Deep September Thoughts

By: Helen Vollmer, President, Edelman Southwest

September, in an odd way, is a time for both reflections and new beginnings. In business, it’s often the time when corporate leaders reassess the year in progress and sprint for the finish in terms of revenues and profit. For parents, teachers and students, it’s the start of another year of meeting new challenges, learning from our efforts and moving toward something new and better. In sports, as baseball winds down, football becomes king while the ghosts of March Madness linger to jumpstart new hoop dreams.

With the above as a framework, it seems to me that September is a good time to set or re-set goals for ourselves. As we find ourselves in the middle of everyday life, as opposed to the whirlwind of the New Year, it’s a more balanced time of year to consider how far we’ve come and where we want to head next.

I know there are serious theories and scientific studies about goal setting (Gary Locke and Edwin Latham seem to be the gurus here), but I’d direct you to lululemon athletica’s website (www.lululemon.com) instead. Yep, the athletic wear retailer keeps it pretty simple. “Breathe deeply and appreciate the moment” is part of their manifesto.

Goal setting is best when you keep it simple and stick to one goal at a time. What’s the one thing that will change the outcome the most? Start and end there.

As for me, I plan to spend more time in my yoga pants this September and, as the weather cools and leaves begin to color, focus on positive thoughts that bring health and wisdom back into perspective. As Yogi Berra once said, “You got to be careful if you don’t know where you’re going, because you might not get there.”