Sportsmen and women understand the value of the second half of the game. They know everything that happened on the first half of the game hinges on the second half.
Those who played well want to keep winning. Those who were loosing in the first half know that there is a chance to reverse everything.
Before the second half, players take a breather, they “conspire” with the coach; they want to know how they have been doing. They want to know if there are things that need to be changed. They re-strategize. At half time it is important to change the tactics that did not work for them, because players know every single minute of the second half matters and can determine the winning team.
Second half of the year
The half way mark of the year is upon us. The question we often ask ourselves is how do we take charge of the second half of the year?
You should be doing the same thing sportsmen and sportswomen do; here are three things you need to do that will help keep you in charge of the rest of the year ;
1. You need to take a breather
You have worked hard, you put your heart and soul into your projects, now you need a little magic of half time.
You need to breathe, if you don’t breath you will burn down.
Sometimes you need a little bit of rest in this fast paced world.
You need a little time outside the field to reinvigorate yourself, time away from the daily grind.
You need energy drinks for your soul, it could be in the form of your favorite music to soothe your soul, or a podcast, a weekend getaway, anything that recharges you.
When you recharge the dreams deep within your heart that may be wading, become alive again.
2. Ask yourself compelling questions?
You had dreams when you started off the year. You were determined to do what it takes to lose weight, to write a book, to enroll into some academic/personal development program or to do whatever you were dreaming of. You had your heart and head in it.
To take charge of the second half of the year, this is the right time to ask yourself compelling questions;
Have I done it right?
Have I played right?
If you have done it right you want to stay winning. Remember the second half is still just as important. Ask yourself, “what can I do to improve my results and keep winning?” Review, refine and re-strategize so you keep winning.
Perhaps along the way things didn’t work out. Perhaps you were not amongst the winning teams.
Perhaps you have encountered loss; opportunities that no matter how much you chased still slipped off your hand. You may need a coach/mentor to help you ask yourself compelling questions, to help you rework the playing tactics.
Remember though that if you didn’t do it right, it is possible to turn around the defeat of first half of the year into an astounding win. Are you willing to take different approaches that will result in a remarkable win.
3. You need to revisit your “why”
Why pursue those dreams? Why did you start that project? What was the purpose of doing what you are doing when the year started?
Your “why”, keeps you in the game of your life. It keeps you playing long after your energy has faded. It keeps you focused when everything else fail. And it should be something bigger, something that will keep you in the race in spite of setbacks.
John Stephen Akhwari, a marathon runner represented Tanzania in 1968 marathon. After an injury that resulted in the dislocation of his knees, Akhwari continued running albeit at a slower pace. He kept going despite the writhing pain in his knee. Long after everybody had finished the race, Akhwari hit the finish line limping, with the bandage around his leg flapping.
Asked why he did not quit along the way, Akhwari, gave a response that is still remembered today;
“My country did not send me 5000 miles to start the race, they sent me 5000 miles to finish the race”.
Akhwari’s “why” was big enough to keep him in the race. His why was bigger than the pain he felt in his knees, his why was to finish race.
What is your why? When you reach that place within yourself where you find your “why” you gain the will to go on in the face of failure. You run beyond your competencies.
When you find your “why” you stop at nothing to live your dreams. Your why will give you the will to fight against all odds, to step on thorns and to tackle giants. Your why is that something you believe in so much that nothing else matters, it will take you to the finish line.
Conclusion
It is easy to beat yourself up and be hang up with your first half failures. It is also easy to become complacent and be comfortable with the first half successes. The rest of the year is ahead of you, take charge of what remains of the year 2015.