In January, I published my annual list of goals. It’s a process I like to go through at the start of each calendar year to help me ground and root in my vision for the months to come. Although the halfway mark of 2024 is behind us, I decided to do a little check-in with myself to track my progress and reorient to that vision. I’m sharing it with you as encouragement to reflect on and celebrate your own wins. When you spend a bit more time looking inward, you discover what you truly want — and you can design a life of fulfillment and alignment.

Without further ado, here’s where I sit ~halfway through the year.

2024 Goals

High-Level Guiding Word: Intention

High-Level Guiding Phrase: The next year of my life will be filled with joy, physical and mental health, financial success, generosity and beautiful experiences with people I care deeply about.

Personal Wellness

Guiding Phrase: I will prioritize my mental and physical wellness to help me show up as my best self in other areas of my life.

3-5 Goals:

1. Go to workout classes (cycle, yoga, barre) 3-5x/week.
2. Build movement (stretching, walking) and/or getting outside into each day.
3. Book one big wellness item/month (massage, facial, body wrap, sound bath, etc.)
4. Go to one extended wellness retreat.
5. Go to therapy/life coaching 2-3x/month.

Half-Year Update:

1. In the weeks that I haven’t been traveling or sick, I’ve been hitting at least 3-5 workout classes pretty consistently. During the summer months, I sometimes swap out classes for long walks or runs outside (delightful).
2. I’ve been stretching or taking a short dog walk every day. GO ME! Although my body could definitely use longer stretching sessions, I’m meeting myself where I’m at right now. There’s always room for more movement — especially flexibility and balance work.
3. I’ve definitely booked and participated in my fair share of self-care. I’ve gotten lots of massages and facials. And I’d like to commit even more to my mental and spiritual health through the end of the year, with soundbaths, guided meditations, and other intuitive practices that call to me.
4. I haven’t been on my wellness retreat yet, but this is a good reminder to make it a priority in the second half of the year!
5. I’ve been consistently going to therapy twice a month, which feels like the right cadence for me. It’s easy to fit it into my schedule and monumentally important, as I’ve navigated a lot of big life changes this year.

Overall, I’m happy with my commitment to my wellness goals, and I’m proud of myself for prioritizing this area of my life. It’s the foundation for every other facet of life, and each time I invest in myself, I learn to love myself even more.

Relationships

Guiding Phrase: I will prioritize showing up authentically with people who energize me.

3-5 Goals:

1. Spend time with friends and family who make me feel loved and accepted.
2. Pay attention to the people who drain my energy or make me feel judged and de-prioritize those relationships.
3. Share more vulnerably with the people around me who provide a safe space.
4. Express my feelings and opinions openly and without reservation.

Half-Year Update:

1. I’ve had lots of quality time with people who make me feel loved and accepted.
2. I’ve actively deprioritized connections with people who leave me feeling drained or unhappy. There’s still room to improve here, though. I tend to feel guilty for setting that boundary.
3. I could make more of an effort to share vulnerably. I have a tendency to turn down opportunities to share about my past and the trauma I’ve experienced. I’m staying curious about why that is.
4. It’s getting much easier to express how I’m feeling and share my opinions before they feel “perfect.”. No one is perfect. Our thoughts and feelings are fallible, just like us. I’m letting that messiness be, even when it feels icky. And guess what? Many people have made space for my messy sharing, and even appreciated it.

This category is an ongoing journey, but I’m happy with my progress. It’s a good reminder to practice vulnerability,prioritize myself, and invest in people who energize me even more!

Money

Guiding Phrase: I will build wealth and businesses that support my lifestyle and allow me to be generous to others.

3-5 Goals:

1. Hit annual revenue goal from all income streams.
2. Make one big investment (real estate or tech).
3. Grow my personal and Harlow online community (grow to 50k+ followers, 10k+ newsletter subscribers).
4. Partner with 8-10 consulting clients who align with my work values.
5. Donate at least $10k to charities (cancer, supporting children/youth).

