As a swimmer tackling an unfamiliar route, I will often lift my head to sight where I am going. Sometimes I stop for a moment to take in the scenery. And sometimes, if I’m being completely honest, I stop to figure out where the hell I am.
The halfway point of a year feels a little like that. A mid route reflection.
It’s an opportunity to pause, look around, and check in with ourselves.
Where am I?
How did I get here?
Am I still heading in the direction I intended?
Or have the currents quietly carried me somewhere unexpected?
The first six months of 2026 have certainly felt that way for me. There have been moments of flow and moments of resistance. Times when things unfolded beautifully and times when life seemed determined to rewrite the plan.
As I reflect on the year so far, I am struck by how many conversations I’ve had with clients who are asking similar questions. Relationships are changing. Businesses are evolving. Priorities are shifting. The familiar landmarks no longer seem quite so familiar.
Perhaps this is simply part of being human.
What I’ve come to appreciate is that there is wisdom in pausing.
Not because we need all the answers.
Not because we need a perfect plan.
But because taking a moment to look around allows us to reconnect with what matters most.
The older I get, the more I realise that alignment is not about certainty. It is about honesty.
Honesty about where we are.
Honesty about what is working.
Honesty about what is no longer working.
And honesty about what our hearts are quietly asking of us next.
Like swimming an unfamiliar route, life rarely unfolds in a perfectly straight line. We sight. We adjust. Sometimes we stop and admire the view. Sometimes we stop because we have absolutely no idea where we are.
Then we take a breath and continue.
As we move into the second half of 2026, perhaps the invitation is simply to pause for a moment and look around.
Not to judge where we are.
Just to notice.
And from that place, choose our next direction.
With Love
Marléne
Self & More Coaching
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