The December Burn

It came early this year............the end of the year burn-out.  The Holiday Season brings an interesting mixture of my favorite time of year, combined with the end of the year sales hustle.  Now is the time when we hustle for every last opportunity left for this year, and really begin looking into next year.  Not to mention that we're all running on fumes at this point, with a much needed kick-start.

School is winding down for the semester, kids are home more, the weather is changing, decorations are out, Christmas music is on, extended family is getting together...............all of these things bring a distraction that we're not used to eleven months out of the year.  I always do a mass cleanout of computer and paperwork after Christmas, which leaves me right now with more of a mess than ever since "I'll get to it later."  I think we all go through a similar cycle this time of year.

So why do I enjoy it so much?  First of all, because of everything I mention in the paragraph above.  Second, simply because it's a change of pace.  Something different.  A challenge that I struggle to manage every year but always seem to get a little bit better than last year.  And third, because things are about to start over.  We're about to get a "do over."  January 1 for us means everything goes back to zero.  Everything thats been turning us in circles and consuming our focus gets put in a different persepective.  Some years, going back to zero is like a punch in the stomach.  That is, some years are good, and some years are great.  On the great years, good news turns to old news overnight.  And yes, some years you are happy to get behind you....and the do-over is much needed.

Regardless of the good years and bad years, a clean slate is exciting.  It means we get to start succeeding or start sucking right now, all over again.  It's amazing how a short break over Christmas and New Years can fill your tank, and bring the excitement back to everything we do.  I guess we just all need a good excuse to start over sometimes, to get a clean slate, and to start off better than we did last year.