So I marked another trip around the sun and land at this middle-of-the-year moment, and decided to make myself a few midyear/birthday reset goals. And I just saw this fun fact as well – July 2, 2025 was not just the middle of the year, but the heart of a half-century. Which means, today, Thursday, July 3, 2025 is closer to 2050 than to 2000 – that Y2K thing is now truly a thing of the past!

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13 Midyear Birthday Reset Goals

for a year of intention, connection, and creative flow

✍️ Write one poem a week — even if it’s messy.

I’ll write one poem a week — scribbled on napkins, typed in my very active notes app, or murmured into voice memos. I should remember – don’t edit too soon. These poems don’t need to be polished — just true.

Reads to accompany:

• A Poetry Handbook by Mary Oliver
• I’m Just No Good at Rhyming: And Other Nonsense for Mischievous Kids and Immature Grown-Ups 

🫶 Be fully present for small, unrepeatable moments.

I want to notice the curl of steam from my morning chai, the way light spills across the floor, the sound of someone’s laugh. I’ll let wonder become a daily habit.

Reads to accompany:

• The Book of Delights by Ross Gay (his books never fail to awe, inspire, or delight me).
• Seize the Power to Make the Moments Matter

💌 Keep in touch with loved ones — call, write, text, or simply check in.

I’ll call, text, send postcards, or drop a voice note while walking. I don’t need a reason to say “I’m thinking of you.” I’ll let affection ripple in everyday ways.

Reads to accompany:

• The Art of the Handwritten Note by Margaret Shepherd
• Tiny Beautiful Things by Cheryl Strayed
• The Magic of the Handwritten Note
• How to Write a Letter to the Elderly and Why

🙏 Count your blessings — aloud, in a journal, or just quietly before bed.

Every night, I’ll name three specific things I’m grateful for. Nothing too big but still specific: “The smell of tomato vines,” “That one kind cashier,” “My friend’s goofy text.” Gratitude will be part of my rhythm.

Reads to accompany:

• The Little Book of Gratitude by Robert Emmons
• The Gratitude Diaries by Janice Kaplan

📣 Learn to make peace with progress over perfection – again and again.

I’ll share the blurry photo, the messy first draft, the in-progress thought. I’ll resist the urge to hide behind polish. Imperfect is enough. Becoming is beautiful.

Reads to accompany:

• Show Your Work! by Austin Kleon
• The Gifts of Imperfection by Brené Brown.

🌲 Walk in nature twice a week — phone tucked away.

I’ll walk outside twice a week, phone tucked away. I’ll find my “spot” and return to it, where I’ll simply be – watch how the seasons shift by walking the same trail through the year – and let nature reset me.

Reads to accompany:

• How to Walk by Thich Nhat Hanh
• A Guide to Forest Bathing (NPR)
• How to Do Nothing by Jenny Odell

🧠 Follow What Sparks Wonder

I’ll learn something new — a poetic form, a dish, a fact, a dance move — without needing it to be “useful.” I’ll collect moments of curiosity and let joy be my compass.

Reads to accompany:

• The Creative Act: A Way of Being by Rick Rubin
• Lynda Barry’s Syllabus and other books too (Sure to inspire you to create)
• Daily Inspiration: 13 Ways to Be Creative Everyday

🏆 Celebrate quiet wins — the little ones that whisper, not shout.

Finished a book? Didn’t interrupt my inner critic? Cleaned a drawer? I’ll pause, light a candle, or do a small fist pump, note it down in a victory journal. The little victories matter.

Reads to accompany:

• Atomic Habits by James Clear

🌅 Start and end the day without screens at least twice a week.

I’ll start and close some days in stillness — 30 minutes of quiet, light-watching, journaling, or reading. I want to reclaim the softness of the bookends of my days.

Reads to accompany:

• Digital Minimalism by Cal Newport
• The Art of Stillness by Pico Iyer

🗓️ Plan weekly pockets of joy — a mini adventure, a treat, a pause.

I’ll make – maybe Tuesdays of each week- feel like festivals. I won’t wait for a holiday to celebrate life. Joy is reason enough

Reads to accompany:

• Joyful by Ingrid Fetell Lee

🧽 Declutter one tiny space a day — a drawer, a tab group, a thought.

One drawer. One tab group. One lingering thought. I’ll clear space not out of pressure, but to make room for who I’m becoming.

Reads to accompany:

• 5 Things to do in 5 Minutes to Make Our Day Better
• The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning by Margareta Magnusson

🎶 Curate a new soundtrack for this season of life

I’ll make playlists that capture my moods, my memories, my shifts. Music will hold space for me — as movement, memory, and medicine. And I have seen music be all three over the years, repeatedly.

Reads to accompany:

• This Is Your Brain on Music by Daniel J. Levitin
• Listen: To the Amazing Soundscapes All Around Us!

🧭 Explore for the Joy of It

I’ll follow rabbit holes just because it delights me, Google weird questions, watch niche documentaries, and read Wikipedia at 2 a.m – while I am good at that, I feel guilty when I do it (often unintentionally) – so here is to guilt-free, intentional explorations of rabbit holes! Let joy — not guilt — be my compass.

Reads to accompany:

• The Art of Noticing by Rob Walker
• The Anthropocene Reviewed by John Green
• The Edge of Creativity: How to Find Words When Wordless
• What Do You Do With an Idea? by Kobi Yamada
• And of course, Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll

Here’s to messy poems, little joys, fresh starts, and walking into the rest of the year wide-eyed and rooted.

This goes towards Thursday 13 where we make a list of 13 things, anything we wish, and to July’s Ultimate Blogging Challenge.

And Now, the End of this Post

Dear reader, are you thinking of making your own reset goals now? Or maybe you do not worry about them, and just live life, one day at a time. No matter what you are doing – whether you’re crafting reset goals, chasing clouds, clearing drawers, or just trying to remember to drink water and look up at the sky now and then — I’m cheering for you.