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Midyear Check-in: 3 Tips to Revitalize your 2025
15 Plays19 days ago
This is the judgment-free midyear check-in you actually need. The moment when you stop beating yourself up about unmet goals and start making strategic moves for the rest of 2025. In this episode, I break down exactly how to assess your progress without the judgment and give you permission to pivot like the evolved human you are.
We're covering all the good stuff:
- The judgment-free goal assessment that actually helps (no shame, just facts)
- Why I'm 40% through my reading goal when we're 50% through the year (and why that's actually fine)
- How to identify your real roadblocks vs the stories you tell yourself
- The sunk cost fallacy trap that keeps you stuck in goals that no longer serve you
- Why some goals deserve to be dropped and others just need better strategies
- The art of recalibrating timelines without calling yourself a failure
- And the radical permission to let priorities shift as you grow
This isn't about forcing yourself to stick with January's version of success. This is about honoring where you are now, working with your reality instead of against it, and making the second half of 2025 actually work for you.
Your goals should evolve as you do. Full stop.
Subscribe. Share. Give yourself permission to pivot. Growth isn't linear.
Small steps, big healing. Keep growing! 🌱
Join the conversation! How are your 2025 goals going? What's working and what needs to shift? DM me your midyear reflections on Instagram @YourCoachMari
💬 LET'S CONNECT:
Send in questions: contact+podcast@marisolmoran.com
We might just have the same taste in books. Check out my Book List.
(Bookshop affiliate)
🌱 LET’S GROW TOGETHER
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Transcript
Introduction to Growth and Healing
00:00:00
Speaker
Hello beautiful souls and welcome back to another installment of the Growing With Soul podcast. My name is Marisol Moran and I'm a certified life coach specializing in self-esteem and confidence. The Growing With Soul podcast focuses on continual growth and healing, especially in the small steps we can take every single day.
00:00:19
Speaker
If you are looking to heal, to grow, and to connect with your true self, this podcast is for you. I am currently accepting clients. So if you would like support in reaching your goals, in growing and healing, definitely click the link in my show notes to schedule your very own at discovery call.
Evaluating Yearly Goals
00:00:39
Speaker
In this episode, I am going to be focusing on that mid-year check-in. At the beginning of the year so many of us went on to create new goals for ourselves, whether they are like that new year resolution type of frame of mind, or if you kind of chuck that out the window and just really focus on goals, things you'd like to achieve. Maybe they're a little bit more intangible goals. You know what I mean?
00:01:06
Speaker
And it's more of like values that you wanted to encapsulate or embody a bit more in 2025 or whatever that was for you. That goal to use that term.
00:01:17
Speaker
Where are we now? It's been six months of potentially hard work. So if you wanted to go from point A to point Z, where in the alphabet are you now?
00:01:30
Speaker
That is essentially what we're doing. And we are doing it without judgment. Judgment-free zone here, okay? We just want to know where we are and how we got there.
00:01:45
Speaker
That's it. That's all we're going to be doing. So let's go ahead and take a look at our goals. So when we are doing this, and the reason I say this is like a judgment-free zone, because if you were anything like me, a little old me, you are very hard on yourself. So this is especially for my girlies out there who are very hard on themselves and Like if you're not getting an A, A plus, you're getting an F. Like if you if that's your frame of mind, this is for you because same.
00:02:18
Speaker
So first step, list out your goals. I want you to get a little notebook, your favorite app, whatever it is and type away right away every single goal that you listed for yourself in January.
00:02:34
Speaker
Now, I am a huge proponent of it being... Like the fewer the goals, the better. You know, we want to like dig deep. We don't want to like be expansive and do like a thousand things poorly.
00:02:46
Speaker
want to do a few things really well. But if you happen to have like five plus goals, list them out, list them Let's see where we're at. Just maybe, maybe you're that person who could do a thousand things well. If you are, i envy you because that's not me.
00:03:03
Speaker
Couldn't be me. Wish it was me, but it's not. But list out your goals is step one. Once you have that down, where are you now with that goal?
