Birthdays and mid-year reviews

As I've shared in my "middle-aged musings", I've recently turned a year wiser. Birthdays are usually one of those occasions when you take stock of where you're at, especially when the candles start to crowd the cake! Since my birthday is in July, I figured it was a good time for a mid-year review and to be honest about where I executed well and where I didn't.

At the beginning of the year, I outlined several objectives for the first six months. Here’s a look at where I stand with each of those goals.

Health

I was to work on gut, hair, and skin health. I set the tasks of taking a hair care course, a nervous system regulation course, and working with a functional doctor. I am midway through the hair care course (it took me a while to get started, but now I'm doing two classes per week). Although I did visit a functional doctor, I wasn't impressed with the experience, so that was a bust. However, I sought other resources on gut health and am currently working on that, in addition to undergoing therapy for my proctitis (loud sigh).

I followed different classes in the nervous system regulation course but in a chaotic way and have failed to implement much of what I've learned. However, I've been taking action when it comes to hair care. Regarding my acne, I finally found a doctor who had me test my hormonal balance, and I saw an endocrinologist who requested further testing, which I'm going to do this fall, so I need to be patient. I did well with my objective of daily yoga and 7500 steps, and I went to Tabiano for thermal water treatments. So all in all, not too bad, although I'd like to see results much faster.

My "mission"

My goal was to grow my blog and start a YouTube channel. For now, it’s a big fail on both accounts (although I did open a YT account!). I kept posting more or less regularly here but made no attempts to grow my community. I should discuss with my therapist why I hesitate to put myself out there. If you have any suggestions or thoughts on this, I'm all ears. Regarding YouTube, I know my acne is a contributing factor. I hate seeing my face on camera now and can't help but think how beautiful it was when I had clear skin and how unfair it is that I have to deal with this on top of everything else. But life is not fair, and until I accept my current situation, I'll be stuck.

Relationships

My goals were to see my mom at least once a month, attend an in-person meetup once a month, and have a date night once a month. Full marks for seeing my mom regularly, a pass on the monthly meetups (I did go most months), and a fail on date nights.

Other

My objectives included starting to cook (try a new recipe every week), learning the basics of personal finance (books and webinars), and taking theater courses. A big yes to learning about personal finances and investing, and to theater courses. No cooking, though, I'm afraid. I did try out some new foods when at the restaurant, but that's about it. Still, I'm quite satisfied, and this fall I'll consider a more modest objective regarding cooking.

Moving forward

For the rest of the year, I've revised my objectives a little and I'm going to work on them using the "12 Week Year" methodology I mentioned last month. We're still going through the first 12 weeks, and so far, I'm happy with the results. Instead of planning annual objectives, thinking in terms of these much shorter cycles helps to have more clarity on goals and activities and provides a sense of urgency that annual planning just can't provide. As promised, I will report back and give a more detailed breakdown of the method once I've gone through the first twelve weeks.

Your turn

How about you? Have you set goals for yourself and how are you faring? Take the time for a mid-year assessment and if you'd like, share the results with us in the comments so we can help cheer you on.

Bday pics :)

Pics of my birthday up in the mountains—it was so relaxing.