PSA: It’s been 6 months since the New Year. Which means we are halfway through the year!
I’ve been sitting here today thinking about how far we have come this year. We are officially halfway through the year. That makes me wonder, what has happened to your goals?
By this time of the year, many people have long abandoned their dreams and goals they meticulously planned just 6 months ago as the ball dropped on Time Square.
For most of us, those dreams are loooong gone… The only existence of them remain as words on a piece of paper, shared on social media, or trapped in a vault of lost memories that will never see the light of day again (except when we are tallying up all of our failures on a bad day to add to our pain. Right?!).
While acknowledging that fact we have met the halfway mark of the year may be overwhelming and difficult to wrap our minds around — especially for those of us who haven’t come close to achieving our goals — I want to shine a light on a new perspective.
Time for a New Perspective as we reach the Halfway Through the Year Mark
You’ve Still Got Time
Now is not the time to focus on how far away we are from your dreams. Thinking about our shortcomings (or all the things that still need to happen) while time continues to tick won’t help.
Instead, today I encourage you to look at the halfway mark of the year in a new light. We still have 6 months before the year is over!!
This means you still have 182 days or 4,368* hours to work forward the grand plan you have for yourself.
*Ok, the sleep loving side of wants to make a correction to the number of hours above. You actually have 2,912 hours to work until the end of the year. This allows you an average of 8 hours of sleep each day (or 1,456 hours). Because, let’s face it, those dreams are difficult to achieve if you don’t get some shut eye.
This also feels like a good time to remind you that your goals don’t have to be 100% accomplished by December 31st. Or, if they aren’t completely finished by then, you do not need to abandon them.
It seems we, as humans, have a hard time estimating the amount of time it takes for us to reach our goals.
In other words, we severely underestimate the amount of time it takes to do something, especially if it is a longer project and/or includes task we haven’t done before.
If you’ve ever driven on a highway that is under construction, you know exactly what I am talking about!!
You will, inevitably, see a sign with the project details and anticipated completion timeframe, such as Winter 2020. Meanwhile, you are reading that sign in July of 2021 which means they obviously surpassed that deadline.
If you have experienced issues with an inability to properly estimate how long a project will take, then you are not alone. It happens to the best of us, even when we have the greatest of intentions.
Changing Your Deadline Perspective
Now is the time of your to change your perspective of goals. Perhaps instead of putting a hard and fast deadline on our goals, we change them by setting benchmarks, milestones, and completion dates.
Maybe you would also benefit from incorporating some extra time as a cushion or “just in case.” Think of it like setting a budget for your home remodel, with the anticipation that it will likely end up costing 150% of what you estimated.
Something always happens…
While it is helpful to have a deadline, it also can be something that causes us to become unnecessarily frustrated or feel as though we are forcing something to happen on our timeline because that is when we want it done. (Uh, insert Ego-based decision here!)
Now, if you are operating under someone else’s deadline, then there isn’t much room for flexibility. But, do what you can to spread out the tasks and make them easier to accomplish.
You Want me to Do What — Abandon My Timeline?
Ok, I will admit it. The first time I heard about abandoning a timeline for my goals, I kinda freaked out. The Type A personality deep down inside did not like the idea of letting go of when I wanted to my goals or dreams to be reached.
In fact, had you talked with me a few years ago, I would have told you a timeframe would be required when setting goals. Then, I’d probably cite some quote such as “A goal without a deadline is just a dream.” – Gail Vaz-Oxlade
These days, I think about other ways in which people have met their goals and realize that they don’t always happen on their desired timeline.
Not finishing a goal by an arbitrarily defined timeframe is OK! Perhaps just putting your head down and focusing on what needs to happen right now to continue chipping away at your goal is a better approach.
Don’t Second Guess Yourself
Well, maybe we need to find a happy median between setting deadlines for our goals and allowing the Universe to deliver our dreams when we are ready.
Above all: Do what is best for yourself.
Whatever you do, don’t second guess yourself — or your goals.
One final thought for you…
Trust the Universe will provide. It is all unfolding exactly as planned.
Kristi Coughlin