Personal Progress and Challenges
00:03:15
Speaker
So to give you a little bit of an example, i'm going to choose one of my goals that I had for this year. it's going to be a fun one. If you're a book girly like me, I'm going to open up my my app Okay, i have it right here.
00:03:30
Speaker
I use Storygraph, by the way, for all my book girlies out there. If you want to get away from All the billionaire peeps making hella money for no reason.
00:03:41
Speaker
um i stopped using Goodreads. I'm now on Storygraph, woman-owned. So on Storygraph, you're able to put your goals and track all your reading and reviews. And it gives you like stats and stuff.
00:03:55
Speaker
And they're very visual. So if you follow my social media, you probably have seen my reading wrap-ups every month. Those graphics that I get, they're from Storygraph. Anyway, follow me on Storygraph as well.
00:04:06
Speaker
If you want to see what my what I'm reading, my reviews and all that. Anyway, before I get sidetracked. So my goal for 2025 was to read 35 books.
00:04:17
Speaker
So in 2024, I believe i read 25 books. So i was like, let's up it. Let's up it by 10. See if I can do that. So my goal was to read 35 books.
00:04:29
Speaker
Where am I now? What's my snapshot, my current snapshot? Per story graph, I've read 14 books this year. That's 40% of the goal completed.
00:04:44
Speaker
Not bad. We're 50% through with the year and I'm at 40% for my goal. It's pretty good, pretty good. So where are you right now with your goals?
00:04:58
Speaker
You might not have that stat, that percentage, but that's okay because you know in your mind and in your heart where you are. So just write out where that is. Once you do that and you have that snapshot,
00:05:12
Speaker
I know some feelings are going to be coming up for you. Again, if you are hurting yourself naturally, it's almost inevitable for feelings to come up for you when it comes to your progress in any capacity. And they can be really hard to contend with, and that's okay.
00:05:28
Speaker
Sit with it allow it, and let it move on, okay? Let the emotion move on. And from there, let's really take some time to think about
00:05:43
Speaker
What were some of the roadblocks or events that maybe hindered your progress? Like if you're not where you're at, what hindered the progress? And again, this is a judgment-free zone.
00:05:57
Speaker
So whatever it might be, write it down. If it got in the way in any capacity, write it down. So for me, i'm we're halfway through the year, 50% with 2025. I am not done with this goal of reading books this year.
00:06:17
Speaker
um at forty percent so what got in the way Some examples. One, I'm a slow reader naturally. That is one of those things that is out of my control.
00:06:28
Speaker
I can't become a faster reader. like it's it's not and The thing is, like if I try to rush it, then it's not enjoyable. If I'm reading a fun book, like why am I going rush it? Let me savor the book, please.
00:06:40
Speaker
Um, of but anyway, naturally slow reader. it is what it is. been that way my whole life. Every like reading race I had growing up with my sister and my cousin, like I lost.
00:06:51
Speaker
Okay. Like, again, I know we don't stand JK Rowling anymore. We don't, but I'm a millennial. So I am going to let you all know, like back when I was a child and the books were very popular, like my mom,
00:07:04
Speaker
because we didn't want to share. ah so my mom would buy myself, my sister, and my cousin a book pre-order. Okay, we went to Barnes & Noble, Midnight Release. Okay, all three books, and we would all race to see who was going to finish reading the new like Harry Potter the Goblet of Fire fastest.
00:07:22
Speaker
I always lost. Okay, it is what it is. Anyway, so that's not going to change. The other thing that got in the way for me when it comes to this particular goal is that I am even slower of a reader when it comes to nonfiction.
00:07:42
Speaker
Like if you put a fantasy novel, a romantic novel in front of me, I'm going to read it. I'm going to gobble it up. If you're going to put any like Ellie Hazelwood novel in front of me, I'm going to read that literally in 24 hours. I read a Hallie Hazelwood book, Ellie Hazelwood book. I said her name wrong. My bad. and Ellie Hazelwood book. I read a one in 24 hours.
