My favorite football team has something of a tradition when the game moves into the 4^th quarter.  Players and fans alike will raise four fingers to acknowledge the game’s final frame.  It’s a small tradition and not particularly unique but the symbolism is profound.

While I’ve not studied the pattern, I do know, as a long time football fan, that most games are decided in the 4^th quarter of play.  If a team can dominate and win the final 15 minutes, they will often claim the victory for the entire 60 minute contest.

To acknowledge the 4^th quarter with four fingers aloft is to acknowledge the need to finish strong even in the face of fatigue and struggle and perhaps even significant odds.  And a proper reaction to this realization can contribute to securing a great victory.

I personally missed the start of this most recent 4^th quarter and was fortunate enough to be reminded just last weekend.  October 1 marked the start of 2009’s final quarter and an honest assessment of my stance relative to my goals for the year suggests that I’m trailing and in need of a rally.

Had I continued without realizing that while the end is not here, it is surely near, I likely would have played out the rest of the year with no sense of urgency.  The lethargy of my mid-year efforts would have continued through the remaining calendar and another year – and opportunity – may have swept away with it.

But now that I’ve been reminded, I plan to be more intentional and more proactive in my approach to the year’s end.  I may not accomplish all of the goals I’ve allowed to grow dormant, but I’ll achieve a measure of success by reviving a couple sleepers and better position myself for a strong start for 2010.

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