Five Steps to Recalibrate and Focus at Mid-Year

At the begining of the year, you most likely set your goals. And now that it's mid-year, it's important to take the time to celebrate, recalibrate and focus.

If you keep reading, you'll learn five steps to assess where you are and make the balance of the year truly remarkable!

A few weeks ago in June, I scheduled time and guided myself through this important exercise. And what does this accomplish, you might ask?

It helps me to be in charge of my life.

Author Robert Heinlein once wrote, "In the absence of clearly defined goals, we become strangely loyal to performing daily trivia until ultimately we become consumed by it."

I encourage you to schedule 30 minutes with yourself so that you, too, can be in charge of your life. Here are the five steps:

Step 1:  Celebrate your wins.

Reflect back on the first half of the year. Look at your calendar to refresh your memory about what you've accomplished. What are you most proud of? What challenges did you overcome? Before moving forward with the second half of the year, acknowledge and celebrate your wins thus far in the year.

Step 2: Revisit your annual goals.

Are you clear about what you want to achieve this year? Maybe you've lost touch with your annual goals or watered them down? Maybe you're settling? Now is your opportunity to re-ignite your bold, meaningful goals. (And if you need help setting goals the right way, you'll benefit from reading: The ABC's of Goal Setting.)

Step 3:  Identify your key learnings.

Reflect back on the first half of the year. What do you know now about yourself, your work, your relationships or about other areas of your world, that you didn't know at the beginning of the year? One of my key learnings was in naming my subconscious saboteurs. As a result of a course on Positive Intelligence through which a colleague guided me over six weeks this Spring, I can identify my self-sabotaging patterns better than ever before. This allows me to consciously interrupt behaviors that previously held me back and be more productive!

Step 4: Articulate your short-term goals

What would you like to achieve in the next 90 days that move you in the direction of your annual goals? When working with my clients, I guide them through a "Your Best Quarter" planning session once a quarter to ensure they are very granular with their goals. Identify your short term goals - make them bite-sized and clear.

Step 5: Check your mindset

Now take a few minutes and reflect on your dominant mindset - is it positive or is it negative? It's important to develop a constructive mindset because what you think and what you believe impact your results. Your mindset creates your future.  Shawn Achor, a researcher on Positive Psychology, explains that your brain on positive is 31% more productive that your brain in negativity. (1)

As Louise Hay explained, "Every thought we think is creating our future."

It's the mid-way point of the year and you have the opportunity to recalibrate and focus. Make it your best year ever!

And to support you in developing thoughts and beliefs in service of the future you want, I encourage you to watch: How Your Thinking Impacts Your Results, a 2-part Masterclass:

(1) Achor, Shawn. (2012). The happy secret to better work. TED Talk. Accessed on 7/7/2024.