I’m imagining that many of you who read this headline thought my auto-send was terribly broken—that you were mistakenly getting my New Year’s missive on the 4th of July.

Think again.

Starting now, you have six months until you will be counting down the final hours of 2012. The purpose of this post is to point out that as seductive as the heat and humidity are; as much fun as the barbecues and pool parties will be; over these next eight weeks of summer, I don’t want you to lose sight of the goals you’ve set yourself.

And while it may seem unseasonable and unreasonable to ask you to keep your nose to the grindstone while everyone around you is reapplying their bain de soleil and slicing watermelon to put in the beach cooler, I guarantee that your dedication to your yourself: your promotion, your business, your job search, will ensure the fireworks you see July 4 will only be the start of the celebrations you will be having in the months and years to come.

Frances Cole Jones