00:08:04
Speaker
Did I do anything else? I had to work. So I did work. Did I sleep? No. But if you put, again, if if you've been following along with the podcast, I did a whole podcast on it.
00:08:20
Speaker
But if you put even a wonderful, phenomenal, like well-written, ah thought-provoking book by like Bell Hooks, which I read, all about Love New Visions,
00:08:32
Speaker
only 160 pages, it took me two months to read. I loved it. It was a great book. i there's There's so much more about that book and the observations and the conclusions and the and the connections between like the 1990s and like now through that paradigm. Oh my God, I can i can do like probably three more podcasts on it.
00:08:59
Speaker
It took me forever to read. And that's just that's just how it is. So that's another one of my roadblocks. I do not, I find it difficult, even though I am enjoying the read, enjoying the book, if I find it difficult to pick up a nonfiction book after I put it down.
00:09:19
Speaker
just It just, it's one of my challenges, of my roadblocks. I don't know what to tell you. It just, it is what it is. So yeah, I would say those are probably the two biggest roadblocks when it comes to reaching my goal of reading 35 books this year.
00:09:35
Speaker
Now we're going to flip that on its head.
Strategies for Overcoming Challenges
00:09:37
Speaker
Okay. Well, before, before we move on, write down your roadblocks. Okay. What were some of the challenges, some of the roadblocks, some of the events that hindered your progress?
00:09:48
Speaker
Now, once you've done that part, we're going to flip that. Which actions, beliefs, and even external support helped you along in reaching success, in making progress?
00:10:06
Speaker
So what happened that went well? What supported you? What kept you motivated? What were those things that were done maybe even consistently that allowed you to reach this point in your goal?
00:10:25
Speaker
So for me, in terms of getting to this 14 books this year, getting to that 40%, it's not 50, but I did get somewhere. So what helped?
00:10:37
Speaker
prioritizing the genre of book that I enjoy. This is important in so many ways that I'm not going to like sidetrack myself on, um but definitely prioritizing something I know that I am going to enjoy, or at least like highly likely I'm going to enjoy prioritizing that.
00:11:02
Speaker
Secondly, what else helped me in this goal is audiobooks. like 100 audiobooks and I'm not saying like let me just do an audiobook just so I can like get another like book on the list no like in order for me to really count the book as being read to include in this like I don't want say progress report but that makes it too like Report Cardi.
00:11:32
Speaker
But in order for me to count an audiobook, it's because i genuinely want to visit that You see what I'm saying?
00:11:45
Speaker
Because, so what I tend to do, just so that you are aware, because I feel like I'm in my head and not explaining things well. If I'm going to listen to an audiobook, it's because I've already read the book.
00:11:59
Speaker
i i like to read a physical book, especially, okay I also like, I i love graphic audio. Like, like if I'm going to listen to an audio book, it's because there's a graphic audio of it.
00:12:12
Speaker
So for me, if I'm going to listen to a graphic audio, I want to read the book first so I can build the world in my mind first. And then once I have the world built in my mind,
00:12:24
Speaker
I could then listen to it and then we're good, you know, because the world is already, it's been created. So yeah, I have, I did listen to anyway, before, before, it but before i like sidetracked myself anyway.
00:12:41
Speaker
So audio books that helps because I have listened at this at this point
00:12:50
Speaker
I've listened to three audiobooks this year. Two were nonfiction. no, no, no. Two were fiction. One was nonfiction. So in terms of helping me, perhaps another strategy that I can employ in terms of like speed is reading nonfiction book nonfiction books via way can...
00:13:14
Speaker
audiobook that way i can absorb the information by listening to it rather than reading it because when I read it I'm already a slow reader and I'm less inclined to pick up the book after I put it down but if I have the audio version of a non-fiction book I can pop it in when I am driving when I am walking my dog when I'm at the gym I can whoop put in that audiobook of that non-fiction book which I did i read um
00:13:48
Speaker
Kiki Palmer's latest book via audiobook. And it has its own challenges, but overall, i read it.
