The Power of the Fourth Quarter: Rest and Realign

During the fourth quarter of the year, I like to take this time to remind people to rest. October - December people are often making the final push to finish the year “strong”. Are you one of those people working overtime and undertime to reach goals you set earlier in the year? I want to remind you it is okay to rest and reflect in the last quarter. Find joy in the things you have accomplished; no matter how small, even if you didn’t reach your full goal.

Of course, you still need to go to work and keep making progress towards goals; however you do not need to kill yourself nor be disappointed in yourself. Here is my fourth quarter routine for Rest, Reflection and Realignment.

Reflect

Reflect on what you have accomplished this year. Think about the things that brought you joy and happiness. Decide what you want more and less of in your life. During this time of reflection I do not spend time on what I haven’t accomplished, stress on what I did not do, and have a woe is me or push to the end attitude. I see wins, take the lessons, and start to identify what I want to experience in the next year. That’s right, I do not wait until January or late December to start thinking about the next year. I slow down and take these moments throughout the fourth quarter.

Release

After reflecting on the joys and lessons, I identify the things I want to change, the things I want to do differently or the things that no longer serve me. Then I start releasing them immediately or develop a plan. When I reflect back on my life I often quit jobs in the fourth quarter (as well as transition to new ones). In my business, I archive old products and offerings and slow down on taking new clients. You do not have to wait until the “new year” to release things. You can start weaning things from your life in the fourth quarter, so you are truly starting the new year fresh. 

Expand

During the fourth quarter, I develop my goals based on expansion. Do I want to expand my knowledge in a certain area? Will I go to school formally, get a mentor or learn on my own? I look at my business in how I want to expand. I reflect on my personal life and relationships with others. What do I want to do more of, focus more on or have an increase. Instead of making a goal of “stop eating fast food as much”; my goal would be “cook at home at least 4 times a week”. In my experience creating goals based on expansion makes me excited to have the experience (i.e. of being creative with cooking meals) and accomplishing the goals. Similar to release, once I identify goals, I start laying the groundwork (or building the product) so I can hit the ground running fresh in the new year.

The Fourth Quarter Wind Down

The fourth quarter does not have to be a race; it can be a season of rest and recalibration. This is the perfect time to slow down, celebrate what you have accomplished and release what no longer serves you. I shared my personal fourth quarter rhythm, which I have been doing since 2009. I hope it has encouraged you to reflect on the past year, let go of unnecessary weight and create space to expand in new ways for the year ahead.