Reset Before You Accelerate
Growth requires both action and recovery.
Summer often arrives with high expectations. We imagine slower schedules, greater balance, and time to recharge. Yet many of us continue moving from one commitment to the next without taking time to reflect on where we’re headed or how we’re doing.
Recently, I spoke with a group of first-generation college students in the Green Halo Scholars program about the importance of taking time to reflect, reset, and recharge to build resilience and prevent burnout. This message applies to all of us, no matter our ages.
It’s easy to move from one thing to the next without stopping to come up for air. Finish a project. Start another. Get through an event and immediately begin planning the next one. The pace becomes relentless.
I see the pattern in the leaders I coach, and if I’m honest, I recognize it in myself too.
But resilience isn’t built at full speed. We need periods of recovery, reflection, and renewal. Without them, even the things we enjoy can feel draining.
At OptWell, the nonprofit I founded, we intentionally designed a lighter summer schedule. We continue offering programs, while also using this season to assess our progress, strengthen our team and volunteer network, improve processes, and prepare for an impactful fall. That time for reflection allows for growth.
This summer also marks a major milestone for me: completing the manuscript for my book, Mindful Leadership, now in editing and production. With a slightly lighter client schedule, I’m also making time for activities that recharge me—travel, bike rides, pickleball, tennis, local festivals, and simply enjoying time outdoors with family and friends.
As we reach the midpoint of the year, it’s an ideal time to pause, take stock, and make adjustments for the months ahead. Consider these questions:
Reflect on the first half of the year and what it has taught you.
What accomplishments or moments are you most satisfied with?
What activities, commitments, or habits are serving you well?
Where do you feel stretched too thin or out of alignment?
What lessons do you want to carry forward?
Refine your focus by simplifying where needed and recommitting to what matters most.
Audit your priorities and what best serves your goals for the remainder of the year.
Eliminate, delegate, or postpone one commitment that no longer aligns with your goals.
Block non-negotiable time on your calendar for thinking, planning, and recovery.
Identify one habit that will have the greatest positive impact when practiced consistently.
Reignite your energy and purpose with renewed intention.
Spend time doing something that energizes and restores you.
Reconnect with a person, purpose, or goal that inspires you.
Celebrate the progress you’ve made instead of dwelling on what remains unfinished.
Choose one action to take this week toward what matters most.
Create one intentional pause this month. Take a walk. Review your goals. Spend time with someone who matters. Give yourself time to think. The second half of the year starts with the small actions you take today.
You don’t need a major life change to create momentum. Sometimes the most important step is simply pausing long enough to notice what needs your attention.
Before you accelerate into the months ahead, give yourself permission to pause. Then move forward with greater clarity, focus, and purpose.
P.S. I’m grateful to share that I’ve joined organizational psychologist and bestselling author Dr. Tasha Eurich’s Wellness Women of the World Cohort and the Tasha Ten family. I look forward to learning alongside an inspiring global community of leaders committed to making a positive impact.
To pausing with purpose,
