I thought 2025 was going to be my year. I really did. Not in a vision board, manifest-it-all-by-February kind of way—but in a quietly hopeful, this is the year something finally clicks kind of way. I had plans. Big ones. I’d been working hard behind the scenes, and when July rolled in, I realised nothing had quite fallen into place. Cue the pause. And not the good kind. The deep-sigh, low-energy, tear-in-your-tea sort of pause. The one that comes after trying so hard and feeling like nothing is moving forward. But sometimes, that’s exactly where mid-year reset motivation begins—not in the go-go-go, but in the stop-and-breathe. This post naturally follows the gentle reflection I shared when I realised July is the new December. That reflection was my pause. This one? It’s my plan—or more accurately, my realignment. Because after allowing myself to grieve the goals that haven’t happened (yet), something shifted. I found a spark. And from there, the slow rebuild began.
From Grieving to Gaining Clarity
I needed to grieve the goals that hadn’t happened—the version of 2025 I thought I’d be living by now. Not in a ‘reset routine and feel amazing’ kind of way—more like reheating leftovers, crying in the car, wearing the same outfit three days in a row kind of way. I’d been showing up, trying to make things happen, and nothing was moving. But here’s the moment it clicked: I watched my toddler struggle to play independently and felt that familiar frustration rise. I just needed five minutes. But then I paused. As an educator, I know the average attention span of a three-year-old is about three minutes. Not thirty. Not even ten. Three. Would I ever expect a child in my classroom to focus beyond their developmental window? No. So why was I expecting more from my child—and from myself? That small mindset shift softened everything. The reason I hadn’t achieved my 2025 goals wasn’t laziness. It was life—a demanding, beautiful, exhausting season of motherhood. Resetting wasn’t about doing more—it was about being kinder to myself. Mid-year in early childhood, we always pause to reflect. We adjust goals based on where children actually are, not where we hoped they’d be. What if I started offering myself the same grace?
That’s when the real mid-year reset motivation began.
Rewriting the Rules of Progress
There’s something freeing about letting go of the ‘perfect plan.’ The moment I stopped pressuring myself to get “back on track” (because honestly, what does that even mean?), things shifted. I revisited my From Dreaming to Doing worksheet—not for a new five-year plan, just to clear the mental clutter. I asked myself: what still matters, what doesn’t, and what small step fits where I am right now? One of my favourite lessons from teaching is that progress often happens after a pause. A child can seem stuck for weeks—and then suddenly, things click. Not because we pushed harder, but because we paused, reflected, and created space for readiness. That’s exactly what July gave me. Space to let go of feeling “not enough” and to start noticing what’s still possible. I stopped aiming for overwhelming Sunday resets and started embracing smaller resets across the week, a gentle rhythm I created after a particularly chaotic week. Life isn’t reset-and-go. It’s reset-and-breathe.
Choose One Gentle Shift to Focus On
This month, my gentle shift was all about evenings. Evenings had become my personal spiral—binge eating, doom scrolling, collapsing exhausted. But the exhaustion isn’t going anywhere (my toddler still thinks 3am is prime bonding time), so instead of fighting it, I’ve leaned into it. More tea, fewer expectations, grace over guilt. (Yes, extra midnight bathroom trips, but I’m already up anyway.) Accepting that my energy is limited and being mindful of how I feel at night has turned those tricky evenings into moments of calm. I stopped trying to “fix” the day—I just land softly. That’s my current version of mid-year reset motivation. It’s not about overhauling everything. It’s about tweaking one small thing that makes the rest lighter.
Celebrate Quiet Wins to Build Momentum
When nothing big feels like it’s moving, it’s easy to fall into the nothing’s working trap. So lately, I’ve flipped the script and started celebrating quiet wins. Like when my first article was published in Every Child—Australia’s leading early childhood magazine—a milestone quietly brewing in the background. I nearly missed celebrating it amidst daily life, but when I paused, it was proof: slow effort adds up. I’ve started choosing momentum over perfection, tweaking rhythms instead of rigid routines, and prioritising mindfulness over tasks. Juggling motherhood and personal ambitions isn’t easy, but realising it’s okay to feel overwhelmed has helped me shift focus to the little things that count.
Like when my toddler whispers, “Mama, I love playing with you”—it reminds me these goals aren’t just for me, they’re for us. But only if I’m present enough to live them, rather than racing through a checklist.
Tiny steps. Soft structure. Meaningful progress over perfection. Quiet wins like these have become my fuel, helping me notice everything I am doing, not just what’s left. If you’re juggling kids and tasks and sometimes feel like you’re drowning, I promise it’s okay—we’ve all been there.
This Is Your Mid-Year Launch Point
Here’s where I’ve landed:
I’m no longer chasing motivation. I’m creating it—with slow rhythms, realigned goals, and tiny shifts fitting my real life. I’m not where I thought I’d be, but I’m definitely not stuck either. I’m moving. I’m building. I’m learning to trust myself again—even in life’s messy moments.
Ask yourself today:
- What small thing helped me feel more like me lately?
- What part of my routine feels worth rebuilding?
- What can I let go of without guilt?
- What can I honour about who I’ve become this year?
Beneath the forgotten vision board, dishes, and daily noise, you’re still growing. Quietly. Powerfully.
If you’re craving your own mid-year reset motivation, let go of guilt about what hasn’t happened yet. Grieve it, then move. Revisit goals with fresh eyes. Create gentle rhythms over strict routines. And remember, small moments of calm count more than perfect productivity.
If you need gentle guidance, my Regain Control series is always ready—a little bestie pep talk delivered straight to your inbox.
You don’t need a big moment to start again. You just need this one.
Let’s turn your pause into purpose—together.
You’re not behind. You’re exactly where you need to be.
And the rest of the year? It’s still yours.
Sometimes motivation isn’t found in pushing forward—it’s discovered in the softness of letting go, the courage to pause, and the gentle decision to start again.
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