00:13:59
Speaker
I listened to it. I enjoyed It it counts. So yeah, two things that I could basically do to help me further along in my goal. If I'm going to do a nonfiction book, I can listen to it instead of reading it.
00:14:14
Speaker
And that way I can metaphorically pick up the book more consistently. Now. Now that we have a list of all of our roadblocks and challenges that we faced, let's take them some time to really strategize what we can do about them, especially if these are roadblocks and challenges that we are still experiencing.
00:14:38
Speaker
So how can we work around or overcome these roadblocks? I kind of went into it already with my personal example of reading 35 books 2025 and
00:14:50
Speaker
But think about it in your in your capacity with your goals. If you've listed these different roadblocks, what is it that you can do in order to work with them, work around them, get creative?
00:15:02
Speaker
Again, maybe it's going to be getting some external support, some accountability. That's incredibly important to give you another example. I am working on getting back into shape. I want to get strong.
00:15:16
Speaker
I want to, you know, overall, like increase my cardio. ah want to start going back to jujitsu. And that naturally calls for me to be more athletic. So one of the things that I've been doing recently to, you know, figure out and support myself better. One of my major challenges with that is that I am an emotional eater. It is what is, bro.
00:15:37
Speaker
I just, I stress eat. Okay, i i'm I'm sad, I eat. Okay, I'm stressed, I eat. it just It is what it is. So one of the things that I've started to do again is not restrict myself.
00:15:53
Speaker
However, i decided that I'm going to start tracking my macros again. and again, I'm including everything. Like I had Pocky. I put that in my app.
00:16:04
Speaker
I had a chocolate chip cookie yesterday. I put that in my app. Like, you know, I'm still eating, but I want to eat in terms of that regard. But again, You know, I'm just, I want to see instead of, because because when I'm, when I'm stressing, I'm just like, you know what?
00:16:19
Speaker
I just, I could have a little bit, but then, you know, when have like a little snack and then like, like a mini cupcake, like if you have a cupcake, you eat one cupcake, but if you have mini cupcakes, you eat like 10 mini cupcakes.
00:16:30
Speaker
Like that's what I was doing to myself over time. So that's one of the things that I decided to do again, just start tracking again to help me Work on my relationship with food, essentially.
00:16:42
Speaker
So just to give you another example of, you know, trying to figure out what you can do to better support yourself and whatever roadblocks you may be experiencing. The other thing that it's important to recognize and highlight is also those successes.
00:17:02
Speaker
So if you are... 50% towards your goal and we're now 50% done with this year. Kudos to you. You're killing it.
00:17:12
Speaker
Love that. Okay. Amazing. it is in those moments when we are winning, when we are doing things the way we want them to be done and things are going well and you're reaching your goals and everything seems to be going right.
00:17:31
Speaker
Girl, that's when we need to pause And what is it that we are doing that is facilitating things to be going so well? Because you are. Clearly, there are things that are out of our control.
00:17:43
Speaker
Yes. At the same time, there are things that are in our control that can make such a big difference. So what are those things that you're doing? Let's take note of them. And once you've taken note of those things that you're doing that are helping things go well,
00:17:57
Speaker
What can you do to make sure that you keep integrating these actions so that you keep creating success?
00:18:09
Speaker
Wonderful. Now, if you've done all this and you still kind of feel like the goal that you're working towards is a chore that's not a problem. Again, judgment-free zone.
Aligning Goals with Current Values
00:18:23
Speaker
You know why? Because life changes. You change. Things happen. And priorities shift. So if you've been doing this exercise and you feel a bit detached from your goal, beautiful, let's explore that.
00:18:40
Speaker
Do January goals still resonate with you?
00:18:46
Speaker
Does it still feel aligned with what you truly want to achieve and what you want to create for yourself and what you want to work on? Is it something that is bringing fulfillment?
00:18:59
Speaker
Is reaching that goal bringing joy into your life? Is it getting you closer maybe to an even larger goal? If the answer is no to any of that, then why are we working towards it?
