It ain’t over yet

Today is the start of the fourth quarter. And perhaps, like a football team looking up at some challenging numbers on the scoreboard, it’s time for you to mount a comeback. Maybe your personal finances are a mess. Or maybe your fitness regimen has gotten stale. It could be that your existing game plan just isn’t working. You’re stalled. You need to make some changes if you are going to turn things around. There’s good news, though. There is still one quarter of 2006 left – three whole months. You can rally. There’s time. But first you have to anticipate achieving your goal.

“When a player is running for a touchdown or getting ready to throw a pass, the single thing they can do to improve their chances is to look forward toward the possibility of scoring,” said Spokane’s Deanna Davis, author of “Living With Intention: Designing a Wildly Fulfilling and Remarkably Successful Life” (Authorhouse, 2005).

“Imagine trying to run down the field looking backward the whole time at the last spot you were tackled, thinking, ‘Damn, I hope that doesn’t happen again.’

“Well, you and I both know that your odds are better if you’re looking forward and focusing on what you do want instead of what you don’t want.”

Of course, it never hurts to have coaches who have some good ideas.

So here are a few tips and perspectives on how you might stage a stirring real-life, fourth-quarter comeback.

Fitness routine gone flat?

“Work out with a friend,” said Kevin Swaim, cross-country coach at Gonzaga University. “It’s hard to blow off an early morning run when you know you’ll face the wrath/ridicule of your partner who waited there, shivering, while you hit the snooze button half a dozen times.”

He had another suggestion: “Walk/run/skate/ride a different route. New scenery can be a great way to pump life into a dull routine.”

You say you are a lackluster student who has decided it is time to do better in school?

Real, lasting change has to be accompanied by a new attitude about academic achievement, said Pat Shelley, a counselor at University High School. The once-coasting student has to embrace the idea, “I need to do this.”

Rather than initially focusing exclusively on study skills and time-management tips, she recommends that the student identify a parent, teacher, coach, counselor or pastor who would be willing to mentor the reforming slacker.

“We really do want to see kids succeed,” said Shelley.

For college students, the key is to pursue a field of study that excites you, said Dan Shanahan, a graduate student at the University of Idaho: “You’ve got to find what’s going to drive you.”

So you are a salesperson in a slump?

“The first thing to do is to admit to yourself that you are, in fact, in a slump,” wrote Dave Stein, an East Coast author and consultant. “This isn’t easy.”

His turnaround tips include:

“”Get out of the office. Visit customers.”

“”Go for little wins – achievable minigoals.”

“”Ask management for support. Don’t wait until your boss comes to you.”

“”Ask a trusted colleague for help. Mirror a skill or capability they have.”

You want to rekindle a romance?

There’s no simple answer, of course.

But let’s look to “comeback” love songs for counsel.

In “The Boys of Summer,” Don Henley asserts:

But babe, I’m gonna get you back

I’m gonna show you what I’m made of.

You could try that.

In “Baby Won’t You Please Come Home,” Bessie Smith sings:

I’m gonna telephone my baby

Ask him won’t you please come home.

So there’s that option.

In “I Want You to Want Me,” Cheap Trick offers:

I’ll shine up the old brown shoes, put on a brand-new shirt

I’ll get home early from work if you say that you love me.

Could work.

But don’t forget the Jackson 5. In “I Want You Back,” young Michael might have said it all when he sang:

Oo oo baby

Yeah yeah …naw

And later in the same song:

Abuh buh buh buh

All I want!

Abuh buh buh buh

All I need!

Abuh buh buh buh.

You’re losing at bridge?

“Some, when they feel they are behind, make bids or plays against the odds to try to catch up or win,” said Norma Hols, a Spokane bridge player.

“This will work on rare occasions. In my opinion, though, the really expert players just keep playing what they feel is a solid system, and this pays off in the long run.”

Having trouble making progress with your dieting?

I’ll tell you what you should do.

Get a job as a newspaper columnist. Declare in print on Thanksgiving Day that you are going to lose a bunch of weight. Then confront the prospect of having a big update picture in the paper every month for a year.

It works.

You want to improve your personality before the end of the year?

Here are some of the suggestions in response to an online poll in a Yahoo chat group:

“”Just be kind, caring, sensitive, honest, and a good friend.”

“”Read a daily newspaper.”

“”Practice being assertive rather than aggressive.”

“”Be a good listener.”

“”Accept yourself.”

“”Always treat others the way that you would want to be treated.”

You want to be healthier?

Consult your health-care professional. Then get a second opinion.

But some simple steps show up on list after list:

“Quit smoking.

“Exercise.

“Reduce fat intake.

“Drink water.

“Wear your seat belt.

“Floss.

“Do not drink alcohol to excess.

So you want a better social life?

Get up.

Go out.

And if “be yourself” hasn’t proven to be winning advice, try being someone else.

Just saying.

You want fewer lulls in the conversation?

Author Margaret Shepherd says that, to do away with awkward silences when you have company, every home should have the following on display:

“The latest best seller.

“A photo album.

“An exotic flower.

“Any musical instrument.

“A collection.

Just be prepared for someone to scoff at the book or collection.

There’s always the remote possibility that you and your guests actually have decent social skills and are capable of expressing reasonably interesting thoughts and observations. But don’t overlook that exotic flower thing.

You want to improve your appearance?

This is extremely subjective.

The traditional categories up for consideration include hairstyle, clothes, makeup, corrective lenses, appearance of your skin, teeth, et cetera. But some observers would include body language and the way you walk, among other personal attributes.

In any event, advice on most of these topics is harder to avoid than it is to find. So there’s no need to rehash all that here.

But here’s a fun fact: A Google search using the phrase “better butt” yields 20,200 hits.

Need help with personal finances?

“The first step to getting your personal finances under control is to clearly understand where you are,” begins one essay on this topic.

That means reviewing all your assets and debts and getting a firm grip on reality.

Financial advice is not a one-size-fits-all sort of thing. Much depends on your age, income, investment goals and hopes for the future.

But here are a few of the traditional tips:

“Pay yourself first.

“Save for emergencies.

“Save for retirement.

“Pay off credit cards with the highest interest rates first.

“Come up with a budget and stick to it.

You’ve heard all that before. It’s just a matter of actually doing it.

One Spokane financial planner offered a specific suggestion.

“Be patient and save monthly for large purchases. Don’t use credit/credit cards,” he wrote. “By paying cash, one will end up paying less than carrying a balance on the credit card.

“Also, in the time it takes to save the dollars, many times a person will realize that since it is not needed, it does not get bought.”

You say you need an all-purpose pep talk as the fourth quarter begins?

OK, here are some inspiring words from a couple of North Side 10-year-olds. (They were asked, “If you aren’t having a very good year, what’s the best way to make things better?”)

“Just get a new attitude,” said Danny. “That’s what my teacher says to do. And she says it a lot.”

Yeah. Quit moping around and making excuses. And sit up straight while you’re at it.

Of course, some life skills transcend the realms of fitness and money.

“Apologizing to your mom helps just about everything,” said Courtney.

Hey, that’s never a bad place to start.

So good luck with your 2006 comeback.

If you use your imagination, perhaps you’ll hear the crowd going wild.