Mid-Year Review: 5 Questions to Ask Yourself (+ Free Workbook)
This year seems to be both speeding past and not moving ahead at all. Because life has come to somewhat of a standstill in so many ways, it’s difficult for me to fathom that nearly half the year has gone by.
I’ve never been the type of person who makes a bunch of new year resolutions but I do take the time to choose a one little word almost every year. Typically, for the first couple of months, I am rather mindful of my word and try to incorporate that into my life, but I soon lose steam after that (pretty much the story of my life and everything that I take up!).
This year the word I chose for myself was “light”. Mostly with the objective of stepping into the light, and also, to lighten my mind, soul, heart and body. For a variety of reasons, the first couple of months of this year were the exact opposite of that. I seem to have gotten into the spirit of the word only in the last few weeks.
I won’t claim that I feel completely “light” as of right now. Personal growth is a journey, and I am most definitely on a certain growth path right now. It’s not always pretty, and I have had some really ugly days too, but I am trying to practice more grace for myself, and hopefully others as well.
The lockdown over the last 3-4 months has also forced me to take a hard look at some of my own beliefs and behaviours and little by little, I am learning to define for myself how I want my life to shape up, how I want to treat others, and how I want to be treated by others. It’s all a process, my friends, and a really long, winding process at that.
REFLECT & REASSESS: 5 QUESTIONS TO ASK YOURSELF
Coming back to right now, this moment, this period of time – there are a lot of cosmic changes happening right about now. Cancer season has started, there are five planets retrograde, and we’re encountering a new moon and a solar eclipse and the Summer Solstice, all at the same time. It’s a powerful time to take a bit of a pause, sit back and reflect and evaluate on what’s working for you and what’s not.
If you’re in the mood to do some soul-searching and deep-digging, why not make a small, grounding ritual of it? Pour yourself a cup of your favourite beverage, get comfortable on a chair/bed, grab a notebook and a pen (or print out the workbook), light a candle and/or incense, and settle in for some reflection and assessment.
Here are a few questions to ask yourself to help you with your mid-year review. These will help you in your process of looking inwards, assessing the last six months of the year gone by, and (re)setting and (re)evaluating your goals for the next six months.
1| Are you happy with your life at the moment?
Rate yourself on a scale of 1-10 on the happiness/satisfaction scale in the key areas of your life: Self, Love/Partnership, Family, Social Life, Home, Work/Business, Health & Fitness, Finances, Emotional Health, Spiritual Health, Hobbies and Life Vision (are you clear about your life path and your grand vision for your life?).
Feel free to ignore/add categories according to what’s relevant for you. The idea is to take stock of where you are today, because without having a baseline to refer to, it would be difficult to evaluate your progress.
2| What do you count as your successes over the last six months?
You could do this category wise if you wish, and remember, don’t discount the small things. Every little thing adds up, and imperfect action is better than no action at all.
3| Is there anything you wish you could have done differently over the last six months?
I would not recommend beating yourself up over things that may not gone as per your expectations, or any slip-ups you feel you’ve had. The idea is to pin-point things and areas of improvement. After all, we are all a work in progress.
4| What is your vision for yourself and your life at the end of the year?
Without knowing what you’re working for, it would be a difficult task to understand what actions you need to take to up-level your life. Again, use the list of key life areas if that makes it easier for you, but you could just as well free-write and put down your exact vision for what you see at the end of the year. Think about: What are you doing? Who are you surrounded by? What are you wearing? What does your house look like? What are you earning? What is making you feel accomplished? What is bringing you joy?
5| What can you do to go from where you are TODAY to where you want to be at the end of the year?
In conjunction with your vision for your life at the end of the year, what are the action steps you need to take to make your vision a reality? What are your top 3 priorities for the rest of the year which will bringing you closer to your vision?
I hope this journaling exercise brings you clarity and a renewed sense of purpose for tackling the rest of the year. While 2020 on the whole may seem like a year of pause, it can turn out to be the perfect opportunity to do some inner work and help you evolve from the inside out.
And if you’re one of those people who’d set yourself some solid goals at the beginning of the year, a mid-year review is the perfect time to see how you’ve done with regards to your specific goals and course-correct as needed.
These questions are actually rather universal – in the sense that you can use them at any point of time to check in with yourself and re-evaluate and re-assess your life’s direction.
If you want to grab a free printable of the mid-year review workbook with the above questions and space for journaling, sign up below with your name and email address.
While I am going to do this exact journaling exercise for myself in a day or two, here are some of my personal reflections on the last six months:
~ I am happy that I have exercised more in the last six (three, if I am being really honest!) months than in all of 2019 combined. Again, my exercise routine is not perfect, but I am more mindful of moving my body these days and I almost never regret getting some workout/movement into my day.
~ I have been consciously working towards furthering my creative hobbies. Be it with this blog, or my branding side-hustle, I am pleased with how things are shaping up. I still have so much to learn, but it’s a journey that is making me super happy.
~ I am figuring out ways to improve my mental health. This has involved reading a wide variety of books, having deep and long conversations with close friends, along with doing some inner work. It’s a lifelong journey for sure, and I find myself a little more at peace with myself than the beginning of the year.
~ I have a newfound respect for nature and the universe. It probably stems from the slower pace of life that we’ve been forced to live for the last few months but I think something about human behaviour has to give if we truly wish to continue calling this planet our home for the years to come.
I’d love to know – how are things looking at this mid-year point for you? Are you pleased with how your life is shaping up, or do you feel a desperate need to shake things up? Tell me in the comments below.
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