00:19:14
Speaker
And one of the things that is important to recognize here is the sunk cost fallacy. So the sunk cost fallacy is essentially this like mode of thinking where we think I've put so much work into this, so I might as well keep going.
00:19:32
Speaker
Ew, no, no, no. no no no That's not something we do here. That's not something we do in our lives. Okay? If there is no longer a benefit at all whatsoever to something, it doesn't matter how much work you put into it.
00:19:46
Speaker
If it is no longer for you, you do not need to dedicate more energy to it. Why? Because one, you deserve to enjoy life. And two... The sooner you let go of something that no longer serves you, the sooner you can begin the thing that is going to serve you and bring you joy and fulfillment.
00:20:09
Speaker
Okay? So, do your January goals still resonate for any myriad of reasons? If no, drop it. Okay? Second thing. If you are experiencing a lot of roadblocks with what you're trying to achieve, let's recalibrate the strategy.
00:20:32
Speaker
If you feel like you've been in a situation where you're trying and you're trying and you're trying, and no matter what you're trying, it's just not working out. You feel like there's been no success.
00:20:43
Speaker
Let's recalibrate here. Let's take some time to pause. Maybe we can get creative and maybe what we need is feedback. Maybe what we need is meeting with somebody else who has who has done the thing that you want to do.
00:20:59
Speaker
Because perhaps they have some insight that can really and truly help you. So it's time to recalibrate. It's time to get creative. The third thing as well is maybe you need to adjust your timeline.
00:21:13
Speaker
So that could be one. Is the goal that you created for yourself this year just a little bit too big to achieve in one year? That's possible. So maybe the timeline needs to be readjusted, which would then mean the goal actually for this year might shift.
00:21:29
Speaker
Instead of getting from a to z the real goal for 2025 is to get from like A to L, you know, for example. So maybe you need to adjust your timeline.
00:21:44
Speaker
Overall, When it comes to goals, no matter what they are, whether it's like a tangible thing or if it's like an academic or a career thing or like a personal improvement, healing thing, like they're all, they all have their own challenges and their own benefits.
00:22:01
Speaker
And every single one of them is extremely personal. And to be completely honest, every single goal that we set for ourselves is going to take work So if you feel like maybe you've spread yourself thin, maybe some goals need to wait till next year.
00:22:19
Speaker
If you feel like for whatever reason, things have shifted or, you know, there might be external things happening in your life, maybe just in this world that have shifted your priorities. So now you need to leave certain goals behind.
Adapting to Shifting Priorities
00:22:37
Speaker
That might be painful. And it's fine to feel sad or frustrated or angry about that. But maybe there's a priority shift. So you need to put another goal ahead of that.
00:22:50
Speaker
Again, that could be a myriad of different things, but it's okay for goals to shift over time. And it is not a failure if that happens. If you started out with certain goals in January and now it's July and you some things need to stop, you need to let certain things go for now, that's not a failure.
00:23:10
Speaker
If you haven't reached where you think you should be by now in 2025 with that goal, again, not failure. again not a failure We just need to analyze, we need to assess and think about what we can do to get to where we would like to be.
00:23:30
Speaker
Ultimately, if you stayed until this far into the episode, I greatly, greatly appreciate it You know, being able to talk with all of you about these things brings me so much joy.
Conclusion and Call to Action
00:23:41
Speaker
And I hope that you did find value in today's episode.
00:23:45
Speaker
So if you did find value, if it resonated, definitely subscribe and leave a review because it definitely helps the podcast and to get it out to more people as well. If you would like more insights, go ahead and follow me on Instagram, on TikTok, and on threads.
00:24:00
Speaker
I am at your coach Mari. And if you are looking for support, maybe you need some accountability or you just need help strategizing, you feel a little bit lost and you just overall need someone to bounce ideas off of, I am here to help you out.
00:24:14
Speaker
And you can set up your very own discovery call with me through the link in the show notes. Until next time, keep growing.