This weekend marks the halfway point of the year. Time management gurus suggest harnessing this opportunity to take stock of where you are, review your plans and progress and set new goals for the rest of the year. Quite simply, it’s a second chance at a restart.
Re-evaluate
By the time we get to the first of July, we should have a feel for how the year has been progressing. This makes this period the ideal time to sit down and evaluate your achievements and the challenges you are facing. What has worked for you and your horse, and what hasn’t? What are you enjoying together, and what is simply making your riding stressful? Adjusting your goals from this point is far easier than setting them from a blank slate, as we often do in January, so look at where you are at and begin there.
A key point to bear in mind at this step is to be kind to yourself. Whether you have exceeded your own expectations or underperformed against your goals, you need to be patient and understanding with both yourself and your horse. Every wrong turn or misstep is a learning opportunity, so don’t beat yourself up but objectively evaluate where you are and what needs to change.
Rethink
With six months ahead before the end of the year, try and adjust your plans to make the most of the next six months. Be realistic and commit to making achievable changes within the next few months.
Whatever you decide, you will need to establish habits to achieve your new plans. Whether you want to improve your relationship with your horse, get you both fitter or reach the next level in competition, you will need to put routines in place to make the next six months successful.
Break your goals down into small steps and lay them out over the next six months. Keep making steady progress towards them by chipping away at each small piece, and you’ll be proud of where you end up in December!
Reset
While realising your goals didn’t work out quite as planned for the first part of the year can be demoralising, life isn’t all bad! Be grateful for the learnings of the past six months, and maybe even write down all the moments of the past six months that you are either proud of or grateful for.
Then look ahead positively with your newly amended goals in mind and get excited for what the next six months will bring for you and your horse!