EP 46: My Mid-Year Review & Takeaways

Hello, my friend, and welcome back to the think happy podcast. I am so excited to be here with you today. Actually, today I am recording at a new to the think happy podcast recording studio and it's so cute, it's exciting, it's awesome and I'm just so excited to be here. If you live in Houston, it's called she space. It's right next to the target that's off of, I-10 close to Taylor Street. If you don't live in Houston, then that probably means nothing to you, and that's okay too. Speaking of Houston, it is hot, like with it in all caps, like hot h o t all capitals bolded, italicized underlined and lots of exclamation points it. I feel like we've had more triple digit heat days than not lately, and the fact that I'm pregnant. Honestly, I mean I don't want to complain, but I'm gonna Complain. It really sucks. I feel like I'm like working with one lung but, it is what it is. We will get through this. By we I mean me, with your support, obviously.

Okay, so for today you have just me. Before we dive into today's episode, I do want to start by stating quite the obvious. It is the season for officially wrapping up summertime and preparing to dive into just your regularly scheduled work routine, school routine, life routine, just your regularly scheduled routine. Say That five times fast. First of all, okay, This is the perfect time to start getting a handle on your time and task management. Okay, new seasons of life just generate something inside of our brains that tell us, "this is a good time to start something new". Okay, new goes with new. Like goes with like. So, luckily for you, think happy is all about all things time management, task management, task prioritization, you name it. So, because of that, join me each week in August for a Free Live coaching session that's going to be dedicated to teaching you tips, tricks, hacks, all of the good stuff to help you master time and task management in your own life. Okay, so here are the logistics. These sessions will be on the first three Fridays in August at noon central time. They will be hosted on Google meets. When you register, you will receive links to all of the sessions. You'll receive access to replays of all of the sessions in case you aren't able to make it live. You'll receive a new worksheet each week and also access to registrant only discounts. There is so much good stuff in here, and I will say if you register, you know, like part way through the month, you'll also get access to all of the replays from the sessions that have already occurred. Um, so, like, don't don't feel like you're gonna miss out on something if you don't register the very first week of August. It's really no Biggie to register. Had to either the link in my instagram bio and Click Freebie, or you can just head straight to think happy code dot com, slash mini dash series. Okay, that is where you can register for this free event, this free mini series. I'm so excited about it.

Okay, so for today's episode we are going to walk through mid year reviews. I am gonna tell you why midyear reviews are helpful. I'm gonna tell you how to do one, specifically what questions you can ask yourself, and then, before we wrap up, we will go through my own personal review and key takeaways from Q1 and Q2 of this year so far.

So, first and foremost, you know why is this important to do? I do it for a couple of reasons. First of all, it helps to keep your goals front of mind. Right so, way back in January, many, many, many of us who are sitting there thinking about you know what is my new year's resolution going to be? What are my goals for this year? What do I want to accomplish this year? Well, now we're about halfway through the year, six months in, actually a little bit more than six months in chances are those goals have like kind of fallen to the wayside. Maybe and it's probably not even something intentional that you're doing. You're not intentionally not reaching for these goals, not intentional only, you know, not striving to to do the things that you set out to this year. But life happens, you know, and our brains are constantly going. Things are pulling us in different directions, distracting us from from these goals, these intentions, these resolutions that we've set. So doing a midyear review is a great way to keep those resolutions, those goals, front of mind.

Also, number two, it allows for celebrating progress and your wins, you guys, which having these moments of celebration helps to keep you engaged and motivated. I'm all about celebrating wins, no matter how big they are, no matter how small they are, and doing this mid year review is going to unveil wins that you have that you might not even be aware of. Third, and finally, it's also a great time to make some pivots, you know. So maybe you set a goal for yourself in January that isn't as applicable to your life anymore, that just doesn't feel realistic or attainable. Or maybe, now that you're six months out, from setting that goal, it just straight up isn't something that you think is worthy of your energy, worthy of your time, and that's okay. Making pivots at this point is totally fine. There's nothing wrong with that.

