221 days done, dusted, and in the past.

Now if you’re anything like me that’s pretty hard to believe… almost impossible to believe actually.

But whether you can fathom it or not we have less than 40% of the year remaining.

And what you do with that time couldn’t be more important.

Because the game is quickly moving, but the second half is only just beginning.

Broadly speaking this year can be divided into three groups of people, and I’m going to address each one because I’ve lived them all.

The doers, the triers, and the nothing-ers.

So here’s my message to all three groups…

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Firstly, if you’re a “doer” I’d like to say congratulations… because less than 1% of people are truly here, and if you are that deserves considerable applause on your behalf. Showing up every day and performing at a high level is far from easy, and the degree of consistency is beyond exceptional. But the game isn’t over till the final whistle blows.

Just like I’ve seen some crazy blown leads in sports, I've watched people build something great all year and then quietly stop showing up the same way once it started working. Not because they got lazy on purpose. Because comfort is sneaky. It doesn't announce itself in an obvious way, it just slowly creeps in and lowers the bar in the name of finding “balance.”

Vince Lombardi said it's not whether you get knocked down, it's whether you get back up. Nobody ever tells you the second half of that truth, which is that staying up requires the same effort as getting up. Don't let a good year get finished by someone playing not to lose.

Firstly, just because you’ve done nothing by means of chasing your dreams doesn’t make you nothing or mean that you are nothing. Your self value doesn’t come from external proof but from internal validation. With that being said,some of you have spent this year circling the thing you actually want most. Watching other people build it. Telling yourself January was the real start date, then March, then "after summer."

Now, in all honesty, I’ve lived that mindset for several months but the issue is it gets you nowhere.

Here's what nobody says out loud: the part of the year that's left is still long enough to become a different person by December. It’s enough time to look back and know you actually showed up for the part that counted.

Personally, this is where I myself lie. And it’s a scary yet beautiful place to be. It’s scary because it’s filled with uncertainty and risk, but beautiful because at least you can say you’re trying. And maybe, just maybe, you’ll eventually achieve what you set out for before the year ends.

I've restarted the same goal more times than I'd want printed anywhere. Each time it felt like proof I wasn't built for it. But each time it was just proof I hadn't quit yet.

Getting scored on isn't losing. Walking off the field is.

Nobody's going to remember your first two thirds of this year. They're going to remember what you did once you knew exactly how much time was actually left.

So, genuinely, are you a second half player?

~ Uncommon Wisdom