Have you hit a mid-year slump, feeling a little unclear on what you want to achieve over the next six months? You’re halfway through 2022, and there’s no better time to reflect, review, and reset your goals and intentions. The first half of the year saw a great deal of challenges. From the spike in Omicron cases to the devastating floods among Australia’s east coast, and to now the cost-of-living pressures and soaring inflation. As you approach the second half of the year, it can be helpful to reflect and review on the past six months, check in with yourself and goals, and regain focus to navigate the second half of the year.

Setting goals is easy but achieving them can be hard.... so, let’s reflect, review and reset.

Reflect

Reflecting is one of the best ways to track progress with your goals and habits. Reflecting requires careful thought and making a conscious consideration about your actions, beliefs and the steps taken to achieve self-directed behaviour change. Reflecting builds self-awareness about your behaviours and enables you to identify areas for self-improvement. This can help you to review the effectiveness of your goals, and encourage purposeful progress, which can in turn inform your future mindset and actions.

Here are some questions to help you get started on your reflection, get out a piece of paper and freely reflect on the following:

• What were my goals at the beginning of this year?
• Are my goals the same or have they changed them?
• What challenges have I faced in achieving these goals?
• Are my habits serving me for the better?
• What do I value?
• How can I become the best version of myself?

Review

Reviewing goals and habits is a must for success. When you review your goals, it requires intentional thinking and building awareness about your current trajectory. This helps to gain clarity on what is working and what is not working in the efforts to achieve a desired goal or implement a new positive habit. Most habits are done without even giving a second thought. So, when you mindfully review your habits, you can distinguish whether they are actually serving you for the better or if you are living on autopilot. Learning from an unachieved goal can empower you to identify the gap between where you currently are and where we want to be. This can help you to redirect your energy towards behaviours that support self-development and goal achievement.

For those of you who have achieved your goals, stop and review on how you achieved success the first time. What were your mistakes? What did you do right? What could you have done differently? Make sure to set a new goal for the next six months and keep the momentum going. There is always room to learn, grow, and improve at any age and stage in your life. Nurture and play on your strengths, accept your weaknesses and learn to build on these, and step out of your comfort zone.

Reset

If you’re feeling deflated after the first six months of 2022, and a little off track with your goals, don’t beat yourself up. Changing your behaviours can be tricky, especially if it’s one you’ve been doing for a while. Now is the time to reset for the second half of 2022 and get clear on what you want to achieve. It’s important to make sure your goals are SMART - specific, measurable, attractive, realistic, and timely. By understanding the specific achievable actions needed to achieve your goals, you can become the best version yourself. Don’t forget to celebrate the small wins and embrace change as it comes.

So, if you need a mid-year pick me up and a boost of motivation, now is the time to reflect, review and reset. Focusing on your self-improvement develops your capabilities and potential, you can live more purposefully, excel in your job, and enhance your quality of life.