6 valuable lessons to seal first half of the year

I’m sure you’ll agree “time goes by real fast” is an understatement of a phrase. I can’t believe today is officially the beginning of the second half of the year!

With each passing time, we either go in the direction of our dreams or drift off course. Each action, behaviour, and response we’ve taken has led us to where we are today. And yes, sometimes where we are is cumulative to the years we’ve been invested in something.

The past six months have been a mix bag of significant highs and lows. To intentionally pave way for the upcoming season (second half of the year), I sat and reflected on the journey thus far.  There’s many lessons I’ve learnt in this period but to seal the first half of the year and kickstart the next one, I have been consistently reminded that:

1. It’s ok to take the time out to rest and relax.
   

We all need to learn the art of rest and relaxation. We need to learn it and practice it. The hamster-living pace is exhausting and frankly leads to burnout and an unfulfilled life. Due to many factors it is easy to lose ourselves in our work, education, parenting, building families and sometimes plain survival. With the ever growing demand for our time and attention, our to-do lists and responsibilities far exceed our capacity threshold. Although learning and practising the art of rest and relaxation is critical to our survival, we leave it out as a last resort and don’t factor it into our busy schedules. In the next six months, I plan to be increasingly intentional about scheduling rest and relaxation in my daily schedule. This is a great way to refresh myself - mind, body and soul.

2. It’s ok to be in isolation.

Ever gone through a period of life where you felt alone but understood that what you are working through cannot involve other people? I know I have. Periods of isolation are not punishment. In these past months, I was reminded over and over that when the season of isolation hits, I should embrace it fully. The acceptance of an embrace doesn’t make this process easy because it may feel like you are letting go and not taking charge of your life. However, these seasons are important

• for our growth;

• for us to get clarity without the external noise and distractions;

• to clear out the noise, thus allowing us to focus on what we are called for or to be.

3. Inner chaos disrupts.

Every day of our lives, we encounter people or situations that may affect our world view and sometimes steal our peace. Sometimes these encounters are so dire that they cause chaos inside of us . Although we may show up in the world as if we are ok, we may be oblivious to the impact the inner chaos is having on people in our midst, our productivity at work, our progress in life or the way we are doing life as a whole. What has helped me to disrupt the chaos before it adversely affects my life is to practice reflection. Allowing myself to be curious about where my thoughts and feelings stem from has helped me navigate challenging situations. If we are not tracing the origins of our thoughts and emotions but keep sweeping them away, we do not only cause long term harm to ourselves but relationships precious to us.

4. You are your own PR.

Public Relations (PR) is not aimed at companies only. As we grow and develop in many facets of our lives, it is important to remember that the assignment is not only about showing up but equally so, how you show up. This is where the role of personal branding comes into play. As we go about our daily business, we need to remember that our personal brand can make or break us. I’ve learned that if you aren’t clear about who you are, you are unable to show up in the manner that best positions you. Equally so, if you have clarity about who you are but are oblivious to your blind spots, your PR will be negatively impacted resulting in undesirable outcomes.

5. Play your part effectively.

Leveraging the points above, effectively playing your part is a life changer! We all want growth and progression in life but many of us find ourselves in unwanted  and unwarranted cycles. We’ve all heard this before: to get different results, we need to do things differently. We can’t keep wishing for change and different outcomes if we continue doing the same things repeatedly. Playing your part effectively requires a change of heart; a commitment to change; being receptive to feedback instead of being defensive when blindspots are presented to you; stepping out from complacency into proactiveness; and the willingness to ask for help and support when necessary.

6. No plan, no discipline, no results.

This quote by Benjamin Franklin: “If you fail to plan, you are planning to fail!” always stings when I look back and realise I could’ve been successful had I planned. Without a plan in place, there is no discipline - this will ultimately lead to no (desired) results. Sometimes we think about something we want to do or achieve and assume that equates to having a plan. That couldn’t be far from the truth.

Having a solid plan in place is one piece of the puzzle that helps us reach our goals. The other piece of the equation to achieve our goals, is that the plan needs to include ways in which we need to either behave (develop habits), the action steps we need to take including timelines. In the past 6 months I’ve thought of things I wanted to achieve but because there was no plan in motion, I got swallowed in by all the distractions on my path and I am not even close to achieving any of those things. Of course this dampens my spirit to a degree, but I do know that I alone hold the key to change all of that around.

This past week, I’ve had time to put together a plan for the next 6 months. It looks solid and I know that with intention and a couple of behavioural changes, I will look back at this period with a huge grin on my face. A sense of accomplishment really. I’m excited for what lies ahead.

Which lessons resonate with you?

What are some of your lessons from the first half of the year? Share in the comments section below.