It is so hard to believe that half the year is already gone…WOW! As I have been trying to get into this writing/journaling space, I tend to find myself in writer’s block. I have mentioned before that someone I follow, Jules Acree, has a blog, website, Notion, the works. In the emails I get from being subscribed to her, she had a few writing prompts for a mid-year reflection, so I decided to try to write and reflect on the first half of my year. Here goes!
What achievements and progress am I proud of from the first half of the year?
The first achievement that comes to mind is having read 15 books in the last six months. When I set my book reading goal, I will admit, I was a little daunted by the goal of 35 that I had set. But it is chugging along and I am feeling so accomplished!
I am proud of all of the work I have done on myself and my mental health this year so far as well. I have been working on living in the present and recentering on my current life instead of being worked up over my future. Being in my mid-twenties, I am realizing that I should be in no rush to grow up!!
In February, I finished up my first full year at my new job! I am really proud of all the growth I have made here, and I can’t wait to see what more I can learn going forward. I have gone on to oversee all of our agent marketing and lead meetings monthly to go over different marketing topics. I have created and distributed a company wide newsletter for the last several months as well as run a quarterly report on lead statistics. I am really proud of what I have achieved here!
How have my interests and priorities evolved since I set my original goals?
I think I need to re-evaluate both my fitness and saving goals.
When I started my fitness journey (future post incoming haha) I started with the mindset of “I will do what makes me happy, I will not punish myself, I will not force myself if I am not enjoying it”. I think since I have been traveling a lot and starting a busy summer, I have fallen off my waggon of motivation. But I want to make sure I am still coming to it from a place of enjoyment, so I want to get back into my happy relationship with movement. I still love creating new meals at home and eating 85% of my meals at home.
I started off the year wanting to be more budget conscious than the previous year. I am absolutely in the habit now of minding my finances, but I have had some large dips in my already low savings (aka wisdom teeth surgery and Mexico trip). I mean, these were planned expenses that I had built my savings to cover, but still, it’s tough to see your savings run low. I definitely don’t live paycheck-to-paycheck, very fortunately, but I need to practice not giving into my spontaneous spending habits. Gotte keep myself in check while still having fun and buying things that make me happy!
What unexpected challenges or opportunities have come my way, and how have they shaped my journey?
I for sure have gone off my habits/practices in the last month due to traveling and being super busy. It has taken a while to build back up my motivation, but I think I am getting there! This has shaped my journey by basically shaking up my everyday routines, motivation levels, physical activity, eating habits, all of the above. I am only JUST feeling like myself again, and we have been home from Mexico for a month now. I have to keep reminding myself that that’s life, I am not a robot, and living is just not linear.
A challenge I have been facing and working through is related to my sober journey. I obviously drank on my Mexico trip, but also at a Dead and Company concert with Kevin. I for sure felt crappy the next day, which just further reminded me why I chose my sober journey in the first place. I will probably continue to have drinks on vacations, but I have a feeling it will be very limited.
In the last few months, I have had the opportunity to hang out with some of Kevin’s friends back home in Chicago, his family, and his coworkers and their wives. It is nice to expand my friend circles and have more people to talk to and spend time with that aren’t just from my circles.
Are my current goals still meaningful and exciting to me? If not, what adjustments can I make?
I feel that my goals are still just as relevant. I have always had a hard time setting goals, because when I think of what mine may be, they always seem more vague and general. Yet, this year my goals were to save more money, lose a few pounds, read 35 books, and start a blog. I have successfully done one of these things (can you guess which) and now am working toward putting out two to four posts a month.
My reading has been going well and I am pretty on track to reach 35 books! Super proud of that. I have also in this process gotten rid of some of my physical books at home that I just know I wont re-read or wont read period. I think my tastes have just changed over the years, and much like my fitness journey, I will absolutely not force myself to read a book just because it is on my shelf. Don’t worry, we have Little Libraries all over town, so these books go to good homes!!
Still working on getting on track with my fitness and health, but I remind myself everyday that it is okay to have days where I do not get movement in and have a little treat instead. This journey is all about loving and taking care of the body I have been given. It really helps that Kevin is always ready to go on a walk after work with me and either bring our own headphones to listen to our separate podcasts, or just enjoy being quiet outside with each other.
What small steps can I take today to get back on track or explore new paths?
I have been easing back into normal “not busy” life, and it is helping me clear some brain noise. I am recentering on things that I love and are important to me, such as reading and spending time moving outside. It has been super hot and rainy lately and I am behind in my movement, so I need to keep giving my body grace and easing my way back into my walks.
I am so competitive, so getting back into the habit of reading has been easy enough. As any avid reader knows, we all go through periods of reading a whole book in a day or not reading for 3 weeks. It happens!
I am practicing being smarter about my financial purchases. I know how much I can realistically spend in a day to buy myself something on my Amazon list or get a little boba tea as a treat. Sometimes it is okay to not spend money in a day, but knowing I have a threshold helps a lot.
Final Thoughts
Overall, I am really happy with the first half of my year! Time sure does fly, and I am in disbelief that it’s already part way through July. I am looking forward to keeping up with my goals and continuing to listen to my body and not being restrictive, be it food, fun, or shopping. Life is short, and while it is important to have goals to work towards, I don’t want to do things that make me unhappy or tell myself no to have fun. I have so many fun experiences coming up this quarter, and I cannot wait to keep moving forward!
Caroline's Path of Grace 
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