It’s time for a Mid-Year Check-In

As we enter the second half of the year, it’s a good idea to check in with any goals or intentions we may have set back in January.

Just as many companies do mid-year evaluations with their employees, you should do a similar check-in with yourself. After all, you are the CEO of you! And you don’t want December 31 to arrive only to realize you’ve been off track this whole year.

A mid-year review allows managers to check in with employees to make sure they’re happy with their roles. Likewise, a mid-year check-in with yourself allows you to gauge if you’re happy with your life!

• Is your work satisfying? If not, what can you do to change that?

• How are your relationships? Do you need to set boundaries? Do you need to reconnect with someone you’ve lost touch with?

• How’s your health? Are you prioritizing self-care? Are you getting enough sleep and exercise? Are you eating healthful foods?

In the workplace, a mid-year review allows managers to see how employees are performing on specific goals. So, midyear is a great time for you to check in on your personal and professional goals too.

• What goals have you achieved and what helped you to accomplish them?

• What have you not achieved so far and why?

• What’s working? What’s not working? What can be improved?

• Are your goals achievable right now or do they need to be moved to next year?

So, let me practice what I preach and do a mid-year check-in of my own.

At the start of 2022, I set a number of intentions for the year. Planning ahead and setting specific goals have been difficult for me since the beginning of the pandemic. So, this year, I decided to try something new and set intentions instead.

Whenever I set a goal and don't achieve it, I usually beat myself up. Setting intentions, on the other hand, allows for taking everything one day at a time.

So, let’s see how I’m doing with each intention I set for myself.

Extending More Grace to Myself

I’ve done a lot better with this. Life is just one big struggle, but I feel like when you’re able to forgive yourself for the mistakes you’ve made along the way it’s a lot easier.

Replace Negative Self-Talk

When it comes to overcoming negative self-talk, sometimes you have to fake it till you make it. Make sure you’re telling yourself positive things so that your mind and your body can follow suit. Every day I repeat positive affirmations to myself:

I love myself.

I’m the best.

I’m great.

I’m smart.

Everything about me is good.

I’m happy to be alive.

Try Difficult Things and Face Challenges with a Calm Mind

I’ve gotten so much better at this because I’ve realized that being calm helps me do hard things. In my life whenever I can do something with a calm mind, I’m much more productive and I’m just better at whatever I’m doing.

I think sometimes you get defeated early because you get flustered or you have anxiety about whatever you’re doing or you feel overwhelmed by the situation. But if you face it with calmness and confidence, you can handle anything!

Be More Present in My Relationships

I’m really big on disconnect to connect. If you’re at dinner, put your phone down. Sometimes, I’ll set a rule with family and friends that the first person to pick up their phone during dinner has to pay for everybody’s meal.

Lately, I’ve been making sure that whatever I’m doing -- whether I’m cooking dinner, spending time with my husband or my friends -- that I’m in the moment. This became even more important to me after COVID as we all saw how quickly life can change and be taken away.

But now, because of COVID, everyone is also always on their phone or computer working. So, I know that my “disconnect to connect” motto is easier said than done. We all have busy lives. I’m always on the go. But don’t forget to sit down sometimes and have a quality conversation with your loved ones or your colleagues and BE IN THE MOMENT.

Accept Myself as Enough

Affirmations come in handy as I strive to remember I am enough.

I’m going to get to where I need to go.

I’m going to do whatever I need to do

I’m going to master whatever it is I need to master.

Telling yourself these things is the first step toward making your dreams your reality. You make things possible when you speak positive things over yourself.

I realize that telling myself anything other than positive things will only slow me down.

Practice Gratitude

Being intentional about practicing gratitude has improved my entire outlook. Being grateful for being alive is something that we don’t do often enough.

But I am also grateful to be in the moment doing my job and doing things I love to do – even when I don’t have the outcomes that I want.

I play a sport and millions of people would love to do what I do every day. It might not be perfect, but it’s worth it. It’s worth getting up and training and doing all the things that I do to be able to say I get to play tennis for a living. I have a great life.

Now it’s your turn. Do a mid-year review of your goals or intentions for the year and let me know in the comments how you’re doing.