Fitzgerald Coaching and Consulting

Motivational Monday!

On Saturday morning, we decided to enjoy the beautiful day and have some cocktails at GRAND BANKS in NYC with two of our daughters. We made a reservation for 4:30 pm and started to plan our day around that. One of my daughters reached out via text and said, "If we are catching the 3:02 pm ferry, I'll meet you at the ferry." And when I read the text, which is what we all agreed upon, something in me changed—let me explain.

Prior to Clare's text, 3:02 was still our target, but if we had to catch the next Ferry at 3:22 pm, it was no big deal. We were still going to be early for our reservation and we could walk around NYC. But Clare's text put pressure on me to be on time so I didn't leave her standing around at the ferry waiting for us. This is what accountability looks like in real life—we change our behavior because there is an expectation that we all have agreed upon and not meeting the exception means we will let someone down—ourselves and arguably more important, the other person. We miss targets all the time, but no one else knows if we don't have an accountability partner.

Do you have an accountability partner? Have you ever thought of getting an accountability partner? A coach is an accountability partner of sorts, and more. I used to meet with my accountability partner every Monday for 20 minutes. It was a game changer to keep me on track, and her, too. If you want to go from A to B or even A to Z, 99% of you (me included) need an accountability partner. Without her, we all tend to "catch the 3:22, or worse, don't "catch the ferry" at all. Are you wondering if I made the 3:02 ferry? You bet I did!

Let's GO! WE GOT THIS!
Beth

Motivational Monday!

This weekend, Doug and I went hiking at Bear Mountain State Park. We hadn't been hiking in a while and the weather was spectacular so we decided it would be a good adventure. We watched a YouTube video on the car ride up to find out which trail would be best and Major Welch was the "winner," with promises of a lake view, a tower at the top, and bird's-eye views up and down the Hudson at the summit. We agreed—this is perfect!

There was a little more that could have been mentioned about the, "bird's-eye views of the Hudson River," that had to be accomplished for this to actually happen. The trail was marked "difficult" and there were a series of scrambles that basically meant we had to climb up rocks without there really being a designated trail, so to speak. But at some point we realized that the only thing we could do was to keep going—we had to be close to the top, right? Well, no, but we kept going anyway! It was challenging, we were sweating, and very grateful for the backpack filled with water and protein bars (that Doug carried, LOL). Was it worth the effort and the exhaustion? ABSOLUTELY!

This hike is indicative of anything we really want to accomplish! Did I want to quit at certain point and take the "elevator" down? 100%! But I'm grateful that wasn't an option. Think about something you want right now that seems really challenging. Do you know what that is? Great, now what if quitting wasn't an option? What if you had to keep going because you knew there will be a great view from the top? We can do this! We can do hard things!

Let's GO! We got this!
Beth

Motivational Monday!

If I had a dollar for every time I asked myself, "What is life really about?" I'd be a bazillionaire. I honestly don't get it—it's like one big roller coaster. Life is great, then something goes wrong, or work and advancing your career is important until it doesn't matter at all because you have a family member who needs you—you know what I mean, right? So many ups and downs that sometimes we are grateful when things are simply going sideways!

Doug and I had a lot of family here this weekend for Father's Day. All the kids came, of course, and my MIL, SIL, and nephew were here, too. It was joyful. As I have shared, I live in a small apartment now, so this included people sleeping on the couch and on an air mattress in our 1400 square feet of space. So our "joyful" also included a little messy, chaotic at times, and definitely loud—but always fun! I would love for life to look like the movies, but it just doesn't. That's not real.

I still don't have an answer for, "What is life really about?" because I want the answer to be simple and straightforward and I don't think it is. I think we are suppose to do our best even though the road is guaranteed to be anything but smooth. I believe our expectations that life is supposed to look like something on Instagram might be causing us some undo stress. And I believe that we all have some really great relationships that are holding us up when the roller coaster takes a deep dive and I for one would like to be more grateful for these people. I am really grateful for the people I spent this past weekend with.

Let's GO! WE GOT THIS!
BETH

Motivational Monday!

Rory McIlroy won the Masters Tournament yesterday in Augusta, GA—and if I left it there, and you aren't a fan of golf, you would be so misled. There is so much more to, "Rory McIlroy won the Masters yesterday," that makes the story that much more exciting as well as meaningful to us, even if you don't know who Rory is.

This was McIlroy's 17th attempt to win the Masters. He came close before, but there is no trophy (or jacket) for coming close. He has also had the added pressure of trying to win golf's most coveted Grand Slam, of which he had won 3 of 4 tournaments by 2014, only the Masters remained—until yesterday. And yesterday wasn't a slam dunk either! McIlroy said after the tournament, “I didn't make it easy today,” The whole day ebbed and flowed, but he went to the 18th hole with a one shot lead. He wound up missing a 5-foot putt for 1-over 73 and the first Masters playoff in eight years. Fortunately for him, he was able to seal the win on the next hole when Justin Rose missed his putt. Unbelievably exciting Masters!

At the trophy presentation, McIlroy said, "My dreams have been made today!" And then moments later, he turned to his daughter and said, “Never give up on your dreams. Never, ever give up on your dreams.” McIlroy has been dreaming of winning the Masters for probably 25 years, maybe longer. What's your dream? Dreams don't just happen—we have to dream them first, then take action to make them happen. Some people don't even dream! It's true. So if you haven't thought about your dream recently, I encourage you to do so! I will, too. Here is the truth: We can't live the dream if we've never dreamed the dream!

Let's GO! WE GOT THIS!
Beth Fitzgerald
WWW.BETHFITZGERALD.COM
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