Half-Year Update:

1. As of July 1, I was 43% to my income goal for 2024. Not bad! We also ramped up our consulting business at the beginning of the summer, so I have full faith that I’ll hit or exceed this goal.
2. It feels wild returning to this one. Surprise! I’m currently in the process of buying a house. Big investment — check. I’ve also invested in a company called the QwikFix, a marketplace connecting real estate agents to contractors during the home inspection process. I guess I’m deep in real estate and real estate tech investments this year!
3. Right now we’re at ~30k followers across all of Harlow’s social accounts, although it feels like cheating to count the platforms we don’t use on a regular basis. And we just hit 4k newsletter subscribers. Newsletter subscribers are growing quickly at ~700 subs per month, but even at current pace, we’re on track to miss both of these goals. I just added “ideate on growing social and newsletter subs FASTER” to my list for next week.
4. I’ve worked with three clients this year, but we’ve raised our rates, so it sort of evens out! I have a feeling I’ll end up working with ~6-7 by EOY. And, good news — *most* client work has felt aligned, and like I’m collaborating with people who respect my expertise.
5. I’m at ~$7k in donations to charity YTD and that feels good. All of this money has gone to charities that work to make children’s lives better, which is typically my main donation priority. I’m sure I’ll find some other events to sponsor or participate in as the year rounds out.

Overall, I’m behind pace here on a few of these goals. BUT things have been shifting. Our clients have gotten bigger, our revenue has ramped up, and we’re building momentum with our newsletter. I’m eager to see where I land by year-end.

Fun

Guiding Phrase: I will spend ample time enjoying the things that feel good to me.

3-5 Goals:

1. Take 10+ trips with people I care deeply about.
2. Visit at least five new places.
3. Live in accordance with *my* wants and needs.
4. See at least two new artists in concert.
5. Try one activity that I’ve never done before (skydiving, bungee jumping, new sport, etc.).

Half-Year Update:

1. YTD I’ve already taken 12 trips, which is hilarious to me. I’m averaging ~2/month. I’m happy to report that *most* (like, 90%) of them were meaningful and fun. Lots of memories have been made.
2. Of the 12 trips, only ~2.5 (.5 because of a half-day stopover) have been to new places. BUT, spoiler alert, I have three trips coming up in the next couple of months that are to new places. So fun. I’ll hit this goal.
3. I have very much been prioritizing the lifestyle I want over what others think is normal and acceptable, and that feels great. I’ll admit, my pace gets a *bit* fast sometimes, so I’m also spending time investigating what I truly want and need.
4. I hit this concert goal! I saw Yellowcard, Third Eye Blind, Billy Joel & Maren Morris. This was my first time seeing all of them live.
5. I don’t think I’ve hit this goal yet. No truly new activities are coming to mind. To the drawing board on this one!

Overall, I’m having plenty of fun. I’m pacing way beyond most of these goals. If you know me, that’s not a surprise.

Half-Year Reflection

It really does feel like I’m living the intentional life that I envisioned for myself back in January. I’m doing the things that I want to do, and it feels great. I’m prioritizing the people who fill my cup, taking care of my body and mind, having fun, growing our business, and cultivating my personal finances at a steady pace.

I’m looking forward to my end-of-year reflection, but not just because I enjoy charting my progress against tangible goals. It’s an opportunity to see how my mindset has shifted over the course of a year, and identify what’s most important to me heading into 2025.

I hope this offers you some inspiration as you chart your own goals and plan the rest of your year. Everyone’s process looks different. Whether you draw up a clear list of intentions, like me, or periodically check in with your heart more organically, the ultimate benefit is self-awareness. Intentions and self-inventories help remind us of what matters. They help us live in alignment. And when we live in alignment, we’re living our truth.

This is a guest post contributed by Indiana Lee. Indiana Lee is a freelance writer from the Pacific Northwest who often writes about business, leadership, and marketing. Connect with her on LinkedIn.

