We're Halfway Through the Year.

Now What?

I was going to open this with something encouraging about fresh starts and second halves, I will get to that but first, can we be honest about where we actually are?

(I you missed last week’s letter, you can catch up here. It’s worth the read.)

Somewhere between trying to keep up with work and everything in between, I found myself doing something I hadn’t planned, looking back at the goals I set at the beginning of the year and wondering where exactly the time went. Maybe you’ve done the same thing recently.

Maybe you had a list. Maybe you didn’t even write it down, but you had a version of it in your head, the business idea you’d finally launch, the habit you’d stick to, the relationship you’d fix, the money you’d save, the skill you’d learn. And now you’re looking at that list, or that version in your head, wondering what happened to the first half of the year.

Here’s the thing nobody tells you when they’re busy posting their “look how far I’ve come” updates: most plans don’t survive contact with real life. Not because you’re lazy or unserious, but because life doesn’t check your calendar before it throws things at you. Jobs fall through, money gets tight, people disappoint you. Your own body and mind need rest you didn’t budget for.

So this isn’t going to be one of those newsletters that hypes you into feeling worse about where you are. This is me saying: it’s okay to give yourself some grace. Not the kind that lets you off the hook completely, but the kind that lets you sit down, look honestly at what didn’t work, and figure out why, without shame or pressure or anxiety attached to the question.

Because here’s what’s also true. You still have the rest of the year but that’s not a consolation prize; it’s time to do something with. The work now isn’t to catch up on everything you didn’t do. It’s to restrategise. Look at what you actually want, not what you thought you should want in January. Cut what no longer fits. Get specific about what’s actually possible between now and December.

So if you’re reading this and when you think about the first half of the year you wince a little, you’re not behind. You’re just human, in a year that’s been human for everyone.

Here’s what I’d suggest instead of a fresh list of resolutions. Pick one thing, just one, that actually matters to you right now. Not the thing you feel you “should” still be chasing because you said it in January. The thing that, if you did it between now and December, would actually change something for you.

Then get to work.

You’ve got roughly five months left. That’s enough time to build something real, if you’re honest about what’s actually working and what needs to change.

And if part of your restrategising involves picking up a new skill or sharpening an old one, keep an eye on this space. The second cohort for Upskill is coming, and it’s shaping up to be exactly the kind of nudge some of you might need for the rest of the year. More details soon.

And finally, I’ll leave you with this:

“If you look back only at your mistakes, you’d think you were an idiot. If you look back only at your wiser choices, you’d think you were infallible. But if you look back on everything, you realise you’re a human being who has been through a lot, grown a lot, is always still learning, and improving as time goes by.”
— Doe Zantamata

As always, rooting for you.

Brave, Genesys Tech Hub