Years ago, I used to buy courses to do in summer and then feel bad about not finishing them. I thought that I was the kind of person who did not finish what she had started.

As I became more reflective and also self-forgiving, I knew better. I realized that, in most cases, it was all about timing. 

Choosing the right time to do courses matters a lot. Choosing the right time to start habits matters a lot. Choosing the right time to work on your goals matters a lot.

Yes, when you are just beginning to work on developing yourself, you hear advice about never being or feeling ready enough, so you need to start anyway. I believe it’s sound advice and that you need to take leaps of faith and share your work with the world before you are ready without giving much thought to the right time. 

As you gain more experience and, more importantly, self-trust, you will know that when you want something very much, you will be wise enough to choose and allocate the right time to do it. 

Sometimes you will still overestimate what you can do in certain seasons; then, you learn from your failure to plan better next season. You also learn from reflection after things don’t work out and, if lucky enough, from having an incredible accountability partner who helps you reflect and pause before rushing into an untimely action, such as buying that course while you are about to have a baby or move to a new house or have a family matter to attend to.

This year, as a result of my trial and error journey and for the first time, I don’t feel guilty about what I did not achieve in the summer, and it’s not about focusing on what I still achieved. It’s about how I intentionally put my goals and habits on hold and respected the season I was in. The summer season prompted many changes in my environment, which I used to plan goals around and failed. This time, I gave my attention to family and friends visiting from abroad. We ended up creating beautiful memories, and I ended up living and breathing one of my words of the year: Cherish.

While it’s still hot outside, summer is over for me. I could not be more ready to relaunch the season of achieving.

What about you? What season are you in? Your season might not be mine. Check your circumstances, your commitments and your upcoming plans before setting your short-term goals. I want you to succeed, and you will when you plan well.