarah’s level of commitment and confidence that we really were going to get to the top.
In lieu of the above, putting one foot in front of the other on the path forward still got me there. Just doing it and starting over when you trip and fall, or if you “fail” in budgeting like I’ve also done lots, get you one step closer to your goal.
There will be grand vistas and views all along the way. You don’t have to be 100% debt-free or a never-failing budgeting rockstar or exactly where you’re hoping to get to taste success. The mountain peak is not the only place with a gorgeous view. When you make choices educated by your budget, choose to forgo something for a little while or choose the less expensive option, knowing that you are on-purpose finally with your money, it feels really good. Right now. All the little steps you take on the way to building the business you have in mind, creating micro-habits to keep your home from sliding back into chaos: these little summits along the way to the big one are beautiful and to be celebrated too.
I’ve been able to share with friends that I’ve paid off over $20K debt in the past year. This is a rather staggering number even for myself to process especially given all the fun things I’ve still been able to do. It’s been rewarding to see that number motivate friends that they, maybe, just maybe, can do it too.
We can do hard things
So here I am offering up a reminder we all need that we can do hard things. We can climb mountains, pay off debt, set hard goals and achieve them. And sometimes those hard things stop becoming hard once we learn about them, ourselves, our triggers and motivations, get started and finally get some momentum.
Here’s wishing you lots of momentum as you start/continue your trek to your mountain peak whatever it may be. Now, climb on, Maria.*
*Vague reference to Sound of Music and specifically “Climb Every Mountain” sung by Mother Abbess. I must admit, that song was running through my head for much of the hike but couldn’t stir me to do more than plod unglamorously along.
Your turn:
What is it you're going to not be doing by next Labor Day, so you can be in a new season of growth and opportunity?
What is it you're going to not be doing by next Labor Day, or be doing by next Labor Day, so you can be in a new season of growth and opportunity?