Never too late

I don’t know about you, but this July I've really noticed the vivid array of “woulds”, “shoulds”, and “coulds” that have appeared uninvited in my thoughts, threatening my little status quo and occasionally even my sleep.

What’s so special about July you ask? Sure, some people’s budgets renew, and others go in search of summer sun in the Med, but for me, July is the warning shot across the bow of each year. In July it is still possible to notice how I have meandered off course or not even started something I thought was a priority. In my case, I find myself two days out from our inaugural book club and only a third of the way through the required reading, and yet to lock in any travel plans for the year (I mean months) ahead.  There is more, but even thinking about it makes me feel a bit sick.

But here’s the thing, I think I like July, for all the above reasons. It is only halfway through the year after all, and that must mean that it is still possible to hear the warning shot and do something about it. In July, it is not too late to change how this year turns out. This is what I tell myself.

So, last week when I found a moment to pause, I decided it was time to conduct my own mid-year check-in. I looked at what I had learned this year to date and even managed a kind-ish review of the good, the bad, and the binned of my 2024 agenda.

As a solopreneur and a values-based operator, I don’t tend to differentiate between personal and work aspirations, but I do have an inner critic just like everyone else, so I find it makes a huge difference to invoke curiosity as a lens with which to review actions and inactions.

I may have started with how do I rescue what’s left of this year? but soon I found myself wondering what could I achieve with all the days that remain?

And before I knew it, I’d picked up a coloured marker, stuck a giant post-it to the office wall, and started devising my blueprint for the rest of the year. You know, I got pretty excited about what I wrote down. And in time, I’m going to be really excited to share some of it in public. But what I wanted to share for now is this:

If opportunities for reflection, and revision are turned over to contraction, fear, what we think we ‘should’ do, or even what others might think would be good for us, we miss out on the opportunity that curiosity affords us in writing our own future. Curiosity leads to opportunity and the reality that we can march to the beat of a drumbeat we actually like.

I’ve taken July as a gentle shake to the shoulder – and a reminder that it is never too late to take our own next steps or to gently ask ourselves if we are still happy with the direction we are heading in.

If you are wondering how to make the most of the remaining year and years ahead, then coaching may be for you. Let’s talk about how I can help you find the best possible version of your life.