So we’ve all been there. We’ve all said, this will be the year I eat healthier and get to my goal weight, or start going to the gym, or learn how to code or read a book every month. We often start the year with so much cheerfulness! We’ve written down our goals, we’ve imagined the kind of person we truly want to be, and we’ve set off down the path toward becoming them. Achieving our goals and dreams never felt so close—we can almost reach out and grab it.

Then reality sets in.

As we get back into our normal routines, our old habits start to creep back in. It starts to feel like you’re in a loop with your weight loss. It’s harder than expected to keep going to the gym every day. And little by little, our resolutions slip away.

Not this time!

Think of mid-year resolutions as just the same as New Year’s resolutions, but instead, you make these in July. In this post, I explain to you 3 reasons why mid-year resolutions might be the answer to ending this cycle of optimism and despair and getting on the path to achieving your goals.

Bottom line: The idea is to give ourselves a restart on the goals we set back at the start of the year, and recommit to becoming that new version of ourselves we so deeply want to be.

Why you need mid-year resolutions

1. It gives you a smaller time frame to work with

It’s far easier to remember goals you made 6 months ago than a whole year ago. Instead of making goals and forgetting about them, give yourself a smaller time frame to operate within. Because, inevitably, what happens when we only have about 6 months left and we’ve hardly made progress on that huge goal? We’re more likely to give up, put it off, or justify a distraction. Then before we know it, it’s been another year of very little progress.

Skip the disappointment this year. Check-in mid-year and ask: How am I doing on these resolutions? What do I have to do to achieve them? Or should I change them to something I can achieve?

Related: 5 ways to make your weight loss & wellness resolutions work!

2. It helps you set better, more realistic goals.

When you check in with yourself more frequently on your goals, you’ll have a more levelheaded view of your progress and what you can accomplish. It’s really difficult to imagine all the things you can get done in a year… or can’t get done. A year can seem like an immense amount of time, especially when you’re at the beginning of a new one. So we tend to be over-optimistic, create goals that are too big, and therefore set ourselves up for failure unknowingly.

As James Clear points out in his amazing book Atomic Habits, it’s much more effective to break down your new habit into small, manageable chunks that aren’t intimidating at all.

Bottom line: Mid-year resolution helps you cut your goals into more manageable blocks.

3. It helps to reward yourself

Don’t wait until you’ve already achieved your goal to give yourself a little treat. This mid-year resolution period can be about rewarding just as much as planning. Have some fun, and spend time with loved ones. You’ve made some progress on your goals over the past 6 months. Treat yourself! There are plenty of months ahead to make even more progress.

You might think that if you reward yourself too early, you’ll lose motivation. The opposite is true. If you stop to acknowledge your progress, you’ll encourage yourself! Celebrate with family and friends. They’ll cheer you on, too.

Related: Talking to a Loved One About Their Weight: 4 dos and don’ts

Overall

Well, we’re a little more than halfway through the year and, for most people, the resolutions made on January 1st are nothing but a distant memory.  If you’ve fallen into this trap, you’ll be glad to know it’s not too late to get back on track. Although the mid-year does not come with as much anticipation as new year’s, it’s a great time to take a step back, evaluate your life, and set some new, exciting goals.

If you like this post and find it share-worthy – which I hope you do – please share. Tag #smodernhealth on Instagram and don’t forget to check out my other blog posts!