The Mel Robbins Podcast - How to Get Ahead of 99% of People (In 4 Months)

Episode Date: September 5, 2024

Do you want to know the secret to getting ahead of 99% of people, starting now? In today’s episode, Mel is sharing the results of a surprising study that will change how you think about creating the life you want. What if you’ve been approaching goal-setting all wrong? There’s a simple, hidden advantage in front of you, waiting for you to take it.Right now, you’re in a unique window of time in which you can leapfrog change, hack productivity, and make the most of your time and energy. Very few people know this research about the unique opportunity of the fall to achieve your goals and dreams. It’s all covered in today’s episode.Imagine if by the end of the year you had new, rock-solid habits, an unbreakable routine, and felt calm and energized. This is possible for you by the time you finish listening.For another personal episode about making the most of your time listen to this episode next: Life Is Short (How to Spend It Wisely)For more resources, including the studies mentioned today, click here for the podcast episode page. Connect with Mel: Get Mel’s new free 26-page workbook, What Do You Really Want, to finally answer that question and redefine your future. Watch the episodes on YouTubeFollow Mel on Instagram The Mel Robbins Podcast InstagramMel's TikTok Sign up for Mel’s personal letter Disclaimer

Hey, it's your friend Mel and welcome to the Mel Robbins podcast. You know, I woke up today and I don't know if I was on the wrong side of the bed, but I was so annoyed about something and I just can't let it go. Here's why I'm annoyed. It's September. I love September. And the only two things that you and I celebrate when it's September is back to school season and pumpkin spice lattes.

I mean, those two things are fantastic, but what a miss. What a miss to not celebrate what September and the fall season actually has to offer you. You see, what I'm gonna share with you today is that the fall is the single best time of the year based on research for you to put yourself first, to be productive, to take care of your needs. And you know why I'm annoyed? I'm just realizing it. It's because January. January gets all the glory. January has a ball

drop in resolutions. January even has a theme, new year, new you. Well, I'm here to tell you, things have got to change because September deserves some of that glory. September is the single fastest, easiest time of the year for you to make a change and put yourself first. And I'm not just saying this, there are four reasons based on research that explain why fall creates this momentum and organization in your life,

and you need to wake up and use it to your advantage. In fact, if January can have a theme, then September better have a theme, and I just thought of it. Back to school also means it's time to get back to you. [♪ music ends, beat drops and music ends. [♪ music starts again, beat drops and music ends. Hey, it's your friend Mel.

Welcome to the Mel Robbins Podcast. I am so excited to spend this time together with you. If you're brand new, I also want to take a moment and welcome you to the Mel Robbins podcast family and just say, however it is that you found yourself here and whoever it is that sent you this podcast, I am so glad that you're here. And I also want to acknowledge you. I want to acknowledge you for spending some time listening to a podcast that could help you be happier and improve your life. And today, holy cow, not only am I on a tear, but today you are going to learn how to take September and the entire fall season and use it to your advantage. I'm going to teach you how to take this moment right now that comes around once a year, it's

the fall, and tap into the natural momentum, productivity, organization that's all around you. Don't worry, by the time you're done listening, you're going to know exactly what I'm talking about. You're going to know I am right and that this is true at a cellular level because there are four reasons why. Change is easier in September than any other time of the year.

And in fact, it's not only just easier in September, holy cow, what you do in September, like turns into this momentum that's carried through the fall and you gotta know this so you can use it to your advantage. Because once you learn what you're going to learn today, you're going to realize, well, that would be stupid for me not to get serious right now about putting myself first and focusing on my goals.

That would be kind of dumb not to use this season to my advantage. One of the things that I love about the topic that you and I are talking about today, is that everything that you and I are gonna talk about today, you already know is true. And so you're gonna leave this conversation not only feeling empowered and not only knowing how to use this time of year to your advantage,

but you're gonna feel like smarty pants over there. And you're also gonna know how to activate that wisdom. And that brings me to the very first reason that September is the true season of change for everyone. January may get all the fanfare and the parties and the planners and all that stuff. Let's just level with each other. January is just when the calendar changes.