Freelancing is one of the most flexible and personally enriching paths you can follow, so people often think of it as the antithesis of corporate life, which can be more rigid. However, it’s wise to not throw the baby out with the bathwater. There are components of traditional business that can help freelancers not only stay in demand, but hit their career goals. One of these is strong branding.

Personal branding for freelancers is a tactic that helps you stand out among the growing crowd of independent professionals. By building an aspirational brand that represents where you want to be a year or even a decade from now, you can attract aligned clients and find opportunities that help you actualize that vision.

Clarify Your Objectives

Clarity is key when it comes to aligning your brand and your career aspirations. Having a clear vision gives you a goal to move toward. So when it comes to building your brand, the first step is to set clear objectives.

You can begin by creating a long-term career plan. This isn’t just an idea of where you want to be in a few years. It’s a structured roadmap that outlines the practical actions and milestones that will help you get there. Here are some of the elements of a solid career plan:

• Self-assessment: Take an honest look at where you currently are in your career journey. Think about your interests alongside your relative strengths and weaknesses from a skills and attributes perspective. Importantly, highlight where you want to go from here, in both the short and long term.
• Skill development: Do some research into the skills, certifications, and attributes needed for the career goals you’d like to reach. It’s also wise to look into possible mentorships and on-the-job experiences that might help you. You can then plot out which to pursue along your plan timeline.

While there are more actions to explore, these are two of the most useful for personal branding.

Build Your Expertise Narrative

It’s often helpful to think of branding as a form of storytelling. The way you create a narrative about who you are, where you are, and where you want to be can open up opportunities. In particular, aim to build a narrative that highlights your growing expertise and why you’re a valuable contributor to the types of projects that would most positively influence your path.

Your career plan can act as a roadmap for your journey — though it’s wise to stay open to detours along the way — and you can tell the story of this journey as your expertise develops with each milestone.

Here are some ways:

Maintain a regular blog about your experiences 

Write about the types of projects you’ve been pursuing on your path. Explore how these have affected your perspectives on your industry or role. This type of asset effectively tracks your progress, demonstrates self-awareness and consistency, and can act as a unique portfolio of projects to share with potential clients.

Keep a reliable social media schedule 

Use your social media channels to promote your expertise. A recent study found that 42% of freelancers use social media to find work. You can share your blog posts alongside content from other thought leaders in your industry, post images of your projects on Instagram and LinkedIn, and create videos with tips and insights you’ve gained from your journey.

Remember to not only focus on your successes. Discuss your challenges too. Highlight what you’ve learned from them and how they helped you develop and innovate. For example, it’s well-documented that your job can affect your mental health, especially when it comes to burnout. Other freelancers and professionals can benefit from hearing how you navigate the mental health challenges of the modern work world.

You’ll find your self-awareness not only makes you more relatable to other freelancers who may share your content, but it demonstrates authenticity, which engenders trust from clients and peers.

Seek and Leverage Relevant Collaborators

Aligning your personal brand with your aspirations is not something you need to do on your own. Yes, you’ll be strategizing and driving your efforts, but others can help you along the way. Seek relevant contributors to your personal brand development, and leverage them to influence your career.

One way to start immediately is to make meaningful connections through networking. The digital landscape means that freelancers can network worldwide and even gain international clients. Your commitment and authenticity can open you up to a diverse range of partners who can offer opportunities to boost your career and spread the word about your personal brand.

When reaching out to new contacts, be sure to personalize all of your communications — emails, DMs, and more. Research recipients’  backgrounds so you can make the content of your communications more relevant, showing genuine consideration for their interests and activities. Also, don’t be afraid to clearly state your career aspirations. This helps people to determine how they can best support you. Be considerate of their time and aim for mutually beneficial outcomes.

Aligning your personal brand with your aspirations helps you create a solid freelancing business and set your sights on aligned goals. This doesn’t mean you’re shackled to the career aspirations you identify now, though. Remember to take the time to regularly review your needs, so you can adjust your personal brand accordingly as you find your true north.