Okay, so let's talk about the tools that you need to do this midyear review. These tools are things that are not hard to get your hands on. First of all, it's going to be the goals that you set for the year. Wherever you wrote those down, maybe it's in a journal, maybe it's in a planner, maybe it's on your phone or on your computer. Next up, you're gonna want something to write with and to write on. You guys know me. I am a pen and paper type of girl, so I always do these exercises on paper. Um, if you like typing, if the computer or your phone works for you, that's great also. And then, finally, this one sounds like kind of cheesy, but I do think it's helpful, and that is a quiet environment that's going to allow you to reflect. Okay, because if you're taking the time to do this midyear review, you want it to be time that's well spent and you want to do it right. You know you don't want it to just be another form of wasted time in your life. So that is why I suggest doing it the tools to do it. Now let's get to the steps.

Okay. So how are we going to perform this midyear review? You will not be surprised to hear that I have three steps for you. You guys. I know, I know, who's surprised that KAITLIN has three steps? No one, literally, no one raises their hand when I asked that question. Even my friends are like, oh, Kaitlin, how three steps? Yeah, no surprise. Okay, I digress back to it.

So step one for this midyear review is to review your goals and the progress that you have made with them. Okay, and kind of like a sub step or like a bonus step to this first step is to also review any journal, entries or other form of tracking memory keeping that you have also. So what I mean by that is like, yes, if you have your New Year's goals, your New Year's resolutions out there in front of you, also, next to it you could have your journal or Um, whatever you're keeping, your memories or however you're tracking, you know, have that next to you also, and and look at those entries starting from January up until this point. It's going to give you a really good um view of how your year has been going so far. Because, you know, like I said earlier, we go, go, go. We tend to forget things that have happened a couple of weeks ago, a couple of months ago, a couple of quarters ago, and maybe things that we were struggling with or things that we were celebrating. Um, new events happen that, you know, kind of take precedent in our minds and our brains over that.

So first step, review your goals and the progress that you've made with them. Okay, second step, here are the questions. I want you to ask yourself. What is going well and what isn't going well. Okay, super simple. This is not rocket science, but it is a fantastic opportunity to journal on these reflections as you go through it. Okay, so I do a lot of journaling, especially when it comes to goal setting, intentions, just things that fall into those categories. So maybe you just have one goal that you're reflecting on. Ask Yourself, for that one goal, what is going well with it so far? Where do I have room for improvement? Maybe you set ten goals for the New Year. That is great. For each of those ten goals individually, ask yourself what's going well, what isn't going quiet as well. Where can I improve? You know, how can I get better? So, as part of this step, I want you to make sure, and do not pass this up, I want you to make sure that you're celebrating what is going well. Okay, here's why. First of all, you deserve a pat on the back. Second of all, that celebration is going to help you build on the positive momentum that you've had even more. Okay, so it's like pumping you up. It's like, Oh wait, yeah, this is the goal that I set and I'm already halfway there. That's going to rejuvenate you and help you have that energy to push through all the way till the second half of the year, until you cross that finish line. You want that momentum, you want that burst of adrenaline. And this is also going to be the step where, along with celebrating, I don't want you to be afraid to make pivots. If you've asked yourself, with a certain goal, you know what's going well, what isn't going well, and if it's really hard for you to answer what is going well really easy for you to answer what isn't going well, that could be a sign. But it's time to make a pivot, and that is a okay, okay, that's one of the goals. That's one of the reasons why we're doing this midyear check in, right.

And third step here is just to recommit. Okay. So you review your goals in your progress. You ask yourself for each goal what's going well, what isn't going well, you celebrate wins and you consider making pivots. After that, I want you to recommit to where you are at this point in time with those goals that you're reviewing. Okay. So those are the three steps.