September is when life changes. Just think about that for a minute. Everything about life changes when September hits. You go from summer to fall, that's a change. The leaves turn from green to orange and yellow and brown and all kinds of amazing colors. That's a change. The seasons can go from hot to colder, or if you're in a different part of the world

as you're listening, colder to hot, that's a change. You go from a break to back to school, that's a change. Unlike January, September is not just a date on the calendar. And that's one of the reasons why this is such an enormous moment for change. And it's why I want you to start to look at September in the fall season almost like a bigger moment than January. And I'm going to explain more about why this matters for productivity and why it matters

for momentum and how we're going to use this to our advantage in just a minute. But before I do that, I really wanna stop and unpack the difference between September and January as a time of year. And I wanna talk about what January is great for, but also why it's not great for productivity and for really making change stick. So January, January is this massive change in the calendar, right?

You go from one year ending to a whole new year beginning. It is this massive clean slate moment. I love January 1, why? Because all of a sudden you get handed this blank slate and January 1 has this massive psychological benefit that happens in your mind. It's called a temporal landmark.

That's just a fancy way to say something that you've experienced, which is boom, calendar changes from one year to the next. You're on day one of a whole new year. You psychologically feel open to dreaming, don't you? You feel open to looking at the whole year. You see this vast open space. And it's really important for you every single year

to take advantage of this temporal landmark, this psychological vast space, this clean slate that you feel. And every single January, you should hit the pause button. You should take an audit of where you are in life. And then you should look forward after that audit. And you should allow yourself to dream big. And that's what you and I do every January. In fact, on this podcast, every single January, you and I walk through the process of completing last year, and then taking the time

to envision what is the next year or five years or ten years of your life look like. January allows you to dream and that is critical for you living a great life. But dreaming, it's really different than doing. And making a plan based on that dream, that's very different than being productive as you execute on those plans. And that, my friend, is where September comes in. September is the season for momentum and productivity. September is the season where everything around you is changing. And that's why you're going to use it to your advantage. I don't want to diss January, I love January. Yes, let's take January seriously,

and let's use January to create a blank slate and to dream big again and to lift our heads up and to look ahead. But there are four reasons why January, isn't that great of a time of year for you to be your most productive. Number one, you're exhausted from the holidays. Number two, you just blew all your money on presents for other people, so you don't really have that to invest back into yourself. Number three, if you live in a colder climate like I do, you're in a cold climate, which means you just wanna stay indoors,

which is not that great for being productive. And while we're on the topic of colder climates, can we talk about the fact that in December, the days get darker and seasonal depression kicks in and what saves you from those dark days and that cold climate and the fact that you're exhausted and you're out of money is big dreams. That's why you need to do it in January.

Those big dreams give you something to look forward to. They give you something to work toward. And so if you're thinking about long-term goals and framing those goals, I want you to think of January because January is all about expansion. But the truth is, only about 10% of New Year's resolutions succeed. And I think after you really hear me make the case

about September and the fall being a season of the year to really learn how to use to your advantage, you're gonna understand why so many resolutions fail. They fail because it's a lot of work to make change stick. And that brings me to September. See, September is not about your dreams. September is not about the big stuff. September is about buckling down and getting serious and motivated and determined about the little stuff while you still have time this year.

And, you know, I'm a huge fan of January. I just think you got to understand the greater context. And just so you know that I'm a huge fan of January. I just think you got to understand the greater context. And just so you know that I'm not like really against January, let's throw in the other seasons in the context of productivity. Like let's take spring. I love spring. I love a good spring cleaning.

But here's the truth. By the time I do that little boop burst, right? And I like, ooh, get out of the winter, push through. It's now burst to spring and I've cleaned out the closet and I've cleaned out the garden beds and I've wiped all the pollen off of everything. I'm freaking exhausted. I don't have any more energy or productivity or momentum.

Now I'm focused on let's just get through the spring. Let's get ourselves to summer. Let's get done with school. Let's wrap up these projects and let's get to summer. Am I right? Of course I'm right. You felt this exact same thing. Now let's talk about summer.

Summer is terrible for productivity. Why? Your schedule is all over the place. People are taking vacation. You wanna be at the beach. You don't wanna be like banging out some project that you have to focus on. You don't wanna be getting stuff beach. You don't want to be like banging out some project that you have to focus on. You don't want to be getting stuff done.

