The Last 100

This is episode 206 of the Empowered Team podcast. The Zenith is back. The most amazing retreat that really dives in to getting you to your next level. Physically, mentally, spiritually. We have leased out a five acre oceanfront gorgeous spot in Sayulita, Mexico. And it is time for you to dive in and change your life. And I don't mean there's anything wrong with your life. I mean up level, expand, make it what you really want. The zness is coming end of February this year. We'll tell you more. We just want you to know ahead of time, save the dates. Welcome to the Empowered Team podcast where we explore how to optimize your performance in career, sport and life. And now your host, executive coach and life strategist, Kari Schneider. Foreign. Hello and welcome to another episode of the Empowered Team podcast. So this episode is called the last 100. And the reason that I've titled this the last 100 is that that's exactly what I'm in right now. I'm in the last 100. And I would like to think that most of us are. And what this means to me is it's the last 100 days of the year. And a lot of people make that last quarter or the last 90 days of this last seasonal push. But the reason I think of it as the last 100 is because for me in particular, I find that there's about a hundred really productive days from September through the end of December. And I say that because in October, we in Canada have Thanksgiving and once Christmas comes along, for those of us who celebrate Christmas, then it's kind of this coast towards the end because from the 20th to the end of December, there's a lot of holiday festivities, not as much intensive or really productive and effective work. So right now I reflect on this a little bit and I figured I would share it because I've been aware of it for many years from my life. But I thought I'd articulate it for you because there's probably some level of this last 100 occurring for you. And as I record this, I'm back in my home in Mapleton, Ontario, out southern Ontario, and I'm looking out my office window and there's these gorgeous, gorgeous bright red turning leaves and yellow and orange and green and it's cool and it's windy. There will probably only be a high of 10 degrees Celsius today. And it. It's the epitome of fall, it's the epitome of this marker of season change that I'm fortunate enough to experience living in the Northern hemisphere. So I'm very, very present to this last 100. And what it looks like for me is there's a number of markers for the last 100. So it starts in September for me. And September has a number of things. So we've got five kids, four of them are adults now. But it means the start of school in the beginning of September. So you're looking at September, long weekend, the end of summer, the beginning of school. And that's a time where a lot of people find that it's harder to be productive because there's so much change occurring from the summer transition to the school transition. But it's a time that I find that can be extremely productive because that season shift and that season change spurs me on to do a lot of things, especially having grown up way up north. It meant so little can be done in certain areas outside in the winter, that the wood was getting cut and chopped and the propane's getting filled and the. The last outdoor construction is getting done because there's such a finite number of days that that can actually occur. So this time of September became this real productive time. That's what it was embedded into my nervous system from a very young age. All these things that had to be done to get ready for the winter. So it was go time from September on. And from a business perspective, September meant this shift toward national level athletes heading to back to pro teams. It might have meant a major tournament, it might have meant club athletes starting. Historically, in my business, October was the highest revenue producing in my entire business almost every single year since 2005. So October would be the month. Whether that was from my own attitude of really making things happen in September and the rest of the remainder of the year, or whether it was from the season change, more club athletes, more private clients, really getting organized, really making that final push for the last quarter. So there's all kinds of reasons why, but I just know that for me, this last 100 is a really key time. And it starts for me in September with sweet free September. And I've done this for a few years. And sweet free September isn't just about giving up sweets for the month. It's about getting my mind focused. It's about getting my mind in the space that I can step into my highest level thinking my highest self, that I am the boss of my body, I am the boss of my brain, I am the boss of my actions. And by deciding to not eat any sugar or sweets or anything like that throughout September it solidifies my resolve. It creates a certainty and a commitment toward what I'm capable of for the last 100, what I'm capable of. Because in the last 100, like it or not, there's the end of summer. There's a long weekend in the beginning of September. There's Thanksgiving, there's Halloween, there's Christmas. And then, of course, at the very beginning of the year, there's New Year's as well, so. Or end of the year. So I'm facing all of these events and I want to be still at my highest self and not subjected to acting as though I'm succumbing to other things that I don't want. I want to be able to commit to what I really do want. So I find that the sweet, free September and