Take a Beat: Time for a Mid-Year Pause

Welcome to the second half of 2024!  I hope the first half has left you feeling satisfied while also bringing you worthwhile challenges that spur growth and increase confidence.

You likely achieve a lot.  You care about making a positive impact or you wouldn’t read words written by a person who is fanatical about helping others lead with generosity, agility and impact. The positive wake you leave is important to you.  I’m genuinely glad to know you.

Today is a good time to stop, or slow ourselves enough to get on the proverbial balcony so that we can see our life with broader perspective.  To disconnect from the swirl of activity we find ourselves in, check for alignment to what is most important and determine what deserves our attention moving forward.

Every year I publish a packet called Beginning Again.  The intent is to help folks get and stay focused on what’s most important for the upcoming year.  If you missed this year’s version, Ride the Wave of a Fresh Start, you can find it here.

You may already have a reflective practice that you do quarterly or half-yearly.  If so, you can add these questions to your reflection.  If not, this is a good place to start.

Am I being the person that I want to be?

Am I living and acting from what I declare is most important? Your values, purpose, and vision will provide the wisdom you need for living and leading consciously.

Compared to how I thought the year would unfold, how is it going? 

What am I most proud of so far? What hasn’t materialized yet? What happened that wasn’t on my radar? If you launched your year by getting clear about goals, look back on those and assess how you’re doing.  You will likely find you need to adjust by changing some of your goals and intentions.  Good for you for being mindful.

Am I making the impact I want to make?

As I look towards the second half of the year, where do I need to put my focus? Good on you for recalibrating your energy, attention and time to be on track for the rest of 2024.  You may have realized your approach needs to be adjusted.  I sure have!

How do I rate my overall level of thriving?

How are my levels of optimism and resilience?  Am I pushing through or savoring the journey? Is my physical-self able to support the life I wish to lead?  Your overall wellbeing is inextricably linked to your effectiveness as a leader.

Do I have rigor behind my commitments?

When I set an intention or a goal, do I treat it seriously?  Do I put systems in place that support me?  Do I prioritize my energy, attention and time around what I say is important?  Remember to be generous with yourself when you find you either over-committed or if life showed up and plans change.

Based on this reflection, what should I keep doing?

I am quite certain there are MANY things that are working well for you.  What are they? How can you ensure these good habits and behaviors stay sticky?

Based on this, what should I stop doing?

Our tendency is to add more to our plate.  The truth is that we all have limits to our bandwidth.  You may want to stop behaviors such as interrupting others, the default to social media scrolling, unconscious eating.  You may have bigger things to stop like: accepting so many invitations that you don’t have time to yourself or work that takes a lot of effort but yields scant results.

Based on this, what should I start doing?

This option is last because most of us don’t need more to do.  Use the same rule of thumb that many people have that requires them to purge the old before purchasing something new. What are you willing to stop doing in order to take on something new?  Take some time to get clear about your ‘why’ and to understand what resources (mental, physical, emotional, etc.) doing something new will take.

Congratulations for taking the time to reset.  I hope you have also found time to refresh and re-fuel for the journey ahead!

-LeeAnn