Halfway Through The Year, All The Way Committed To Your Goals
If you’re on Twitter, you may already know about Year Progress, a regularly tweeted progress bar on where we are with the year.
It caused a stir last week, breaking the kind of fun news that used to be reserved for Google’s ever-changing logos (aka the only way I know it’s St. Patrick’s Day).
Get this: as of July 2nd, we had passed the threshold and made it halfway through 2021.
While these progress bar updates aren’t ideal if you’re trying to slow down the inevitable march of time (good luck!), they can be a pretty handy check-in on how your year is going. The notable recent marker brought up some good conversations around the (virtual) office, and we thought you’d enjoy being a part of it.
Take this question, for example:
Does this year’s halfway point have you thinking about your goals for the rest of the year?
For one, we realized, it’s hard to think about being halfway through the year without thinking about all the promises we made on January 1st. Resolutions like:
- Eat healthier!
- Save money!
- Lose weight!
- Write a book!
- Or at least… Read a book!
Well, okay. That last one I managed to slide in just before the halfway point.
But the rest are often so big, so unwieldy, that there are a number of days in mid-January celebrating people who’ve given up, be it Ditch the New Year’s Resolutions Day or Quitters’ Day.
The point is this: now that we’re free of the pressure of the year changing to make dramatic, ultimately unsustainable life changes…
What sort of goals could you set now that no one is watching?
If you answered “Eat healthier!” or “Lose weight!” you’re not alone. Some estimates of the average American weight gain over the pandemic put it at 2 pounds a month, so now that public areas are open and gyms are accessible, this could be your chance to take your health back into your own hands.
So how can you go about kicking off your weight loss journey in the middle of the year?
- From a helpful perspective on Finding Your Mid-Year Motivation, you can reconsider what exactly is motivating you (external pressures, like being summer ready?) and try for more internal, positive ones instead (overall health and wellness)
- Gamifying your challenge can be a great way to add a bit of fun, and with the IRLA Pack on Weight Loss, you can earn real-life achievements for hitting weight loss goals and dietary streaks, a combination that should encourage your success
NO ONE CAN STOP YOU
There’s no more important journey you’ll start than the first step in caring for your health. That’s an achievement in itself. To keep earning these IRLAs, you’ll have to show your dedication and commitment, but these coins will be just a small token to symbolize the work you’re putting in for yourself to succeed. Lose weight, earn achievements, and win something even more important: a longer, more satisfying life.
Losing can be the best way to win.
- You might also think about who you could share in your journey with and focus on the idea of accountability over the pressure of sharing on social media because while the latter can be effective, it can also lead to unfair comparisons that are ultimately unhealthy
Little changes can add up to big results and that’s what has us excited about this second half of the year. We’ll save the big announcements and flashy challenges for New Year’s Eve because now we have the opportunity to dig down and focus on the changes we want to make.
We’d love to hear from you, too. How are you using this halfway point to think about the rest of your year?
