Camille Styles Editorial
Saray Palmisano, Holistic Coach

[Title] We’re halfway through the year, are you still making traction on your goals?

[Subhead] Revisiting (and sometimes reworking) your vision.

When it comes to achieving your goals are you stuck on autopilot? Chances are, if you’re looking back at progress throughout the year, you may have lost touch with the goals you’d set out for yourself. In fact, only 9% of Americans actually accomplish resolutions they set for themselves.

Why do we struggle so much to reach the goals we set out for ourselves? It may be in part because what it takes to set goals successfully is actually very different from what it takes to achieve them.

So how do you move beyond “set it and forget it” to set yourself up for achieving real change this year?

There are three key elements of successful goal setting:

1. Setting the right goals

2. Creating a clear plan of action

3. Driving accountability towards your progress

If you completed Camille’s Vision Workbook in early 2023 you’re likely all set with #1 and #2. Now, with Summer in full swing, it’s the perfect time to reconnect with your purpose and progress and pick up momentum to achieve your goals in the last 6 months of the year.

[Why It’s Important to Do a Mid-Year Check-in]

Summer can be the perfect moment for reflection, a time to thoughtfully slow down and check in with yourself.

Using time at the midyear point is a good marker for progress: by this time, you likely will have made some headway (every bit counts!) towards some of your goals and if not, you can use this time to reflect on what blockers you may have or what changes you may need to make to either your lifestyle or the goals themselves.

If you’ve set your goals and vision up for success with accountability check ins, this exercise shouldn’t require a ton of heavy lifting. What you should plan to do is approach this check in with honesty and rationality – be deliberate with what is working and what needs to change.

[How to Do a Mid-Year Check-in]

1. First, we want to revisit goals you’ve set for yourself to make sure they still resonate.

If you’ve taken the time to write down your goals or complete a Vision Workbook, this is a great chance to get that work out and take your pen to paper. Make a copy of your workbook and mark it up as part of your “mid-year check-in”.

Ask yourself these questions when looking at your Vision Workbook:

• Will the goals I've set still help me achieve my vision for happiness and success?
• Do I still feel committed to and excited by these goals?
• Are there new goals that have appeared in the past few months that you need to incorporate?
• Are these goals achievable and will it be clear to me in knowing when I’ve succeeded?

2. Next, we want to assess our progress honestly.

For each goal, you can tactically answer and jot down notes to some of these questions:

• What’s working: what systems or habits have we established to keep marching towards these goals?
• What’s not: what blockers are getting in the way of our goals? Are there factors we can control in these scenarios?
• Are there any underlying thoughts or patterns (conscious or unconscious) holding me back? Are factors like imposter syndrome creeping in?: This one may require a deeper reflection as it asks for a certain level of honesty and vulnerability with yourself.

While we want to take time to reflect on the overall progress, this also makes for a great opportunity to celebrate your wins and give yourself a pat on the back. You’ve likely accomplished some portion of what you set out in your vision, even if it's only a small slice of a larger pie. Progress, regardless of the size, is worth celebrating!

3. Then, think about how to set up success for the next 6 months ahead.

Once you’ve taken stock of where things stand and have come to terms with what is feasible, the next step is to set yourself up on a path to making continued, long-term progress on these goals. Here are some great tactics to make these goals come true and remain true:

Systems for Lasting Success

• Tie your goal setting to a calendar or special moments: Use a calendaring system (i.e. Google Calendar, iCal, alarms) as a vehicle for reminders and check ins. Need a reminder to meditate once a day? Set an alarm!
• Secure an accountability buddy: Bringing someone else (a partner, family member, friend or colleague) along in your journey will not only help you stay honest but will provide outside perspective (read: realness) and partnership in forging a new path for yourself. At the end of the day, remember your biggest partner and advocate for realizing your vision is YOU!
• Look at goal setting over the course of a year: Break big transformational goals into smaller chunks that take 3 months, then break down your check ins to quarterly (or close to every three months). Measure progress towards your goals on a weekly basis. Use color coding to signify where you stand: red = not started, green = on track, yellow = in progress.

