Half Time: How to Reflect, Refocus, and Win the Second Half of Your Year
The Power of Reflection at Life’s Halfway Point
The other day I was reading and came across this. The average 80 year life in months. It was a powerful exercise to fill in each and every circle representing one month of my life. It was almost like life flashing before my eyes. With each circle, my mind flitted back and forth to and fro through the memories and experiences of my past, good, bad, ugly and beautiful. When I was done I looked down and realized visually what I had been feeling more and more since my son Jonny was born. I realized that my life might be more than half way over.
We can’t be sure, of course. Tomorrow isn’t promised. We never know how many days we get in this life but we do know our days are numbered. The scriptures remind us to remember this! Psalm 90:12 declares, “Teach us to number our days, so that we may gain a heart of wisdom.” The point is not a morose countdown until we die but a sober appreciation that we don’t have unlimited time in this life and we must live with intentionality and purpose.
If we are not careful, life can and will dull our senses to this vital truth. The monotony of Mondays, the tedious tasks of laundry, dishes and diapers, the hassles and hardships we must all endure as sure as the seasons all can distract us from what matters most. Even the lure of escaping into the long overdue joys of summer vacation with family and friends can lull us into letting the days pass by without appreciating how precious the days truly are. Have you gotten to the end of a day and thanked God it was over? Ever gotten to the end of a year and thanked God it was over?? Yeah, me too. I think we can all agree this is not the way it's supposed to be. Something about having kids bring this idea of “making it count” home in a special way. Losing someone you love will do that. Deadlines do that too.
Is 2025 Working for You?
That’s why I bring all this up. It’s July. This year is half over. Remember back to New years. Remember the hope for a better year and a better version of you. The hopes of things being different. The big goals and the fresh ambitions. How is it going?
You have already spent the first half of 2025 doing what you’ve done and you're never getting it back. How is it going? How is it going, really?
Half way is a significant milestone. It’s a perfect time to pause and reflect. To be honest with what's working and what's not. Where did you face challenges you weren't expecting? What new ways of operating did you unlock? In my work both as a pastor and a coach I am always SHOCKED by how few people set meaningful goals. It pains me to see so many people content to accept whatever mediocre existence or circumstance they are living in. Even fewer have any regular rhythm of reflection in their lives.
I cannot say which practice is more important: Intention or reflection. If I had to choose I would say reflection. Socrates, one of the greatest philosophers to ever live famously said, “The unexamined life is not worth living.” I understand why people choose not to and why they killed Socrates. Because it is hard to face the good, bad and ugly of how you are living, how you are performing, and the results you are getting in life. Sometimes we do not like what we see in the mirror. It's easier to choose willful blindness; staying busy, staying numb, and staying distracted. It's an effective strategy for avoiding the discomfort but it also drains the passion and verve of life. All that may be but it is startling when confronted with the fact that the God of the universe exhorted His people through the prophet Haggai to, “Consider your ways!”
So let’s do just that and gain wisdom from the 1st half of 2025 so we make the most of the last half of this year. We only get one shot at Q3 and Q4 of 2025 let's give everything we got! I’m going ask a few key reflection questions that will help you set better intentions and take more effective action in the 2nd half.
Where did you win?
The longer I live and the more I work with people from all walks of life, I’ve seen it to be true that, besides the conceited or rare narcissist, it's harder for people to own what is good about themselves than the bad. I'm always trying to help people “integrate the wins.” Without this vital practice you have a weaker view of yourself than reality and this keeps you operating below your potential. Where did you succeed? Where did you surprise yourself with your high level contribution and service? Whose lives did you impact for the better? Where were you proud of how you showed up? Take some time to write it down. Own the good in you. Integrate the wins.
What went wrong?
Mike Tyson famously said, “Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the face.” The reality of life hits us in the face. Every year. Sometimes it feels like every day! Every year I start the year thinking I have a good idea of what the year will be about and each and every year I get blindsided by challenges I didn't see coming. We all do. That why they have the bumper sticker: Shit Happens 🙂 Where did life hit you so far this year? How have you adapted? Have you dealt with these issues well or did they derail you?
How is it working?
Sometimes we can get locked into a strategy that isn't working. Brilliant Harvard business thinker Michael Porter says, “the essence of strategy is choosing what not to do” Where are you not getting the results you wanted? What is going wrong and needs to change?
What matters most?
I have never consulted a business or organization that wasn’t doing too much. NOT ONCE. I’ll ask the CEO or COO or an Executive leader about their key goals and I’ll get their list of 23 strategic objectives for this quarter. I say, “You get to choose 3.” They then freak out and fight me on it until I ask them how their progress is going on all 23 and they can barely tell me some vague info on 1 or 2. The reality is if we value everything, we actually value nothing. The next 6 months are going to come and go and you can make significant progress and change on only a few key things. Pick 3 and you’ll advance well. If you pick ONE thing… you will advance quantum leaps beyond what you thought possible. What is #1 thing that must change by 12/31/25?
Who stays? Who goes?
This is the hardest reflection question by far. It's time for a relationship audit. It stands true: Show me your friends, I'll show you your future. Too often we get stuck in a rut associating with people who are dysfunctional but comfortable. People who drag us down instead of cheering us on. Too often we just get used to being drained by energy vampires rather than filled up by friendship. I'm not saying you ostracize anyone from your life (but maybe?) but you may need to change the level of access certain people have. Conversely, who this year has come around that you respect, or has a positive influence on you?
Turning Reflection into Action
You’ve done some vital work in reflecting on the first half of 2025. Lets mine the gold out of each of these areas with some pointed questions to set the stage for an extraordinary second half of the year.
Mining the gold:
Maximize.
How can you pour fuel on the fire of those wins? Can you double down on what's working to 2X 3X 5X 10X those wins?
Realize.
Are you proud of how you handled life’s hits? If you could go back and change things, how would you respond differently? Did you abandon some of your goals? Is the challenge still standing? If so, can you face it with fresh strategy and resolve in the 2nd half?
Optimize.
What do you need to improve, remove or adapt? What do you need to start doing that you’ve been hesitating to pull the trigger on? What do you need to stop doing or cut out so your energy is going to the most fruitful things?
Prioritize.
What are you going to focus on in the 2nd Half 2025? Another great way to ask that is, “If ONLY one thing could be accomplished in the next 6 months and you’d still be satisfied with the year, what would that be?” If you're lucky enough to accomplish one or two more things after that what would those be? Remember: you only get 3! 🙂
Socialize.
It’s time to be more intentional with your relationships. Who are the people who are life giving and call you higher? Who are the people who leave you feeling drained or unsettled? Who have you allowed to continually drag you down?
Let’s Finish Strong
I pray this exercise adds extreme value to your thinking and the outcomes of the rest of your year. If you are looking to level up in life or leadership, reach out and see if we'd be a good fit to work together.
I believe in you!
Have faith,
Joshua