A midyear reset to energize your goals
Image: Dayne Topkin
Where you are. Where you want to be. And what’s stopping you.
Depending on how your year’s been going so far and how you feel about that, the arrival of the mid-year might be cause for celebration. It might also have you feeling anxious or frustrated that your plans aren’t quite looking how you wanted them to look, or happening in the way you wanted them to happen.
Maybe life has felt so busy — or the world “out there” so tumultuous — that you haven’t made time to think much about that yet.
Over the last several years, we’ve had a lot of all three scenarios and it has, for many of us, seemed hard to plan with any level of control. We can, though, set our intentions, devise our strategies, show up and do what’s ours to do.
Intentionality is where we can assert some control. I’m here to invite you to step back and look at how your year is shaping up and the influence that you want to have on how the next six months unfold.
Let’s pause, take a breath and reflect on your intentions for this year.
Where are you now?
Did you have hard goals or a loose set of intentions for what you wanted to accomplish or experience? What were the objectives that you set for your life, your work and your well-being?
I’m a big believer in themes and plans and getting clear on what I want to experience on a regular basis. Some of us work better with stricter goal setting and tracking spreadsheets. Others take life as it presents itself, week by week. I personally like intentions and frameworks.
There’s no right or wrong way, as long as you’re being intentional and actively participating in your one precious life. (This is the one you get. Please don't sleepwalk through it.)
How’s it shaping up so far? Most of us in the last six months have played and worked and celebrated some successes. Some of us are working towards something that hasn’t quite all come together yet. Some of us haven’t even started what we said we wanted to do or have changed directions. Wherever you are is fine. Flexibility is a cornerstone of flowing with and being responsive to our lives. Reflection is what helps us to refine our direction, integrity and focus over the longer term. It’s a powerful tool that is simple and accessible to put to work.
What are your biggest wins and accomplishments so far this year?
What has felt like more of a struggle, a distraction or a frustration?
What’s felt amazing and what’s fallen right into place?
How have you been spending your free time and your work time?
What have you learned or experienced that will motivate or inspire you?
Are you doing what you most want or need to be doing?
If this year were to end on a high note — in a way that holds great meaning for you — what would that look like?
Where do you want to be? Let’s envision that.
Imagine that, six months from now, you were chatting with a friend about how amazing these art few months have felt for you, think about what would you be saying to that person. When everything else falls away, what do you most want to be, do or have in the next six months? Let the word or phrase bubble up that best encapsulates your intention.
How would you have spent your time? With whom?
What would you have accomplished? What memories have stood out for you?
What would you have finally let go of?
How would you feel? What are you thinking about?
When have you felt most connected and most authentically you?
What did you do for fun or renewal?
Some of these intentions may already be in motion. Others, not so much. Not yet. Maybe there is even a course correction or two that is called for. I've got a couple of those. I’ve already revised and updated my Nourish plan and am adding some fun surprises into my work, too.
What’s stopping you from having what you just described?
Obstacles often present themselves along the path from where we are to where we’re wanting to go. Some of them are real and some are imaginary, the result of something we’ve been convinced (or convinced ourselves) is true. Some are habits we’ve formed, or that our biology has formed for us. Some are embedded in the ways in which we’re talking to ourselves or listening to others. Some are fear taking us by the hand and sitting us back down once we've stood up.
The obstacles don’t need to win. We can always get better at navigating an obstacle course, or simply going in another direction. It's much more satisfying (and fun) to move past the obstacles and experience our intentions falling into place.
To anticipate what’s coming and keep your focus, start here:
What happens if you stay right where you are? How does that compare with the rewards of being where you want to be?
How supportive and energizing are the environments and the roles you’re operating within? They might need some upgrading or boundary-setting.
What’s most compelling about where you want to be? Neuroscience research increasingly shows that an exciting long-term vision can be a powerful motivator.
Which of your natural strengths, core values and innate personality traits might you call on to move you from point A to point B?
How are you fueling yourself every day -- your mindset, your emotional and spiritual renewal, your body? How are these choices helping you or holding you back?
What will you add more of and what will you allow less of?
How can you safeguard your energy for where it’s really needed and most effective?
Reach out and let me know where you’re headed in the next 6 months, what you believe is possible for you and the intentions that you’re setting. I will hold the space and belief right along with you.
