It is the fourth quarter of the year, and today I'm going to use some (American) football analogies.

In football, and a lot of sports, when you're going into the last quarter of the game you might have to adjust your strategy. You definitely have to look at what's been working or not working for you so far. In your business, I suggest that you look at what you've done and what you wanted to get done by the end of this year.

If you're not three-quarters of the way there yet, you're probably not going to get there unless you make some changes. In this fourth quarter, you have to reassess. If you've completely missed the mark so far, make a new, more realistic goal. Never give up; make sure you have an attainable goal that will inspire you to keep pushing.

Assess you goals and see where you are. If you've already met your goal or are really close, don't sit back and relax. Adjust that goal so that you're challenging yourself.

There's a difference between dreaming big and being unrealistic.

As you're going into the fourth quarter, in sports, in life, and in business, sometimes you have to adjust the game plan for maximum results.