The Power of the Mid-Year Reset

Whenever the new year arrives, we all have a unique perspective on the things we would love to alter in our lives. Some involve health. Some involve our professional and personal routines. Some involve service toward others, involvement in the community, and outreach to friends who have slipped away due to time and distance.

Whatever our choices, we embark on the new year with purpose and resolve. We are committed to change—and often, the change never endures. We start strong and fade back into our familiar habits.

One area often measured for its strong start is gym memberships. New health club memberships see a significant surge after the first of the year, with January typically being the peak month for sign-ups due to New Year’s resolutions. About 12% of new gym memberships begin in January.

If the new year brings a spike in resolutions and attempts to alter behavior, then why doesn’t July 2 hold the same significance? This past Wednesday marked the midpoint of the 2025 year. Did anyone stop and take notice? Did anyone ask what your mid-year resolution was? Or more importantly, did anyone ask you for a review of your 2025 resolution?

If New Year’s Day is the perfect time to make a resolution, why isn’t the midpoint the perfect day for assessment? Why don’t we have a benchmark day to determine progress? How can a habit stick without measurement?

James Clear has sold over a million copies of his excellent book Atomic Habits using a framework of Cue, Craving, Response, and Reward to establish good habits. Clear believes the cue needs to be obvious, the craving attractive, the response easy, and the reward satisfying. When the “Clear Habit” system is in place, measuring progress becomes easy. Clear isn’t looking for huge gains—only 1% increments of improvement.

At the midpoint of the year (yes, starting today), it would be wise for all of us to take some time to reflect and reassess.

Evaluate your progress:

Look back at your original New Year’s resolutions and assess what you’ve accomplished and what areas need more attention. Don’t be too harsh. Don’t be critical. Just try to understand why something went well—or why it didn’t.

Identify what went wrong:

Analyze why you might have fallen short of your goals. Was it due to unrealistic expectations, lack of planning, or external factors?

Re-evaluate your goals:

Consider whether your original goals are still relevant and aligned with your current priorities and values.

Once you’ve answered the questions above, establish your goals using the SMART framework: Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound.

Once this is aligned with your needs, track your progress and celebrate any success. Journal to express your thoughts. Use a habit tracker to measure growth. Revisit and reinforce the reasons you feel the need to change.

Often, the reason for failure comes from a lack of reinforcement toward the change we want to occur. Our “WHY” isn’t strong enough—so we fail to keep the promises we made to ourselves.

Now, at the halfway mark, take stock of your “WHY” and make the necessary adjustments. It’s not too late.

And let’s start a new tradition: The Daily Coach Mid-Year Recap. It might help get us back on course.

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