kicking off the last 100 with the 30 days of going no sugar really cements my ability to commit to what I really want to get done, which happens to be family commitments, business commitments, business goals, outcomes that I might have been building towards for the whole year to see come to fruition. At this time, and for us personally, at this time, we've put in a massive project for the past two summers. It's massive to us. It might be tiny to some other business people, but to us, it's pretty big because it's the restoration, renovation and restoration of an old fishing camp which was in my family called Wickcliff Lodge, which we just. Just started in an Instagram account. So there's probably three posts on there. So follow Wickcliff Lodge and. And we're restoring this thing, and it's this gorgeous, gorgeous spot. It's this incredible project, and it has stretched and pushed and pulled me in all different directions. Last summer, I lived there for four months on site, working on tearing down buildings, starting rebuilding, gutting all of those fun things. This summer, the same thing. Three months there and the project is still going. And I'm managing some things remotely. And given the COVID climate, given the lack of resources when it comes to contractors and even materials and the skyrocketing prices, it's been a tough go to see things continue forward, and things still continued forward. So this last 100, it still means keep going. It still means that it's that combination. It's the culmination of everything that's gone on this year. It's the bringing together of all the people that we love the most that are dearest to our hearts. It's the celebrating of what's possible. And in the outdoors, in the adventure in the experiences that we want to have in the world. That's what the last 100 is to me. It's living not only my best life, but as my highest self. And that's what I invite for you, is to know that the last 100 creates this physiological response. We know it in sport, we know it in, in especially running races or individual sport races is called the. The home run response. We see it in heart rate profiles where somebody's basically pushing at a threshold, a very, very high threshold for their heart rate for this entire race. And then we see the home run response where that heart rate goes up even more because they know they've got this final kick. And that's what the last 100 is. This is the final kick for this year. And for some of you, it might mean the culmination of all that was worked on this whole year. To see it all come together towards the end of the year. It might mean the bringing together of the people that you care about the most. It might mean that you are pushing towards what you didn't see happen earlier in the year because you know it's possible now. It's the home run response. So this last 100, I invite for you to live into your best on all the areas of your life, not only personally to your commitment to yourself, but also to those that you love, not only in your business, your career, whatever really matters to you, whatever your mission is, but also how it affects other people, how that mission that you have really reaches and ripples beyond just your impact. It goes on to other people and they impact other people and it carries forward. So your last 100 really is the mark of this year, 2022, a year that's going to be finishing before you know it. So really celebrate, acknowledge and see these last 100 days of this year as yours, what you want it to be, whether it's the season of warmth and connection, whether it's the push of the last quarter in business, whether it's finding a way to bring it all together. But the biggest point of this, this intentional last 100, is that you get to decide it's your last 100. So let's see this home run response push you into 2023 in a way that just has you flying. You feel like you've completed 2022 in the way that you wanted to, in the way that no matter what came at you, no matter what you endured, no matter what unexpected circumstance came your way, you handled it in the way that you wanted to. You handled it in the way that was your highest self. So let's step into this last 100, which I'm already fully in. It's into October now, so I've done that September, that first part of the last 100, and now we're into the final stretch. So let it be your best. That's what I invite for you for this not only last 100, but Thanksgiving that's coming up this weekend for Canadians and of course in November for the US and for other parts of the world celebrating beautiful, beautiful, amazing celebrations of the year for different cultures, different religions. Whatever it is for you, this is your last 100 too, because it's whatever you want to make it. So have a wonderful rest of your day. Step into your last 100 the way you want to make it. And for those of you who are celebrating, whatever holidays you're celebrating, may it be warm, may it be connected, and may it be filled with love. Have a beautiful day. If you enjoy listening to the Empowered Team Podcast, you'll love being on the Empowered Team. The Empowered Team runs year round. It is our group coaching and accountability program where we take mindset and physical performance concepts and break them down to usable action steps that optimize results. To learn more about our Empowered Leadership coaching for business, our custom online physical training plans, and of course, the Empowered Team Group coaching, head to www.theempowered.ca empowered learn more. That's www.theempowered. ca. Empowered learn more.