Time for a mid-year review
About cakes, ovens and messy thoughts
You know these 1st of January social media posts? Where everyone falls over each other explaining how they absolutely WON’T be making new year’s resolutions this year, only to then choose ONE WORD that somehow sets the intention for the whole year? Thereby secretly still setting new year’s resolutions?
Annoying? Yeah.
OK, right, well, that’s EXACTLY what I’ve done this year. I’ve set one #1 priority. With other priorities taking a back seat.
On Sunday we finished The Artist’s Way Group, my annual 13-week programme in which we honour this LIFE-CHANGING book, with weekly reflections, daily Morning Pages, and weekly Artist’s Dates.
Being firmly back in the habit of writing my Morning Pages, I felt it only right to have a look back at the first half of the year, and see how I’m doing. On that one-word priority, and - OK - a little bit about the others too. Not that they were New Year’s resolutions, of course. 🤪 But still.
Will you be joining me and do YOUR mid-year reflection too?
Time for a mid-year review
Priority #1: Health
For those of you who’ve been around me for a while you may know this: Covid and its aftermath have played havoc with my health (read all about it in Lessons learned from busting a gut). It’s getting better, thank you, but yeah, 2025 has - so far - been the year in which I’ve REALLY had to face reality:
I am a woman over 50, and the time to start looking after my health is NOW
It turns out that my body is not just a vehicle to carry my head around on. No, it’s been made VERY clear to me that head, heart and body are closely linked and influence each other.
Some health conditions are not caused by one thing, but instead benefit from focusing on many elements. Nutrition, exercise, stress, posture, all have a role to play.
There’s not a quick fix. And there’s no point in setting a date to aim for. I foolishly said ‘I’m giving myself until the summer to get better’. And yes, I AM getting better. And it IS summer. But this is about a long-term commitment to me and my well-being. Not really something you can set a date and nice deadline for. No matter how much I’d like to.
These realisations have made me make many adjustments to my life:
Nutrition: There is literally nothing like silent reflux (the kind that burns your throat) to make you get a renewed appreciation for bland foods like cucumber, avocados and melons. There is literally nothing as confusing and time-consuming as roaming the internet for the best advice on what diet to embark on when you’re finding yourself blighted by this condition. Quacks, the doctors say with disdain. Doctors just don’t know how to deal with this, is what the - well - quacks say. The key? To listen to your body. Closely. And to postpone those chocolate, coffee and curry cravings to … whenever, maybe never. 😭
Stress: My stress expresses itself in a crunched up stomach. Which is brilliant (NOT!) for people with acid reflux. So this year I’ve done something I’d never thought I’d do. I took a J.O.B. Yes, to reduce stress. To get regular money in. But what it has also done? It has given me a low-stress working environment, AND it has given me time, great colleagues, fantastic leaders to work with, a LOT of learning and application of learning on positive leadership and emotional intelligence, the ability to think about the next phase of my business (more about that below) AND - of course - the ability to heal. It’s gone from a necessity to a blessing, exactly at the right time.
Posture: I’m a bit … stubborn, I’ll be the first to admit, so I chose to ignore posture for a long time. But this year I’m working, consistently, on my posture. Sitting at a desk for 8 hours a day, whilst hunched over trying to peer at a screen is - yes, stupid, harmful, absolutely the OPPOSITE of what you should be doing. So I got myself glasses, and a new office chair. And make sure I get up regularly, do my stretching exercises, and yoga in the evenings.
Exercise: it’s a work in progress. Nuff said.
Other priorities
Mind
In the beginning of the year I ran groups on the Positive Intelligence programme. The programme gave me a way of talking about what is holding you (me) back: Saboteurs. And on how to overcome them.
I’ve so enjoyed running the programme and sharing the learnings from the programme with others and seeing them benefit from knowing THEIR Saboteurs, finding strategies to counteract them and improving their performance, their relationships and their wellbeing. (And if you wanted to know about YOUR Saboteurs feel free to book a call with me here: Saboteur Discovery Call).
For me, my Saboteurs were not new to me. My Hyper Achiever and Controller Saboteurs are my relentless slave drivers, my Restless Saboteur makes me frequently bored, and restlessly seeking for the next solution, the newest, shiniest thing.
They - whilst perhaps not CAUSING my health issues - most certainly ensured that I recognised the signs much too late.
It’s why - right now - I’m finding myself in a state of ‘letting go’, of relinquishing control. A state my Controller Saboteur in particular is not very happy about, but I’m determined to allow.
Creativity
I mentioned earlier that my annual The Artist’s Way Group has just come to an end. It has been so rewarding to see my little group of amazing women embrace the learnings from The Artist’s Way.
My own creativity is also brewing. Like a cake it is sitting in a dark oven (our oven light just broke, is that a sign? 🤔), brewing, rising, becoming a full cake …
… whilst I look after myself, and learn (always learn).
