“If you are going to achieve excellence in big things, you develop the habit in little matters.” ~Colin Powell
Opinion
By: Shlomo Fishman
Capital Recreation is in business to make recreation accessible to all. I am not here to tell you the what, the who, and the when. I am here to support and encourage your positive behaviors. I am a Certified Recreational Therapist (CTRS) breaking down barriers to leisure and recreation participation. This blog is here as a tool to spread my personal thoughts and ideas. But most of all, to create community!
Let me start with a quote by Mike Tyson, “We all have a plan until we get punched in the face.” Which is why I want to say the months of October and November are most pivotal in personal growth and moving the needle in the right direction. If you’ve been following this blog you know my theme is, we are what we do continually, and our daily actions form the shape that we become. With that said I can now state my opinion.
In the past I have written about breaking the calendar year into segments and setting themes and goals in place to keep yourself moving forward without getting stale. Though I want to give you another thought and outlook on the entirety of the calendar year. December, January, and February are what I call, free months. March and April, hype months. May through September, warm and fuzzy. October and November, transitional to growth.
The free months of December, January, and February are exactly that! For one, we are excited to finish a year on a high note and get started with the new. Newness from experience lasts about ten weeks. After that, motivation wanes if we don’t have a solid plan or aren’t regularly practicing what we want to achieve. Which is why it is easy to set goals (or whatever you want to call it) at the beginning of the year. Next, we make our first transition and move from newness of the new year to the hype months of March and April. These are hype months because the days start to get longer, warmer, and summer months are right around the corner. If you have been practicing regularly, signs of growth can be noticed and in return giving you extra power to continue forward on your path. The warm and fuzzy months of May through September in my opinion are the easiest to get things done. You’re feeling most motivated, the days are long, the weather is warm, and excuses are few. Thus, leaving us with the final two months of October and November.
These two months are all about standing your ground. These two months will try to punch you in the face. They will try to knock you down. The days get shorter, cooler, and darker. The sun rises later, sets earlier, and can be hard to feel like doing anything. We all know that when you’re feeling unmotivated, it is time to keep moving forward and doing what you’ve been doing all along. It is about keeping the habits you’ve formed all year long. It is about reminding yourself what you stand for and what you want to close the year with. This alone should give you the determination, motivation, and encouragement to stay strong, stand your ground, and avoid being punched in the face!
Now, do I need to explain further? … Didn’t think so. Go ahead and show yourself who you are!
I always love hearing from you and your personal journey. Share your moments of growth and success on social media using the hashtag #shlomotrained
Until next time – peace, and virtual fist bump going your way!
Capital Recreation 