You want to be relaxing. You want to be seeing family. And plus, even if you're not on vacation, your friends or your family or your kids are on vacation. And so what does that mean? It means the schedule is off. The rhythm of your weeks are off. And the thing about productivity is productivity, it's not about

sprints. Productivity is about small, consistent moves over time. And one of the things that helps you be productive is when you are in a rhythm that is consistent. And in the summer, all bets are off. Work schedules changed, you got long weekends, the sun is out, so you wanna be at barbecues. And if you also notice that your town is now doing all kinds of programming and there are festivals and there are things to do and you wanna be outside. And so you should be focused on relaxing

and restoring yourself and getting outside and taking your foot off the gas. Which naturally brings me right back to the fall, bada bing, bada boom. I'm making my case, aren't I? Because as you're putting your shorts away and the jeans are coming out and you're putting the tank tops in the bottom drawer and the sweaters and the puffer jackets are now here,

holy cow, you're ready for a change. And even if you live in a place where there are not four seasons, the weather does kind of change, doesn't it? Of course it does. You feel naturally more motivated in the fall than you do in the depths of winter when you're hunkered down.

You feel naturally more focused and motivated in the fall than when you do in the depths of winter when you're hunkered down. You feel naturally more focused and motivated in the fall than when you do in the summer when the schedule is more carefree. And so I want you to know that one of the greatest reasons why you should welcome September and the fall season with open arms is because this is the season where the wind is at your back and it is in your sails.

It is time to go for it. Fall is selfish time. Fall is go time. Fall is about you. So grab your pumpkin spice latte and your sweater and your new notebooks and let's get busy because you are primed to be productive. You're coming off of summer,

which means I hope you're rested and you're refreshed. And even if you aren't, you got outside more than you do normally because the weather's nice and the sun is out and the days are long. And so you've got that vitamin D in you and you are now ready. Ready for what?

Ready to do something. So to sum it up, reason number one for why September and the whole season of fall is the true change of seasons for everyone. It's when life changes. That is the reason why you feel ready to change too. And that brings me to number two.

And that number two reason why September is just where it's at is because back to school. There is something called the back to school effect that in my opinion is wired into your DNA. No kidding. This back to school season is this feeling of just wanting to go do something, this feeling that you're more productive. It's like the entire world around you is in giddy-up mode. It's back to school season. And you can kind of sense it, can't you?

Why? Well, the traffic starts to back up. The commute gets different to work. The school buses, they're pulling up. Kids are back on the playground. Back to school signs are everywhere in the stores and the grocery stores. This universal change that you sense that is in the air, not just in nature,

but everybody's routines and rhythms and patterns change, and there's this energy around back to school. These are all what's called environmental cues. Now, environmental cues are when the physical environment around you or other people trigger you to think about change. And whether you realize this is happening or not, this matters a lot. And the reason why this matters a lot

is because your environment either makes change easier or harder. And one of the best ways to hack change or productivity or feeling motivated is by setting up your environment to support you in being motivated and productive. And the coolest thing about September is that the entire month is already set up to make you feel that way. It's like the universe said, oh, here, I'm just gonna hand you back to school messaging. Everywhere you go, you're gonna see back to school, you're gonna hear about back to school, everyone's gonna be talking about back to school,

you're gonna log on to TikTok and see these back to school halls, then we're gonna send the buses out, cue the buses, let's get the buses onto the road. And as you see the buses, you're like, oh, we're going to send the buses out, queue the buses, let's get the buses onto the road. And as you see the buses, you're like, oh, we're back to school. And everyone around you seems like they're kind of in a different pattern and they're organized and they're dropping people off and they're doing this and they're going here and they're kind of stepping up at work.

All of that's going on subconsciously. And I think you kind of understand what I mean when I say the back to school effect, but it goes way deeper than just the signs that are in all the stores and the school supplies that we're buying and the new clothes that we have to get to go back to school. It actually impacts your nervous system, your brain wiring, all of it. And we're going to dig into that and why it matters after we hear a short word from our amazing sponsors. So don't you dare go anywhere.

We're going to talk about the back to school effect when we return. Stay with me. Welcome back. It's your friend Mel Robbins and you and I are digging into why we would both be idiots not to focus on ourselves right now, fall, September. It is the season

when everything's changing. And one of the reasons why there is so much momentum, so much productivity that is available for you to tap into just naturally is because of something called the back to school effect. It is this energy and this conditioning that goes way deeper than all of the signs and the shopping habits and the fact that we got to get the kids back to school.

