How's It Going?
Your year, that is.
How many of y’all had a vision for what you’d accomplish in 2024? (Perhaps you’re already dreading where this is going… stick with me!) You guessed it. How are things going with that vision now that we’re about six months in?
We’ve all heard of New Year’s Resolutions, and the subsequent stats of how many people fall off their new trajectory within just a few weeks. I think many of us have steered clear of the typical resolutions for this very reason (if you’ve been a long-time follower of this newsletter, you may be familiar with my reflection and vision journaling template. If not, you can find it here!). But, here’s the other thing I think we miss: when we do fall off track, it’s like we automatically assume we can’t try again. I’m all for revisiting and shifting unrealistic goals, but how often do we give ourselves a free pass to not pick ourselves back up just because “well, I’ve already messed up, so might as well just… keep messing up?” I believe in us enough to believe we can revisit, reassess, and get back to work.
That’s why I’m working to implement mid-year check-ins with myself. (I think I got this idea from James Clear’s Atomic Habits, but don’t quote me on that.) It’s far simpler than the beginning of the year process, but I’ve found these couple of questions are helpful to
6-Month Check-In
First, read over your vision for the year. Don’t judge yourself if you come across things you’ve failed to implement; just read over it and re-familiarize yourself with who you aimed to become by the end of the year. Then, journal or reflect on the following questions:
1) What have I done well so far?
Note the areas you’ve succeeded so far in your initial aims. What’s been valuable about those changes (or continuations)?
2) What are the visions that are no longer realistic / no longer important to me?
Sometimes the goals we set turn out to not make much sense as our lives change. If that’s the case for some of yours, you can simply disregard them and move on. Just be sure to be honest with yourself, and don’t throw something out just because it’s hard.
3) What are the gaps to fill: goals or aims I’ve set that I’ve not made enough progress towards?
Again, don’t judge yourself. Take stock of the gaps and focus on what you can control: what’s ahead. How will you fill those gaps in the next six months? Do you need to change something in your daily routine or re-prioritize certain things? Yes, the year is half over, but also, the year is only half over!
That’s it. Yep, it’s that simple. Take stock and keep rolling. Happy reflecting!
Journal Prompt of the Week
What’s the biggest gap you have to fill in the next six months? What will you change to make it happen?