Half-time

We’re almost halfway through the year and if you’ve been deep in the work of affording to live, shelter and eat on this planet, you may be feeling some type of way.

Heroic, because life is tough and God has clearly deemed you His strongest soldier.

Discouraged, because your six-month-old New Year’s resolutions are lying in a heap somewhere, quietly left for dead.

Shook, perhaps, because time actually does fly and life’s aeroplane may be a Boeing.

While this time of year can prompt a plethora of emotions, I try to steer clear of profound existential dread. Instead, I call a much-needed half-time and attempt to angle towards a more satisfying end of the year.

In sporting terms, a half-time is defined as an interval between two parts of a sport event when the players take a moment to rest and re-strategise.

For most people trying to achieve their goals, rest seems counter-intuitive. But, the fact is, taking a brief break and a second to review and realign can help restore the energy and enthusiasm necessary to accomplish your dreams.

In terms of a review, this is simply a matter of taking stock.

What were your hopes and intentions when you began this year?

If you’re the kind of person who wrote this down or fashioned a vision board to imagine your ideal future, revisit your goals and resolutions and note how many have been achieved or are currently in good shape to eventually come to fruition.

If you don’t commit your intentions to paper or pictures, perhaps this would be a good time to start. Writing things down or visualising them through an inspirational collage is a good way to hold yourself accountable and the first step towards pulling what’s only in your mind into reality.

Once you have a good idea of where you are and where you would like to be, rate your performance.

What actions have you taken to attain your goals? If your plan for this year included more movement, have you been going for walks, heading to the gym or doing an exercise class? Should your goal include starting a new project or side hustle, have you done some market research, come up with a plan, found a financial partner, saved enough to begin and begun working?

When rating our performance, it’s important to ask whether we’ve been consistent, we’ve created a schedule that we can stick to and if the effort we’ve been putting in is likely to garner the results we desire.

If not, it’s time to refocus.

Refocusing occurs when we’ve reviewed our ambitions, intentions and goals, we’ve rated our performance and assessed where we may be falling short and we’re now ready to recommit to our dreams for the remainder of the year.

Though this exercise may trigger feelings of inadequacy or prompt some negative self-talk, it is crucial that we enter this process with compassion and that we use our kind inner voice to thoroughly drag ourselves … respectfully.

In my experience, a fun way to call an annual half-time is to do so with supportive friends or family.

Set up a meet somewhere you feel safe and comfortable. This may be in someone’s living room, in a cosy nook at your favourite coffee shop or at a nice spot alongside Goreangab Dam.

Everybody struggles.

Life doesn’t always go as planned but as friends, family and a community, we can affirm each other, work together and ask for help.

As June draws to a close, discard any feelings of failure and take some time to connect, to rest, review and refocus your dreams.

Yes, the year is half over. Life may feel thoroughly fleeting.

But every day gifts the possibility of a new beginning.

– martha@namibian.com.na; Martha Mukaiwa on Twitter and Instagram; marthamukaiwa.com