It's part of your nervous system. This is a phenomenon. And here's the thing about the back to school effect. This is in your DNA. I don't care how old you are. I don't care if you're in school, if you've been out of school for decades. You have experienced every single fall of your entire life

back to school energy, this renewed sense of motivation. You may even feel nostalgia every time the fall hits. And the reason why you feel this is because you have lived it. You don't just unlearn these things, they go with you in your life. And that's why at the beginning of every academic year, you automatically think about fresh starts. You automatically think about new opportunities.

You automatically think about your own growth. And every single human being, including you, knows what this back to school effect feels like, right? Because this is literally in your nervous system. Do you remember what it was like to go with somebody to go back to school shopping? Whether you were getting new jeans because you grew two inches over the summer,

or you're getting new supplies because you can't find the folders and the pencils from last year, you have been conditioned as part of your lived experience to think about starting something. You know, in some ways, New Year's is optional. I mean, the New Year's gonna come and go no matter what. There are some years that you probably set goals,

other years that it's sort of an afterthought with a hangover, but back to school's different. Like you were conditioned to shift the way that you feel and think since you were a kid, to just kind of feel like you should be starting something. And you don't just lose that when you become an adult. It's part of who you are. I mean, I love back to school shopping.

As a 56 year old woman, I'd love to walk into a store, get me some pencils and a new notebook. In fact, you know when you get that new notebook? Oh gosh, and it's got that crisp like crack sound and you flip it open and you look at the blank page. You can almost feel it, can't you? You can hear a pencil sharpening. You can almost smell that smell.

What if when you walk into the grocery store or any store and you see the back to school signs today or tomorrow, what if you bought yourself a new notebook? I mean, why not? It's $2. Buy yourself a new notebook. When you pick up a brand new notebook and it's got that bendy sound, you know, to it, fresh blank pages, that's you saying, I'm jumping in. That's you saying, I recognize that this is an experience that I miss of having something new. And I'm going to buy myself this

notebook and I'm going to keep track of this change. And I'm going to journal. I mean, this would be cool. This is your new notebook mentality. Yeah, I'm giving you permission to go spend $2 on yourself. In fact, it might only be a dollar by now. I mean, since everything's on sale, it's second that the kids go in. You know, I remember when I was a kid,

simply getting a new binder and a brand new notebook, it was like, okay, I'm gonna be valedictorian this year. I wasn't, but you know, you get it, and you're like, oh, I have smarty pants. That's a way that you can opt into this season. And then here's what I want you to do. I want you to not only go buy a blank notebook and take a photo of yourself with it,

put it on social media, tag at Mel Robbins, tag the Mel Robbins podcast, and we will find you and repost you. But here's how I want you to take it another step further. Take that brand new notebook and then take a Sharpie and write September 2024 on it. And you're gonna claim it. This is gonna be my semester, man, my semester of change.

And if you're listening to this a year from now, write September 2025 on it to signal, that's it, I'm in. Whatever year you're listening, write fall and then the year. Just like when you were in college and you got new notebooks with the college label on it, with the college seal on it, you can create your own. You know what I love about this idea? I mean, I'm just sitting here riffing.

I'm like, I need a new notebook right now is because you're saying I'm taking the next four months of my life into my own hands. The notebook symbolizes you making a decision to take advantage of this moment that every single fall creates to tap into the momentum and the productivity and the organization all around you. That's why reason number two, the fall is so fabulous for momentum and productivity is because back to school is in your DNA. You know how to do this. You do.

And the second that you drop back into it, you're going to remember how good it feels to really focus on yourself. And that brings me to reason number three, like it or not, you're going to be getting things done in the fall anyway. So why not be intentional about what you want to get done instead of just like ramping up that productivity and drilling it back into work? Why not recognize, oh, wait, I'm in the season of change. I'm going to grab my pumpkin spice latte and my brand new notebook, and I'm going to write September 20, 24 on that sucker.

