Consulting at year-end is either/or!  Either your go live date matches the calendar year, or your wading through client malaise.  For me this year is the second and frankly, I got caught up in it.

I’ve rolled off, enjoyed Christmas and New Year’s, and gotten lazy because the job boards are slow.  Last week the fire finally got lit again because of an old Stearman that flew overhead.  You see, I’m a pilot, or at least a serious wanna-be.  It’s been long enough since my last takeoff, that I was missing it.  So off to the airport I went.  Well, flying is not for the faint of wallet, and it reminded me that my search for a client has not been in earnest.  That motivated me to fire up the computer and get back to business.

Bottom line: Why are you a consultant? What made you change from everyday Jane/Joe to the expert that others call on for help?  Do you remember that?  Do you keep pictures in your wallet, a card on your desk, or does someone close to you remind you on a regular basis (in a nice way).

If you don’t know why, you’re not going to try.

As humans we love being slackers, resting on yesterday’s laurels, thinking tomorrow will never come.  But the truth is that tomorrow was here several days ago and we didn’t notice.  Remember your motivation and find ingenious ways to keep it in front of you.  The work becomes so much easier.

Pithy Moody Blues verse