The following Agent Alert was sent December 21, 2011.

Merry Christmas!

Dear Agents,

A few thoughts.

The change of the year frequently brings with it a certain level of panic, especially when you think of this year-long mission you've embarked on - even those of you who are well ahead are probably thinking, "How in the world am I supposed to get all this done by August?"

Or you might have the opposite mindset and, even though you've taken very few points thus far, you're thinking, "What's the big deal? I have until August."

Both points of view are valid, actually (bet you weren't expecting that!). Two years ago, one agent who had only three points in March suddenly whipped out the remaining 33 points to make Special Agent and win the John Quincy Adams scholarship. Last year, one agent completed over twenty points in August (and nearly gave the Ambassador League Coordinator a heart attack). Clearly, last-minute is doable.

So why worry now?

First of all, you won't be doing yourself any favors putting it off. The last-minute crunch is more than you actually want to deal with. Trust me on this one.

Second, last-minute reports become an administrative nightmare. You'll hear us harping on this one a little closer to the summer, but as a heads-up: the last-minute July-August crunch leaves very little time for us to read the reports, double-check your points, and if there's a problem, there's also next to no time to remedy it. You'll be adding to your own stress.

And yet, don't think that just because you can't get it all done right now means that you can't get it done. You can. You absolutely can. And we're here to help.

In the next Alert (slated for January 11), I'll talk about this sample schedule to help you organize your remaining projects. It's set up to start in January; you'll probably find it easier if you can fit in some of the projects by the end of this month! In the meantime, sit down and figure out what you have left to do; talk to your mentor; work out a plan of action.

And don't forget, while you are enjoying your time with family and friends, this is a great time to make progress on some of those assignments. Do I hear a book calling?

Merry Christmas, Agents. Talk to you next year!

Carpe diem!

James Muffett
Ambassador League Commander