Let's get to my own personal review. Okay. So a few no, way, more than a few episodes ago. I was going to say this was just a few episodes ago, but I want to say it was like somewhere around episode fifteen, something like that, I did a podcast episode on my goals for this year. Right, so my goals for oh my gosh, what year is it? 2022! I almost said 2023! Okay, so I set goals in nine areas of life this year. Those areas are spiritual, personal development, health, Romance, family, business, finances, fun and social. Okay, this was a new method of goal setting for me that I have not done before. Um, it has been really fun. I have thoroughly enjoyed this method. So, with this Midyear Review for myself, I will walk you through. We'll just I mean this is kind of just like an open journal injury, which I feel like a lot of these solo episodes turn into. But we'll walk through each of those nine areas, okay, and I'll kind of talk you through how things are going for me in each of the areas.

So first is spiritual. So the goal for that area of life was to Um, be going to church on Sundays, to become a regular part of our family's routine. Okay. So to review this, what's going well? What isn't going well? Truthfully, this area has had highs and lows. Okay. So we've gone through, when I say we, Um, I mean my family, so myself, Oakley and Ellie. So we've gone through periods of time where we're consistent, and then other periods of time where we just are not consistent at all. Okay, and through doing this reflection, I've realized that one of our speed bumps is figuring out which service time works best for our family. Okay, so up until this summer we were almost exclusively, actually I can take the almost out of that. We were exclusively going to the eight am service because pat made a lot of sense for our family. Ellie would wake up at seven fifteen, so it was just really easy to get her up, get her dressed, give her a quick snack and then head to head out of the door. Okay, but since summer she's been sleeping in a little bit later and sometimes she's not waking up until like seven forty five ish, which obviously makes getting to an eight am church service unrealistic. And then the next time isn't until ten or ten thirty, I think, and by then we are just well into our regular Sunday activities, right Sunday chores and errands and just going on long walks at the Bayou, well, when it's not like a hundred and three degrees outside. But needless to say, come ten or ten thirty. It's just it's kind of one of those like out of sight, out of mind things. You know, we missed the eight o'clock and we don't really think about it anymore after that. Um, and so I'm starting to think that one of my areas of improvement here could be to just have a more flexible mindset for this quote unquote, summertime schedule that we're on right now. And so I want church to be a regular activity for us as a family, even if that means mixing up our usual Sunday routine, okay, in order to make it to that ten or ten thirty service. And so I just need to like give myself that flexibility and remind myself that it doesn't matter quite so much when I'm going, it matters that we are going. And I do have a feeling that once ellie gets back to more of like a regular school schedule that the eight o'clock is going to become once again more easily attainable. Um. So, yeah, I just need to have some flexibility in the summertime. Okay, so that was spiritual.

Next one, personal development. Okay, so my goal here was to read three personal development books and to start a gratitude journal. So I will start with what's going well. I can put a big check mark next to starting a gratitude journal. This is actually one of my new favorite practices that I have. So each night, before I go to bed, I have a small journal that I write down three things from that day that I'm grateful for. I keep the Journal on my nightstand, so it helps to serve as like this physical visual reminder to keep up with the practice. Um, it's quick. It closes out my day on a grateful note, even if I've had a crummy day. Um. So yeah, that starting a gratitude journal has been a total win in my book. Okay, next up for the personal development books. So I'm halfway through my goal of reading three. Um, I really need to buckle down and finish the one that I'm on right now, because I actually started it months ago and I just have not gotten around to finishing it yet. That one is a book by Gretchen Ruben called Um better than before, and it's all about habit forming. And Yeah, I just really need to buckle down and actually finish it. Um once. Yeah, I'll let you know once I do finish it. Hopefully it's sooner versus later. Um. I have already read the compound effect, which is by Darren Hardy. That's another book on habit forming and, yeah, once I finished better than before, I'm not quite sure what I'll read after that, um, but I'm thinking something like along the time management area. Just you know, I'm obviously a big fan of that topic and I am always down to learn more about it. Um. And so, as I'm sitting here thinking about why I haven't finished reading better than before yet, I do know why. Um. So I was reading better than before on my phone through an APP that's called Libby. It's like this library APP, and I didn't finish it by the time my my borrow window lapsed. Okay, so I was probably like halfway through it and then just automatically. the APP, you know, returns your subscription, returns the copy of the book that you're the e copy of the book, the digital copy that you're borrowing. Um. So yeah, I will get back on Libby. I will place a hold on better than before so I can actually finish it. Um. And second rabbit hole for this personal development section. I should tell you about the APP Libby, Um, because you might not know what it is. It's L I B B Y, so like slang, like a cute little word for library, and essentially it's a library APP that's on your phone that allows you to borrow digital copies of books for totally free. So it's it's exactly like going to your local library to borrow a hard copy of a book, except for it's all on your phone. Personally, I much prefer hard copies, um, but I mean sometimes you just can't beat the price point in convenience of Libby. So I would say like of the time I am reading hard copies, but it is not uncommon for like me to mix in, Um, a borrow from a libby every now and then.

