Happy Half Year: Reflection / Projection

Earlier this week, I saw a LinkedIn post from David McKissic that reframed July 1st as “New Year’s Day 2.0” and the whole vibe really resonated with me. McKissic was putting some vulnerable, yet positive energy out there. “If your plans didn’t go as you thought they would back in January… welcome to the club,” says McKissic. “But here’s the beauty: you DON'T need a new year to reset. You just need honesty.”

My 2022 Goal Board
made with magazine clippings, each year’s collage draws upon past experiences and future dreams

This time of year, a lot of people start quietly evaluating the gap between January goals and July reality. And if we’re not careful, that gap turns into self-judgment, which is a real pain when juxtaposed against summer vacation. We ask ourselves, “Why haven’t I done more?” at the same time we’re saying, “I need a break.”

But, McKissic has the right attitude and in this Juxtapost we’re going to build on that foundation so we can all strike the right balance between reflection and projection as we go into the second half of the year.

Not judgment.
Just reflection.
And projection.

Reflection

1) Gratitude

Before I evaluate anything, I try to start with gratitude.

Not forced gratitude - honest, simple gratitude. I don’t get too picky about how that plays out and you shouldn’t either. You could write your gratitude down or just sit and meditate on it. It’s got very little to do with what gratitude looks like on the outside and everything to do with how you’ll feel on the inside.

If you're not sure where to begin, try revisiting the places where you've already been keeping track of gratitude over the last six months:

• Scroll back through some of your own social media posts or even the unshared photos in your phone’s camera roll. Those highlight reels often hold real memories worth revisiting.

• Or better yet, flip through a gratitude journal if you keep one. It doesn’t have to be elaborate -  just a notebook by your bed or near your coffee spot where you jot a sentence or two each morning or evening. By the way, if this isn’t a normal practice for you, now’s a great time to start!

Now, halfway through the year when you reread even a few of those entries or see a few photos, you’ll start to notice patterns: the people, experiences, or small joys that really mattered to you in the first half of the year.

Here are a few more prompts I’ve used:

• What experiences am I grateful I had?

• Who showed up for me in ways that mattered?

• What little things helped me keep going?

• What didn’t go as planned but still gave me something valuable?

You can write down responses or just sit and meditate on the thoughts conjured by the prompts. Sometimes it’s just a few words. But even a short pause for gratitude can shift how you see the whole first half.

2) Goals

Now comes the part that can stir up the most tension: looking at the goals we set and the progress we've made.

At the start of the year, I set a lot of goals.

I’ve created a goal board using magazine clippings and photos every year since 2014. Then, I write down my big-picture goals for the year, then break them down into smaller, monthly or weekly tasks. It’s a process I’ve refined over time, and I’ll likely share the full breakdown in a future post or email. But the point is: I have a roadmap.

And now, halfway through the year, it's a perfect time to go back and revisit it.

If you’ve done something similar - even if your “system” was a sticky note or a loose list in an app on your phone - now’s a great moment to ask:

• Which goals have I been focused on the most?

• What have I achieved that wasn’t even on my list?

• Have any priorities changed?

• Is there anything I can completely cross off already?

Recognize your accomplishments in the first half of the year, big or small. In this reflection time, resist all urges to think about what’s not done yet. This moment is about celebrating the success of the first half of the year.

My 2023 Goal Board

Projection

1) Gratitude

Looking forward through the lens of gratitude is about choosing what I want more of, not just what I want to get done. It’s about approaching the future with optimism and advanced gratitude, which is another way of saying “bet on yourself.”

A few questions that help:

• What kinds of moments do I want to experience more of the second half of the year?

• What values do I want to feel more connected to - creativity, calm, curiosity, connection?

• Who do I want to show up for, or show appreciation to?

Gratitude isn’t just a reflection tool. It can be a direction-setting tool.

It helps me define the kind of life I want to live, not just the tasks I want to check off.

2) Goals

Once I’ve looked back at goals and tasks, the next move is forward and that means deciding what to keep working toward and how.

This part’s all about traction. I go back to those same yearly goals and ask:

• Which ones are close to completion and just need a few more steps?

• Which ones still need a lot of effort and a tighter, more intentional plan?

Either way, I don’t try to tackle everything.

I pick just a few that still feel meaningful.

Then I break them down into the next small, clear tasks - the kind that can actually fit on a day’s or week’s to-do list.

Momentum builds when the next step feels doable. And the middle of the year is a great time to get specific again - not to reset the whole year, but to finish it with intention.

Bonus: Letting Go

This one took me a while to accept. Some things just don’t need to come with you into the second half of the year.

Maybe it was a resolution made out of pressure. Maybe it was a “someday” project that no longer fits who you are. Maybe it’s just a to-do list item that’s been lingering too long and costing you more mental energy than it’s worth.

Letting go of these things isn’t giving up.

It’s making space.

And it’s one of the most honest forms of momentum I know.

Next Steps:

🧠 Think about it - Which comes easier for you, looking back or looking forward? Why do you think that is?

💬 Talk about it - What’s one thing you still want to finish, fix, make, learn, or say before December? Drop a comment below to share about it in the open or reply to one of my emails for some private accountability.

👉 Sign up for the email list to get each new Juxtapost in your inbox. Don’t let the algorithms decide whether or not you’ll see the next one.