It’s a popular small-talk topic, but also a real checkpoint when it comes to goals and progress, both personal and professional.
June is my birthday month. This year, I turn 59 and begin my 60th year of life. I’ve lived a good, long life, but what excites me most isn’t the past 59 years. It’s the possibility of another 40.
When I turned 50, it barely registered as significant. That same year, my oldest child turned 18, and while I felt the sting of contrasting milestones, I had no grand insights. A few years later, I was a guest on The Runway Decade Podcast with Billy and Pete Bush at Horizon Financial Group. The episode, “A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to Mid-50s,” gave me the chance to reflect on what got me there and, more importantly, what’s next.
A lot ended in my mid-50s: my marriage, my youth, the childhood years of my kids, the upward arc of traditional career ambitions. But so much began: my independence, my children’s adulthood, my professional satisfaction. I became a comedian, a director, a writer, a producer, a playwright, an actor, an empty nester, a single gal, a wife (again 😊), and a stepmom.
I said in the podcast, “If I’ve lived a lifetime at 50, I have a whole ‘nother lifetime I can live.” I am so happy that my conversation with the Bush brothers helped me voice that thought. Those words have stuck with me and help guide my decisions and actions.
That’s the conversation I want to have, about life and about business. Midyear isn’t just for reflection. It’s for action. It’s technically still spring until the solstice, still time to plant seeds. There’s half a year left to grow, harvest, act, and enjoy the fruits of those actions.
Leadership, communication, love—these aren’t abstract ideals. They’re actions. And the smaller and more do-able the action, the more likely we are to take it.
At Success Labs, we start with important skills, like building relationships, thinking strategically, empowering others, and we help people identify small actions that demonstrate those skills. We encourage them to commit to them, and then to write them down, share them, and make them real through accountability.
Yes, half the year is behind us. But half the year is still ahead. That’s energizing.
You still have time. We still have time. Let’s make it a great year.
What will you do with your half a year?
Success Labs is a leadership development and management consulting firm in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. For 40 years, our expert team of consultants has worked with hundreds of companies to grow leaders, build teams, and drive results through great people strategy. Contact us to get proactive about expanding your company’s potential and stay up-to-date with our latest news and leadership development updates here.
By: Gloria McConnell Passman
