My Goals & Plans For 2025-Mid-Year Review

Back on January 1st, I shared a blog post about my goals and plans for 2025. Now that we’re halfway through the year, it feels like a good time to check in and see how things are going. I find it really helpful to review goals regularly; it’s a chance to track progress, see what’s working, and make changes where needed.

In that earlier post, I mentioned that I don’t feel like I have to stick rigidly to my goals. I think it’s important to pause now and then, take a step back, and really think about what still matters to me and how I can move toward the things that feel most important right now.

Here’s a quick update on my goals, what I’ve ticked off, what’s changed along the way, and what I’ve decided to switch up.

Friendship

This was always going to be a tricky goal for me to achieve. I think as an adult, it’s so hard to make actual, meaningful friendships. I’m the sort of person who will talk to anyone when I’m out and about, I say hello, I’m friendly, but I just don’t seem to be able to connect.

I did look into some local groups, but most of them seemed to be made up of much older members. There don’t seem to be any aimed at people around my age (I’m 47). I’m not against joining a group with older people, but I can’t help worrying I’d feel out of place. I know I’m probably overthinking it, I could always go along, see how it feels, and just not go back if it’s not for me. This goal has definitely pushed me out of my comfort zone and made me realise I might not be as self-confident as I thought. It’s got me questioning where that doubt is coming from.

I think online connections are going well. I’ve joined in with some different blogger link-ups and enjoyed leaving meaningful comments on those. I’m hopeful that blogger meet-ups will become a thing again, and I can meet more people in real life.

I’ve also got a few new competition tagging buddies and have become a moderator on one of the comping forums I use. My oldest comping friend and I get together regularly, but I would like to meet more people who love this hobby as much as I do.

Health

My mental health overall is still pretty much in a good place. I make use of all the tools and techniques I have learned when I need to. This year I really wanted to concentrate on my physical health, and although I have made improvements in some areas, there’s still more I want to do.

I’ve gotten much better at pacing myself and listening to my body when it needs rest. The chronic fatigue feels more manageable now, not every day, but more often than it used to. One of the biggest shifts has been managing my expectations and accepting that my energy is limited each day. Learning to work with that, instead of fighting it, has made a big difference.

Ulcerative Colitis flare-ups have been few and far between this year, thankfully so far. This is obviously something that can change quickly and unexpectedly.

Due to also having Type 2 diabetes on top of my other conditions, part of my physical health goal was to reduce my HBA1C level and maintain it more successfully.  Unfortunately, it’s actually increased due to a relapse with my eating disorder. Thankfully, I have all the tools and support to get back on track after having therapy last year. I know what my triggers are, and I’m working hard on reducing them.

Learning

I’m quite happy with the progress I’ve made towards this goal. I’ve swapped a lot of the shows I watched or listened to for something more educational and useful. I downloaded BBC Sounds and really enjoy listening to some of their history podcasts like ‘Short History Of..’ and ‘Lady Swindlers with Lucy Worsley’

I’ve been learning about plants, flowers and wildlife and how to identify different species. Every time I snap a photo of a flower or plant, I’m straight on Google Lens to find out what it is. My TikTok FYP is full of people on hikes, people identifying bird song and people growing fruits and veggies.

I would really like to fit in a few short online courses before the end of the year. Perhaps something to do with blogging or writing.

Blogging

This is one goal that’s working out really well. I’m enjoying writing and sharing again, and I’m definitely not overthinking things in this area. I’m trying all sorts of different things and not being afraid to go beyond my comfort zone.

I did plan to join lots of linkies, but if I’m honest, I can’t commit the time that I want to. I like to leave meaningful comments and feel that I can’t do this if I get too overwhelmed.

As much as I love being consistent and taking part in link-ups, I think I’m going to concentrate on Word of the Week and Project 365 as I enjoy them so much. I might look for some monthly link-ups to add in as I do enjoy the overall experience of taking part and finding new bloggers to connect with.

Kindness

I’ve made great progress in this area. I’ve been kinder to myself and managed to silence that inner critic most days.

One of my main goals for this year was to be kinder to nature, and I feel like I’ve definitely achieved this. It started with a bird table, then Chris surprised me with lots of containers of flowers, herbs, veggies and fruits to grow. Now our garden is quickly becoming a haven for birds and insects. It’s exactly what I wanted to happen, and it has.

Just this week, I’ve spotted some caterpillars, a mint moth and several ladybirds enjoying the plants. I don’t mind what they munch on as long as they are happy.

I’m really happy with the progress I’ve made so far on my goals and plans for 2025. There are still six months of the year to go, and I’m confident I can still achieve most of what I’ve set out to do. Even if I don’t quite get there, it’s okay because I will have given it my best go.

How are you getting on with the goals you set yourself for this year?