[How to Know If You Should Shift Your Goals]

When it comes to goal setting, there are countless factors in daily life that can shift the viability of our vision: rain can cancel your marathon, supply chain issues can require you to shift the menu for your dinner party.

Life doesn’t always go as planned. Goal setting is not immune to changes and resets. In light of changing conditions, you can use this mid-year check in to reevaluate the salience of your goals and see if the existing goals make sense or if you need to shift and map a new course.

Getting back on track

If you are looking at your list of goals and everything seems still very out of reach it may be time for a reset. At this midway point in the year, you still have plenty of opportunity to course correct and chart a revised map ahead.

• Set aside dedicated time and space for reflection. Creating intentional space for reflection helps you take stock before the rest of the year zooms by. This could be marking a few hours in your calendar to look back at your Vision Workbook or even setting aside time for a longer weekend “visioning retreat” somewhere you’ve always wanted to go.

• Could you take yourself for a long walk and use audio messages to journal your reflections?
• Do you have the space to book a day or two away from everyday life to focus on your vision? 
• Could you use a staycation to create space for some reflection?

By carving out space and time with intention , you can best equip yourself with the tools to get you back on track.

• Notice your success. Begin by acknowledging areas where you are already making progress, you may have hit some of your goals already! Life is too short not to celebrate even the most mundane or small victories. Did you buy those running shoes and run once around the block? That’s great – you’re already ahead of where you were before writing down these goals! Take a moment to notice what’s working so you can keep up the momentum!

• Identify areas where you’re stuck. Are there other areas where you’re not making any progress? These areas of stagnation may be due to mental, habitual, or tactical barriers. The good news is, the first step to getting “unstuck” is noticing what’s holding you back. Understanding these barriers can help you unblock yourself in the later half of the year. This may also be due to priorities shifting—this is 100% OK! Don’t be afraid to renovate your goals halfway through the year and start fresh.
  
• Keep it simple. Having too many goals can sometimes make it hard to find focus. Edit your goals like you would your closet: just keep the ones you feel most joyful and passionate about. Make sure your goals are clear and attainable, and limit yourself to just 2-3 big goals for the rest of the year.
  
• Double down on support. Now’s the perfect time to enlist the help of your accountability buddy to help you nail your goals in the second half of the year. This can we a coach, a family member, or a friend. Share a list of the top three things you want to accomplish with them and ask them to check in with you on progress.

Summer is a natural time to mark the half-way point of the year, we can use this time to check in with ourselves and what we really want in life, to ask the hard questions, and make bold changes. Your dreams are always worth investing in, and there’s no better day than today to begin. So take a moment today to ask yourself:

• Am I legitimately clear on what happiness and success look like for me in the future?
• Do I know what I need to do this year to move me closer to that vision?
• If there was one thing you could change in the next 6 months that would make me happier, what would it be?
• If there was one change I could make to be more successful, what would it be?
• Now ask: what’s one small thing I can do to move towards my goals today?

Remember, there is no perfect formula for goal setting and achieving success. At the end of the day, goal setting is a journey, often nonlinear and non cyclical. By taking time to reflect on where you are in the journey, you are giving yourself grace and space to grow. In my experience, this act of setting aside time, of investing in yourself and your dreams with intentionality and purpose is the first step towards building a truly abundant life overflowing with joy. Wishing you all this abundance this year!

Saray

[Bio + Headshot] Saray Palmisano is a life and career coach, marketing leader, and mama. She’s based in the San Francisco Bay Area but helps clients around the world make transformational changes to realize their dreams and goals. Saray has 10+ years experience helping people discover their unique strengths and build a life and career they love. A strong believer that everyone has unlimited potential for growth, her approach focuses on understanding the individual and their goals holistically and empowering her clients to become confident leaders in their personal and professional lives. Learn more at https://www.saraypalmisano.com/.