So yeah, okay, that was personal development. Next up health. So my goal here was to get in movement three to five days per week. I have been doing really well in this category. Um. So I teach group fitness classes four mornings per week, so that really has just guaranteed me movement four times a week um before this like totally crazy summer heat. We are also going on a lot of evening family walks, which is a family time activity that I love, and I could totally see US getting back to that once summer is behind us. And I have said so many, so many times before on this podcast, in my programs, on Instagram, exercise really is something that I rely heavily on, Um, not only for for my physical health, obviously, but also for my mental health. So I have so many thoughts and opinions on this topic I could totally go down another rabbit hole, so I'll spare you from that. As a few non rabbit hole high points, I will share a couple of suggestions with you that I have for incorporating exercise, um into your days and weeks. So the first is to reframe the word exercise. Okay, so I like to look at exercise as any intentional movement of your body, as compared to working out, which I feel has a more intense, sweaty, time consuming connotation. Okay, so first tip is to reframe the word exercise. Second tip, baby steps. If you are new to exercise or starting back up at a routine at square one, start with baby steps, guys, and build on those. Start with one to two days a week. Then, once you have successfully implemented that for a few consecutive weeks, at another day and so on and so on. So second tip, baby steps. Third Tip, mix it up. Keep exercise fresh, guys. Find a couple of different activities that you enjoy doing and alternate between them. That's going to help prevent burnout. It's also going to give you a more well rounded routine. Okay, so that third tip is to mix it up. Moving right along number four.

The fourth area was romance, and this one was to go on monthly date nights with Oakley. So I feel like as a whole, we have been pretty good at this, but definitely not perfect. Just the other day we were talking about how we need to do a date night this month. I don't think. Let's see here. I'm sure we didn't do one last month. But so we were talking about how we needed to make sure that we got one in this month and it just so happened that I was also planning a sleepover for Ellie to stay the night with my sister Bailey, so it totally fell into place perfectly. Oakley and I are going to do our date night the same night that Ellie spends the night at Bailey's house and, yeah, has worked out great. I'm really excited for that.

Okay, fifth family. So the goal in this area was too, or is, to prioritize intentional family time. Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, I feel like this really is an area I can celebrate success in. So it has started to get so much fun to do things as a family with Ellie and as she just really starts to get deeper into this toddler phase. I have talked about before on the show and on instagram how Oakley has been traveling for work a decent amount Um, and so even during these times when he's gone, I'm still trying to create intentional time with Ellie and me and yeah, it just keeps getting more fun and she just she makes me so happy and I think that when we add a little baby james to the mix, it will just the fun will continue to grow.

Okay, next up. Business. So my goal in this area was to impact one and forty five people through think happy's programs and coaching. So as of this recording in mid July, think happy has impacted seventy two women. So that is like right at the halfway point of my goal of one. So that's something that could be celebrated. That definitely should be celebrated. So I count numbers from workshops, move happy, one on one coaching, freebees, pretty much everything that's outside of podcast downloads and social media follows Um while I'm talking about this, if you have been considering investing in a think happy program I have a really great freebie right now. So it's at think Happy Code Dot Com backslash Free Dash Class. It's a forty five minute class that covers priorities, balance and consistency. So again, you can get that for totally free at think happy, Code Dot Com backslash Free Dash Class. It'll give you a good feel for some of the common topics I coach on, my style and just an overall fuel for what you could get more inside of an actual workshop or even deeper inside a one on one program okay, three more areas left.

