Fourth Quarter Resolutions

(Photo Courtesy of Nicole Jansen aka NJ)

Even though I’m in love with Ted Lasso, the show about “soccer football,” an American football reference works best for what I’m thinking lately. One year ago I was sitting in endless Zoom calls and snapped (first football reference). I dropped off a call, put on my backpack and drove three hours to my parents’ house unannounced. I was in a game no one had played before, and I had no idea how I would make it through the fourth quarter of the year. I’d done all the blocking and tackling, passing and running I could manage. My body and mind were done. The coach was drawing plays but I was seeing stars and hearing low, wide-mouthed, slow-motion voices.

Time Out

After some home-cooking, a good come-to-Jesus talk with my parents and a bucolic, gravel road truck ride to the local apple orchard, I found a way to get up the next morning, rub some dirt on it and log into the next conference call for the three-hour drive home. I made a plan to make a change, and here I sit one year later, rested, with my store-bought apples, a blog, infrequent Zoom calls, new experiences and a generally positive outlook on life.

Inspiration

The whistle has blown for the fourth quarter of this year. I’ve reviewed this year’s game tape and my journals, and I’m ready to make the rest of the year awesome, or at least better than last year’s twilight. I’m inspired by quotes in my journals:

“The greatest weapon against stress is our ability to think one thought over another.” — William James

“It’s not about the result you want, it’s about who you want to become.” — James Clear

“Life has so much more to offer than drinking and crying.” — Haley Stomp

Game Plan

Back to fourth-quarter game plans: scrappy runs, beautiful pass plays and hopefully plenty of first downs. A touchdown wouldn’t hurt either.

Here are my fourth quarter resolutions:

1. Decide to be happier every day by prioritizing helpful thoughts and telling the crappy ones to take a hike.
2. Pursue dream career options more like it’s my job and less like I’m just singing about it in Les Miserables (although singing Les Miserables songs is never wrong).
3. Try the Goldilocks motivation approach from Atomic Habits by setting goals that are not too easy and not too hard, but JUST RIGHT. (Note to self: “Shower every day” is not hard enough.)
4. Go on one more trip so I can budge in front of everyone at the airport with my Global Services status before I’m back to “people who sleep in their own bed” status.
5. Learn to do something new, maybe a new type of exercise or a cooking class.
6. Lose five pounds before Christmas (probably should pick the exercise class).
7. Reasonably-paced bingeing of Offspring, the seven-season, Australian drama rom com series.
8. Find last year’s fourth-quarter courage and use it.
9. Wait until November to quote favorite Christmas movies.

10. Don’t wait until December to celebrate this year’s successes. Start now.

Score!

You might notice “figure out how to get my kid to eat his cold lunch” is not on this list. I’ve already accomplished this after two months of school. I believe I’m now up for the Mom Heisman. Pro tip: Wrap banana in bubble wrap for the win!

I’m almost done with the bad football metaphors. If a coach wants to show up every morning with a whistle and start yelling at me to move, move, move, I’ll allow it. In the meantime, I have goals to guide me the next three months, the eternal hope of an Iowa State Cyclones fan and peace of mind I’m putting in the work to leave it all on the field.