Welcome back.

Summer has wrapped up, at least for folks in the northern hemisphere. This time of year is a “new beginning”. The lazy relaxation of long summer days is but a guilty memory, as folks dive back into their business goals with a new energy.

Entrepreneurs always look back over their summers with a twinge of regret. Summer has a way of doing that – of always being more fun but less productive than you would have liked. It’s okay though. After all, it was summer.

But now it’s time to turn over a new leaf. It’s time to make huge things happen.

Don’t make this like all the other times. Don’t tell yourself everything is about to change, without really changing anything yourself.

This article serves up the three psychological tactics you need to guarantee your “new leaf” turns. For real. 

Forgive yourself for the past 

Entrepreneurs are always tougher on themselves than anyone else could be. So do yourself a favor: Stop.

Yes, you’ve wasted time. No, you’re never going to get back the hours you could have spent working on your business. Sure, if you had a time machine you’d do things differently.

Now, only the present matters.

If you’ve had the worst, most unproductive, self-sabotaging summer imaginable… forgive yourself.

You had a lot of fun and, best of all, you set yourself up to be here. Now. Ready to turn over a new leaf. And that justifies it.

So breathe and let go. The decisions you made in the past don’t matter now. What matters is what you learned. What matters is your resolve. Continuing to beat yourself up about wasted, lost time doesn’t just hurt you. It hurts your business and it hurts us, because we need you to create your thing. Our lives will be better for it.

Even though you weren’t as productive as you could have been, everything is still okay. You’re okay.

And now, it’s time to make things better.

Give yourself permission to be ambitious again 

Got that coming-back-to-work tentative feeling? Are you tip-toeing around your business goals, for fear of dreaming too big and too bold?

The last new leaf you turned over (remember, it was at the start of January) left you with big dreams. Huge ones. And you were right in the middle of making them happen, when summer hit.

Now, you’re probably thinking about how to make it to Christmas. The ambition is gone and you’re asking yourself “What do I have to do?” instead of “What do I really want to do?”

I’m not talking about “wanting” a beer or a slice of pizza. I’m talking about the deep desires that make you an entrepreneur. The dreams. That thing you imagined that you could create. What you really want.

Don’t come back to work to answer email and handle the stuff that’s on your plate. Turn over a new leaf not only for productivity, but for your ambition too.

The psychology is simple. Renewed ambition will make answering email, paying the bills and doing your “chores” seem that much better. Those tasks will be contextualized within the greater whole – you’ll be doing them for a reason. 

Get excited about what you’re capable of creating. Today isn’t the first day in the countdown to the next holiday. Today is the first day of the rest of your life.  

Apply some gravity to your decision

As you turn over your new leaf, forgive yourself for the past and get ambitious about your future. Be sure to harness the phenomenal power of the people and resources in your world.

Share your decision to shake things up. When others know that you’re asking more of yourself, gravity is created. Power is added to the mix. So make your commitment public.

Ask, specifically and unashamedly, for support. You’ll get it. You’re surrounded by people who care deeply about the results you produce and the vision you’re creating.

Don’t sit alone, staring at your computer, thinking “This new leaf is a good idea”. Go talk to the people that matter about why you should all crank things up a notch. Help them forgive their pasts and recognize their hidden ambitions.

If you want to achieve all of the above, but on turbo-boost, sign up for Commit Action. It’s like a liquid jolt of accountability and productivity that turns your ambitions into results. It kills procrastination dead. Check it out today.

Let go of the past and remember the big dreams that, let’s be honest, you’ve always had. Commit to making huge things happen. Share and strengthen that commitment until it’s ironclad.

Turn over a new leaf for real this time. Turn your good intentions into genuine, undeniable results. You’ve been telling yourself you should for so long.

Now is the time to do it.