And then I'm going to get to work and I'm gonna write September 2024 on that sucker, and then I'm gonna get to work, and I'm gonna put all this momentum and organization that's around me. I am going to use this for something that matters to me. Because the fact is the fall is the time that everyone, everyone is naturally the most productive. And this isn't just me saying it, this is the research. And the cool thing about the fall is

you don't just get the boost in September. Like one of the downsides of January is you get that big boost to planning your goals, but then you gotta carry it out for 12 months. It's like, holy cow, not with the fall. The research shows that you get the boost in September and it carries all the way through October, November, boom. The statistics prove it, that this is the time

when most people enroll in a weight loss program, go to the gym, start cooking at home, change their haircuts, start getting serious about their finances. You know, they did this study where they surveyed adults in the UK and I love our listeners in the UK, so I wanted to shout out this UK study,

69% of adults believe that small improvements in September are way easier to achieve than New Year's resolutions. How cool is that? And now you're starting to understand, well, of course they are, because you got the back to school effect, you're energized from the summer, you have all this momentum and organizing energy around you. Everybody around you is in new change. Your DNA is like, let's do something. Of course it's easier. Plus studies show, check this out.

You wanna know the season that ranks the highest when it comes to productivity? That's right, give it up for fall, give it up, let's go. Fall is head and shoulders. I'm not even talking competition here, people. You wanna know the least productive season? Winter, winter. You are 25% less productive in the winter

than you are in the fall. Case closed. So this is happening whether you realize it or not. And I'm saying that because I think this back to school DNA effect is a very real thing. That your giddy up and go is just triggered by the changing of the seasons and the changing of everybody around me.

And so I want you to wake up and go, okay, if I'm naturally gonna be more productive and motivated, what do I want to be productive and motivated around? And here's what I don't want you to use for it. Do not use this for work. Use this for you. You're already pouring so much into your work.

I want you to take this lift and this productivity and organization, and I want you to aim it at yourself, because like it or not, you're getting things done. You're getting more done than you realize right now. And so let's get things done that really help you. Got it? Good. And that brings me to the fourth reason why fall September right now is the single best season to use to your advantage. And the reason is simple. It's only four months. This matters

a lot. We've talked about January versus September, right? And this isn't like a death match between these two things. It's about you understanding the context of those seasons and how to use them to your advantage. And earlier, I shared with you that January is important because it's a whole year, because it's a clean slate, because it opens up this ability for you to dream bigger than you normally would. And that's super important. But let's go to September. You only got four months between now and the end of the year. And this matters when it comes to productivity because of something called Parkinson's Law.

Now, Parkinson's Law is this law of nature about time and productivity. And here's what Parkinson's Law says. about time and productivity. And here's what Parkinson's Law says. Any project that you have expands to the amount of time you have to give to it. I'll give you an example. If you have two weeks to finish a presentation for work, how long is it gonna take you?

Mm-hmm, two weeks. If you have 20 minutes to finish the presentation, how long is it gonna take you? Mm- you have 20 minutes to finish the presentation, how long is it going to take you? 20 minutes. See, any project that you have expands to the amount of time that you have to give to it. Now, what's interesting about this is think about January and when you're thinking about your resolutions or thinking about your dreams and thinking about this plan to achieve your dreams. How big did those plans and those dreams expand? 12 months. Why? Parkinson's Law. It expanded to the amount of time you have to give to it. Now let's think about September.

How much time you got between now and the end of the year? You got four months. That's what you're working with. And the shorter the amount of time you have, the more productive you're going to be. Why? You have no choice. Tight deadlines amplify your focus. They increase your adrenaline, if they're short enough. They force you to narrow your attention.

And September creates a situation where your new goal or the thing you wanna work on, we're shrinking that down into four months until the end of the year. Now just think about how different a goal feels when you make it in September. All right, I want to stick to a budget between now and the end of the year versus January.

I want to stick to a budget this year. Whoa, that's a big one. I want to get in shape in the next four months. I think I'm going to get in shape this year. Do, that's a big one. I want to get in shape in the next four months. I think I'm going to get in shape this year. Do you see the difference? I got to write a book by the end of the year. I think I'll write a book this year. Do you see how different that feels?

Do you see how the difference of dreaming and expansion and 12 months to get something done versus, oh my gosh, it's going to be January before I know it. And if I want to make some stuff happen, I better use September and this fall season to my advantage. I better tap into the natural momentum and organization. Because if I wanna get this thing done by the end of the year, I gotta giddy up.

