Hopefully, you’ve had a chance to complete a Mid-Year Review (if you haven’t, do it now. It’s a great check-in!). And, if you are like me, you probably noticed some places where, perhaps, your motivation has waned a little and, yet, your desire to reach those goals hasn’t. Well, the good news is that a Mid-Year Review isn’t meant for judgment. It is meant to help you illuminate what matters most to you right now so you can still make progress towards the life you want. Want to get real about your execution and organizational strategies with what you have decided is important to you right now?
Here are some suggestions for a Mid-Year Refresh.
KNOW YOUR WHY At the beginning of each year, I encourage you to find a word for the year- a word that symbolizes the feeling you most want to have this year and to serve as a touchstone for you when you need it.
Revisit your word. What will living this word now add to your life? What will happen if you don’t live this word? Why do you want this concept in your life? Really get honest with yourself about why it motivates you because it is that desire that will help you move forward in some way, even when the situation is hard.
REVISIT YOUR VISION In addition to selecting a word for the year, you may have also made a vision board. Review your vision board now. Let those images and words, and the possibility they represent, re-inspire you.
Also, look at your mid-year review Q&A. What did you learn about what you want for yourself at this point. How can your answers motivate you forward?
NAME YOUR ACTIONS Now that your enthusiasm is refreshed, it’s time to move forward. What do you need to do to make your dreams possible? Write a list of the progress you would like to make this year. Maybe to be more healthy, you want to reduce your dependence on caffeine or sugar. Maybe to be more organized, you need to clean out your attic. If you wish to become a more consistent runner, maybe you want to find a running partner or sign up for a race every few months. Write down the actions that most need doing for you to be closer to your vision by the end of the year.
STRATEGIZE Typically, when we get to this point, we embrace all or nothing thinking. We must be more organized, a better runner, and a healthier eater all right now or we have failed. Yet, this type of thinking makes many of us fail. Instead, come up with an action plan that works best for you. Maybe you should choose a set number (2 or 3) of goals to work on each month. Perhaps you give yourself a weekly or monthly focus. Rather than setting yourself up to fail, set yourself up to succeed by making your strategy manageable.
REVIEW Sometimes, we are great at doing the upfront work to create a plan, but it is the adherence to the goal that gets us. Create a weekly check-in- at the same time each week- where you review your goals, where you are in your journey towards them, and consider what steps you need to be taking now to get where you want to go in the end. Make a list for the next week to guide you forward. Success doesn’t come to those who dream the most; it comes to those who live that dream on purpose.
