Depending upon what your year has felt like to date, the mid-year mark can be invigorating or it can be a little terrifying. But we’re here to tell you that whether you’re ahead, on track, or behind at this point in time, it doesn’t really matter. Just because you may be winning the first half doesn’t mean you’re guaranteed to win the game. And just because you feel like the underdog doesn’t mean you don’t have a victory around the corner. No matter where you are versus your goals at this point in time, you can still win.

It’s about finishing the year strong.

Evaluating your mid-year progress is key. In other words, you need to be honest with yourself about where you’ve hit problems along the way. Look at the goals and priorities you’ve set and see what still matters. Then, you need to figure out a realistic strategy to get back on track to hit them.

In The Millionaire Real Estate Agent, Gary Keller lists a series of questions that can help to shape accountability among employees. We’ve taken these questions and applied a different spin on them: to help us to take personal accountability for where we stand in our businesses at this point in time.

Question 1: What was your goal?

The first thing to ask yourself is whether your goals were realistic or not. Goals don’t do much good when they aren’t based in fact. Pulling what we want to accomplish for the year from thin air doesn’t really set us up for success. If you determine your goals aren’t realistic – that’s okay. In fact, it’s always okay to change your goals. They’re your goals, after all.

If your goals appeared realistic at the beginning of the year but things changed, be honest with yourself about that too. Maybe unexpected conditions arose that made the goal unachievable. Things like health issues, family issues, or other things you didn’t expect. This can happen. The important thing is not to stay in this position for too long. Ask yourself what you can do to handle the unexpected segue and get back on track. It’s important to be honest with yourself about what you can accomplish with the actions you are taking. You may either have to increase your activities to reach your goals or revisit your goals.

Question 2: How did you do?

Don’t write yourself off, even if you’re behind on your goals. It’s important to reflect on what you’ve accomplished so far without judgement, ego, or blame. There are still many months left in the year. That’s a lot of time to accomplish a lot of worthwhile things. It’s about moving forward from where you currently are.

Question 3: How do you feel about that?

Take a moment to frame what you’ve accomplished so far this year in a positive way. Each and every one of us should have many things to check off in the positive column. If this seems challenging to you, consider what you’re positioning as a win to yourself. Maybe you’re expecting too much. As authors Teresa Amabile and Steven Kramer wrote about extensively in The Progress Principle, breakthroughs are relatively rare when it comes to our work. Instead, small wins make all the difference when it comes to feeling like we are making meaningful progress. They add up. Figure out a small win you can have every single day and then celebrate it. Each and every small win will grow over time to bigger and better wins.

Question 4: Based on how you did, what is your goal and what do you need to do now?

Whether or not you’ve experienced any setbacks for the first half of the year shouldn’t influence the remainder of the year. If you have been derailed or sidetracked, this is the perfect time to reset your momentum and refine your approach. Consider revisiting your underlying purpose. What did you want to achieve – and why – initially? Then, choose a routine that will help you to reach your goals and set boundaries around it. It’s okay to say “no” to distractions and time-wasters. After all, you have things to achieve! Write down your goals and loop someone in to hold you accountable to them. And remember, things will come up. Obstacles and pitfalls may arise. But when you can anticipate them, you can have a plan in place for handling them so they are less of a doozy. At the end of the day, mistakes will happen. Making progress toward your goals is more important than perfection.  

How your year ultimately turns out is not determined at a singular time. It’s how you approach each and every day that matters. Reset your momentum now by determining what small things will bring you success today, tomorrow, and the next day? And above all, are you doing the next right thing?