If I wanna be in a better place financially, I better get my budget done now. And you wanna know something cool? I have to take this coding class now if I wanna get it done before the end of the year. I have to get my resume done now if I want to have a new job by the end of the year. And this goes even deeper than Parkinson's law,

which has been around since the 1950s. It is a law about time that anything that you have to do will expand to the amount of time that you give to it. And if you want to increase your productivity, shrink the amount of time that you're going to. And if you wanna increase your productivity, shrink the amount of time that you're gonna spend on something. But it goes even deeper. And I love this next piece that I'm gonna share with you

because it allows me to bring January back in and allows me to bring January back in as a helper instead of somebody that we're up against right now. So Forbes Health did this survey where they looked at the goals that people set in January. And how long do you think the average goal lasts when someone sets it in January? So we're talking resolutions, I'm going to give up gluten, I'm going to exercise five days a week, I'm going to lay off the alcohol, whatever the goal is, right?

How long do you think the average goal lasts for someone? And by that, I mean, how long are you thinking about it? You're working on it. It's on your radar, you're chipping away at it. Like before you actually either achieve the goal or you putter out, what is the average in months? Are you thinking about it? Do you have a number in mind? Good. Because I want to take a second so we can hear a short word from our amazing sponsors. And when we return, I'm going to reveal what the answer is.

How long an average goal lasts when you make it in January. I think the answer is going to surprise you. And the cool thing is, it actually relates to September. And why this is the season for change for you to take advantage of. Don't you dare go anywhere because I'm waiting for you

when we get done with this short break. Stay with us. ["Spring Day"] Welcome back. It's your friend Mel Robbins. You and I are digging into the reasons why fall, September in particular, is the season of change, how you can use the natural momentum and the back to school effect and all of this stuff

that's happening naturally to your advantage. Right before we took that short break, I asked you this question. If you were to guess how long the average goal lasts when somebody makes it in January, how many months, what was your guess? You got a number of months in mind? Well, that survey found that the average goal lasts,

meaning somebody's got a top of mind, they're chipping away at it, 3.74 months. That's it. That's your attention span, that's your stamina for this kind of thing. And just stop and think, how many months are there in the fall season before we get to January?

Pretty much the same. Pretty much 3.74? Pretty much the same. Pretty much 3.7, four months, right around the same. That's what you got until the end of the year. Isn't that great news? That right there, another example of why your chances of being successful are much higher right now. You not only got the end of the year as your deadlines, we've got Parkinson's law working for you. We also got all this research that shows that's about what the attention span is anyway when somebody sets a goal.

You also have all this momentum and organization and amazingness happening around you. You've got the back to school effect that is in your DNA. And so right now is the time for you to focus on you, for you to decide, I'm going to be more productive just naturally anyway, because the fall is the season when life changes. So let me use this to my advantage.

I don't know about you, but when I hear all this stuff, I literally say to myself, this is so obvious. Why have I not seen this before? You're right, Mel. Why does September not have a ball drop and a big theme? And why are we not like all recognizing and waking up that this is the moment for me?

That September is me time. It's go time. It's back to me time. Let's do this. So I rest my case. That is all the evidence I have for why September, not January, is the single best time for you to get productive,

for you to tap into the momentum and the energy of change around you, and for you to focus it on yourself. And those four reasons are that number one, September is the true season of change. January is just when the calendar changes, but September is when life changes. So that's reason number one. Reason number two, back to school energy is in your DNA. And let's use that coding and that life experience in your DNA, not to go back to school

unless that's what you want to do this fall, but to go back to you and to channel all of this back to school energy into you going back to focusing on yourself. Number three, like it or not in the fall, you are going to be more productive. You are going to get things done. You are going to feel the lift of everyone around you

also in this cadence of change and stepping it up and doing new things and going to school. And so that is gonna impact you. And I don't want you to just waste it on work. I want you to put it into something that's gonna make you happier. I want you to put yourself first. I want you to use that motivation to do the things

that you've been putting off for too long. This is the season for you. And number four, it's only four months. We got four months until the end of the year. Four months. Do you know what you could do in four months? Holy cow, if you really just opened your arms to the fall, and you said, I am going to make these four months my month, I'm going to write that book,

I'm going to start that YouTube channel, I'm going to take that AI certification class, I am going to go back to school, I'm going to lose the weight, I'm going to put myself first, I'm going to really focus on what I want to do, I'm going to go to bed an hour earlier, I'm going to wake up 30 minutes earlier, I'm going to get out the door and walk. These next four months, they're for me. Why wouldn't you take advantage of all that the fall has to give you? Why

wait until it's cold and your money is gone and it's dark and it's after the holidays? Get selfish now. You've had a few months, I hope, to take the foot off the gas. I hope that you have had a really good summer or a good break between now and the fall. It's time to get serious about what matters to you. Put your money where your mouth is. Buy that $2 notebook.

