HAPPY OCTOBER!! The countdown is on—100... 99... 98... and we’re officially in the final 100 days of the year! How is it that I finally feel in the groove, and yet we’re already here? Sometimes it feels like it takes a whole quarter just to get ready for the next one, doesn't it?

I feel like mentally I’m only now where I should have been in April or May, but that’s just me and my own pace.

Still, it’s wild that we’re already in the last quarter, and the season is about to burst open. Fall is in the air, and with it comes Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and before we know it, we’ll be starting all over again.

It’s like I’m standing on the starting block, with my hands and feet in place, listening for the "On your mark… get set…” and waiting for the final "Go!" to lunge forward into the hardest, fastest race of my life.

I'm in the in-between moment—waiting for the "go." If you've ever held that "set" position, you know that your whole body is leaning forward, focused, weight on your fingers and toes, and ready for action. Hold too long and you start to shake, but lean back, and you risk losing before the race even begins.

I’ve been reflecting on this feeling a lot this week—waiting for the "go" in my life in quite a few ways.

The first thing that came to mind was my ultimate “warm-up” song—Eminem's "Lose Yourself." I may be dating myself here, but for many of us, it’s an anthem of determination, grit, perseverance, and hope.

The key line is:

"You better lose yourself in the music, the moment, you own it, you better never let it go."
I love how it’s about seizing that one moment that will change your life.

But if I could amend the lyrics (similarly to how Dumbledore says to Harry Potter, "I would amend my original statement to this"). I’d change, “You only GET one shot” to “You only NEED one shot.”

The difference is huge. When it comes to preparing your life for impact, for getting your home foundation in order, you really only need one moment, one breakthrough, to change everything. Not everyone gets that shot, but when it comes, you only need one.

I’ve had several of those breakthroughs: college acceptance, sports recruiting, financial provision, getting the “dream job,” meeting people when I thought my heart was closed, getting a “+” pregnancy test for my son, list goes on. And NONE of them were random (like winning the lottery) —they came after years of work that prepared me for those moments.

Training for volleyball, improving my money habits, letting go of toxic relationships—all of these steps were the preparation needed to receive the breakthrough and achieve the goal.

So as I stand on the starting block, ready for the "go," I know I’ve put in the work to prepare me for this moment.

And now, we’re here—about to launch into the last and busiest quarter of the year.

What are you going to do with this time?

Are you going to achieve what you set out for this year and lead you into the next?

How are you preparing for the next 95 days and counting?

We may not all get our breakthroughs, but all we need is one.

What is the one thing you need to do to prep for your ultimate goal or breakthrough?

Are you ready on the starting block, prepared to launch into the race ahead?

I want you to conquer this season with no regrets—no “should haves” or “could have dones.” Use this week to set yourself up for the next 95 days so you can make the next year your best one yet.

I know I have my goals and dreams set. Now it’s about those daily habits and small steps to prepare me for what’s to come.

More on that later ;)