… whilst I walk and knit and draw and write my morning pages. Knowing that whatever wants to be born will be, at one point.
… whilst I remind myself that this is not a draught of creativity, but a necessary break. That - if I keep trusting myself - all will come together.
Business
When I started my business I had just gone through a profound period of change. More specifically career change. It was the early 2020s. Covid hit. Everyone wanted to change their lives, move out into the countryside, have two dogs and a goat. And yes, change careers.
It’s no longer 2020. I am no longer the person I was then. Neither are you.
Which means that I am thinking. Thinking about what you need. What the world needs. What service I can provide to you.
And what’s circling around in my head right now is this:
There is so much uncertainty. Uncertainty around jobs and the economy, uncertainty around what’s happening in the world. Uncertainty you’re protecting yourself from, by holding on to what you’ve got, by holding on to what’s familiar. But with still this yearning, this fire within you, this feeling of ‘is this it?
There is such a backlash against rights we took for granted. There is such hardness in the world: a focus on defence, weapons, hardening of positions, harsh language and actions towards people who are different to us, ongoing pollution and overheating of the planet. It feels like we need a counterweight. Love instead of hate. Feminine to counterbalance the masculine. Self-awareness against whatever behaviour we’re seeing right now. Leadership, not dictatorship. And grey. Lots and lots of grey in between all the black and white. Togetherness, not division.
With AI and phones and big tech companies taking up so much of our time and room in our brain, now more than ever we need to be able to trust our own judgement, to nurture and power up our creative brains.
Coaching has given me a new profession, but I’m starting to think of coaching as the skill it always was. That there is more to give, different things you might need.
And then there’s art, and creativity. It’s important. How, I don’t know. But somewhere in that mix it’s important.
Making sense yet? No, nor does it me. But somewhere in this messy bundle of ideas there is something. Something that will lead to something. An offering. A service. A product. An idea. A community. Waiting to be born.
It’s why I’ve taken a step back from my business this summer. To let that cake rise in the (dark) oven. To let my thoughts take shape. To not muddle my thoughts with old ideas.
It’s why you haven’t seen me on LinkedIn. Not because the algorithms are strongly stacked against women and small businesses (which they are and have been for a long time), but because I’m no longer in the business of pushing water uphill. Because talking about changing careers no longer feels right. Because LinkedIn might not be the place where I need to be right now.
It’s why I’ve opened my calendar to talk to you, the women I love working with. Real conversations between real people.
Because this is not finished. I’m sharing my thinking here openly with you. Because this is the space I’m finding myself in right now. It’s an odd space to be in, a messy and muddy one. But it’s the space I’m fully embracing right now. (Despite my Hyper Achiever and Controller glaring at me and tapping their watches. Despite my Restless getting - well - restless).
I’d love for you to take me up on my offer below. To let me support you in whatever is going on for you. To hear about where YOU are finding yourself. And yes, to help me further my thinking. That too. Because whatever is brewing has to be for you, the women I love working with.
I’m grateful for the place I’m finding myself in right now. A transition phase, yet again. They say you have these reviews every 7 years, and that certainly feels true for me.
A transition into a wiser, calmer (crone?) version of myself. With LOTS to look forward to. That’s what I’m hoping for. That’s what I’m working towards. Not with set deadlines and a ticking clock. But with creativity and confidence. And eventually clarity too.
THAT, my friends, is my mid-year review. One word intention fulfilled? Yes, and to be continued into the second half of 2025. Happy with where I am? Yes. Looking forward to the second half of 2025? You bet!
YOUR mid-year review
So, now it’s YOUR turn!
I’d like to invite you to do YOUR mid-year review too. Because it’s such a rewarding exercise. Because you deserve to celebrate what you’ve achieved this year. Because you deserve a pat on the back, everyone does.
So, here are some guidelines for your mid-year review:
What (one word) objective did YOU have for yourself at the beginning of the year?
What are some of the highlights for you so far this year? What are you proud of?
How would you like to grow and change in the next 6 months?
What areas would you like to focus on for the rest of this year?
I’d LOVE to hear where YOU’re finding yourself!
Tineke X
This summer I’m doing a thing.
I’m offering ONE free one hour coaching session per person
Are you working through a period of turmoil? Do you want to talk in a safe environment about things that are bothering you? Do you want to work on becoming more successful at work? Do you want a sounding board for ideas you have around the next stage of your career?
I have experience in career, mental fitness, leadership and creativity coaching, and can support you during times of (career) change.
If you are interested in learning more about my coaching offerings, please contact me on info@tineketammescoaching.com
If you’d like to book YOUR coaching session this summer, hit the button below. I can’t WAIT to meet you!
🔴🟡🟠
Tineke Tammes is a Career Coach and supports professional women in making successful career transitions. Besides that she is also a lifelong feminist, part-time portrait artist, never-only-read-one-book-at-any-time reader, obsessive doodler and supporting senior leaders in their career journey.
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