Then write September and the year on the cover. All you have to do is get started. Just pick one theme that you want to make some moves in. And here's what I'm going to tell you. If you don't know immediately what one project or one change or one habit or one anything that you immediately want to focus on, I'm going to tell you exactly what to do right now. Just focus these next four months on improving yourself. That's it.

Focus on making yourself a little healthier. Or focus on doing something every day that makes you a little happier. I mean, it could simply be signing up for an art class. It could be promising yourself that you're gonna read for 10 minutes every night before you go to bed. It could be that you're gonna go to bed a half an hour earlier. It could be anything,

anything that is gonna make you feel like you are focused on improving yourself. I promise you that is always where you should start when you don't know what to work on. Because when you improve yourself, it starts to improve everything about your life because your experience about life is generated based on how you feel, based on what you pour your time and energy into. So if fall is the time where you're gonna be the most productive and you're gonna have the most natural sense of momentum

and organization, and you're gonna have this innate sense in your DNA that you wanna be doing something new, you wanna be learning something, the single best subject always and forever is going to be deepening your understanding of yourself. It's going to be investing time in bettering yourself.

It's going to be pouring your energy back into yourself. And so just like when you were a kid and you go to class all day, you're probably going to work all day or class all day now, when you get home at night, the homework isn't for school. It's not for your boss. It's for you. Those 30 minutes aren't going to be about reading a book so that you can take a test. It's going to be about pouring that time into something for 30 minutes that makes you happier, that makes you better. That's what this is about.

And so you either at this point in our conversation today are like, I'm writing that book by the end of the year, or I am going to get to my goal weight by the end of the year, or I am going to find an apartment and move out of my parents' basement, or whatever the situation may be, you either have that thing,

I'm gonna apply to law school this year, that's what I'm gonna do, or you don't. And if you don't, I just gave you your assignment. And your assignment is always and forever. Whenever you are stuck or you do not know what to work on, always work on improving yourself. Research has shown that if you really want to make the change stick and be successful and have an easier time at it, do not frame the thing that you're working on as you're going to stop

doing something. Instead, frame the change as you're going to start doing something, just like you're going to start a new school year. So for example, instead of saying, I'm going to stop eating sugar, I'm going to stop eating gluten, say I'm going to start eating gluten free. I'm going to start walking every day. I'm going to start eating fruit instead of cookies with processed sugar. Do you see what I'm saying? Instead of saying I'm going to stop drinking, say I'm going to start drinking non-alcoholic beverages. And here's the thing about this topic. Sometimes I feel like a broken record, even when I'm talking to

myself. You hear this stuff over and over and over again. But it's like every single time I have a breakthrough, it never ceases to amaze me that this is true. That you have to hear the same thing over and over and over again in order for it to stick. And you also have to hear it because you are always and forever changing and growing. So who you were when you maybe heard that September was like a January and it's great time to start, you're very different person right now. I'll give you an example.

So a couple of weeks ago, our family climbed this mountain Mount Katahdin up in Maine. And I kind of hurt my hip. I've been like wobbling around for a little bit. And so I went to the gym for the first time in a few weeks this morning. And I did a little exercise class. It was like a 15-minute Pilates mat thing that I streamed online.

And the second that the 15-minute class was over, I thought, I should do more. Why, Mel? Why? Why can't I just say that right now 15 minutes is enough and leave it at that? And so here's one change that I'm working on right now. And this is something I've tried in the past. This is something I already know.

This is research by the way that I just told you about saying you're going to start something instead of stopping it. But I need to hear it again. Just like every single September, you are going to need to hear again and again and again, hey, reminder, it's time to get your pumpers and spice lattes and go back to school and to focus on you. Reminder, September and fall is a season of change.