Next up finances. So our goal here was to grow our savings account. We have done a pretty good job of growing our savings account, especially considering that I took a salary cut at my nine to five so I could spend more time working on think happy Um. We also have a couple of new expenses that we weren't considering when we first set this goal in January. The first is obviously adding a second child. Uh. The second is adding onto our house to help make room for the second child. So, with that being said, we have been extremely intentional about unnecessary spending. We cut some of the fat, meaning, you know, like subscriptions and unused memberships, stuff like that, and it really is crazy to me how all of those little expenses add up into a big chunk of monthly savings. Anyway, needless to say, I'm gonna give Oakley and me a check for this one. I think we're doing well, especially considering these new and unplanned for unexpected circumstances.

Okay, second to last fun. This one was to go on at least one family trip. Okay, so the one before this finance has got a check. This one unfortunately gets a big X. I don't think we've even really talked about going on a family trip. When I first set this goal I was envisioning like a long weekend trip with Ellie to a cute little town that's in driving distance from Houston. But with Oakley's travel schedule and then my pregnancy, I just I don't think this is necessarily a realistic goal anymore, Um, but it doesn't it's not one that I want to totally cross off. I just think that it needs to be reevaluated and maybe, Um, the phrase family trip needs to be slightly redefined, so something that's a little more feasible than a whole weekend away.

Last and not least, social this goal was to not overfill the calendar but to spend intentional time with family and friends. I do not know if Oakley would agree, but I think we, a K A I, have made big strides in this department. At the beginning of each quarter I have started to block out a whole weekend Um for each month in that quarter to have no plans and just family time. It feels so good. It really feels so good. I've also really cut down on commitments that I make um or in the past have made for after work, partially just because I'm so exhausted at the end of the day, but also partially because I think that a lot of times that time is better spent being at home with my family.

So, yeah, that's the review of the nine areas. To wrap up this episode, as promised, I do want to share with you three takeaways that I have from this mid year review of mine.

The first takeaway is I like this goal setting approach, of a setting of setting goals in these nine areas of life. I feel like it is a really well rounded approach, Um, to to setting a new year's resolution, to setting goals. Um. I also think that because there are these nine areas that you're setting goals in, it gives lots of opportunities for success, right, so lots of opportunities to celebrate wins.

Second takeaway is that life has seasons. Okay, and you guys have heard me say that before. Um, some seasons it's easier to work on certain areas, other seasons it's easier to work on other areas and it all somehow ends up balancing out. Um, I've said this before. I'm gonna say it again just as a reminder to you and a reminder to myself. Don't be tempted to let a season be more than it is, and that is just a season. Okay, so seasons come, seasons go. Uh, the next season you're in is going to come and it's going to go also, so don't let a season be more than it actually is, which is just a season.

Third Takeaway the importance of setting specific yet flexible goals. Okay, I talked about this one a lot in my goal setting programs. One of the keys of having attainable goals is to make sure they're specific but also flexible. So specific being defining exactly what it is that you want to accomplish and how you intend on accomplishing it. Flexible being, you know, just because life is always going to throw you unexpected curveballs and you'll be tempted to let those curve curveballs throw you off track. But if you've built in flexibility, YOU'RE gonna be way more prepared for that curveball. Okay, so those are my takeaways. One I like this nine area of life. Goal setting approach to life has seasons. Three, the importance of being specific yet flexible.

And, my friend, that is a wrap. Thank you so much for joining me. For today's episode. We talked about a lot today. We covered why doing a midyear review is how full how to do a mid year review and what questions to ask yourself, and then, of course, my own personal review and key takeaways. Thank you, guys so much, and I will be back in your ears next week. From the bottom of my heart, thank you for joining me for this week's episode of the think happy podcast. If you just can't get enough, find me on Instagram at @thinkhappy_co, and online at ThinkHappyCo.com. See you next week.