And so here's one thing I'm focusing on. I'm gonna stop focusing on how long I'm exercising for, whether it's 15 minutes an hour, who cares? And instead I'm just gonna focus, I'm gonna start focusing on being consistent. That every day, even if it's just five minutes, that's enough, it's the consistency that I'm gonna start to focus on instead of how much time I have

to give to it. And look, I know this, but I'm reminding myself. And it's the same as September. You may know the back to school effect. You may feel in your bones that there is this sense of organization and momentum. You maybe have already created a plan for the last four months of the year, the last 90 days of the year. But you need to be reminded. Why? Because the person that you were last September and last fall,

very different than the person you are right now. So last fall, a year ago, Chris and I, we still had a senior in high school. I was only 11 months into a new job, which was hosting the Mel Robbins podcast. Our daughter Sawyer was just leaving to go on this four month solo backpacking trip around Asia. Our daughter, Kendall, was moving into her first big girl apartment after graduating from college in LA. Chris was starting his master's in spiritual psychology. That was all happening a year ago.

Everything's changed. Everything's changed. Who I was a year ago, Everything's changed. Everything's changed. Who I was a year ago, who my husband was, our three kids, everything is different. Which is why I needed to hear this reminder as much as you do. Because September is when the wind is at your back. September is when you feel like, oh my gosh,

the first three quarters of the year is over and I'm standing on top of this mountain that I climbed. And now you can roll downhill toward the end of the year. September is the time when it's time for you to get selfish, to double down on what matters to you. And that's what I'm inviting you to do, to go back to what matters to you. To go back to focusing on yourself.

To grab that notebook and go back to what really is important for you to learn about yourself. Isn't that what school's all about? Learning and growing, so you can become the best version of yourself? Isn't learning just about bettering yourself? Of course it is. And so is life. So I want you to imagine that the school bus is pulling up

and that door is opening up. And oh, looky there. Look who's driving the bus. It's your friend Mel Robbins. And I'm inviting you to get on board. It's time to go back. Back to being productive. Back to learning new things. Back to holding yourself to a higher standard.

Back to chipping away every night on your homework, just like you did when you were a kid. Only this time, instead of doing it for your teacher, you're gonna be doing it for you. And don't you dare be taking all of this productivity and all this wind at your back and throwing it into your work for crying out loud. You already give enough to your work.

Take all of this and pour yourself into that notebook. Show up this fall, not for your boss, not for a raise. Show up for yourself. Raise your own standards for yourself. This back to school season gets serious, not about getting good grades, but doing what you can do every day to wake up and make today a good day. That's the secret. You're going to have good days, you're going to have bad days.

But every day that you can wake up and grab that notebook and get back at it just like you did when you were a kid, you can get back on that bus and you can do whatever is in your power to try to make today a good day. That's what a good life is. A good life is a life with a lot of good days. And September is the most amazing time to create so many good days. Because the wind is at your back, it's a downhill roll to New Year's from here, baby.

Everyone around you is creating that change. They're in organization mode. They got their back to school energy. So you will not be doing this alone. I mean, you already had to organize everyone else to get back to school or to get yourself back to school or back into work after the summer routine. So now it's your turn.

It's not just back to school. Back to school now means it's time to go back to me. And in case no one else tells you, I wanted to be sure to tell you that I love you and I believe in you and I believe in your ability to create a better life by focusing on creating good days. So take that little $2 notebook and you better write September in the year on it

and make sure you put a photo online so I can find you and tag this show so I can cheer for you. And now you've got everything you need to have an absolutely amazing fall season. Now go do it. And I cannot wait to be together again in the very next episode. I'll see you there.

I need to eat. I am starving. Let's see. Okay. September. September is the true season of change. Am I in the wrong? No, you're good.

No, you're good. We had like something pop up. Okay, you ready? Go ahead, Trace. And you see the back to school signs today or tomorrow? Tag at Mel Robbins or at Mel or at the Mel Robbins. Tag at Mel Robbins. Tag.

And what I love about this idea, I've just thought of this. I love about this. You know what I love about this idea, I've just thought of this. What I love about the, you know what I love about this idea? Oh, and one more thing. And no, this is not a blooper. This is the legal language. You know what the lawyers write and what I need to read to you.

This podcast is presented solely for educational and entertainment purposes. I'm just your friend. I am not a licensed therapist and this podcast is not intended as a substitute for the advice of a physician, professional coach, psychotherapist or other qualified professional. Got it? Good. I'll see you in the next episode. Stitcher.