25: A Midyear Reset - Goal Setting for Event Professionals

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The middle of the year is actually the perfect time to pause, reflect, and reset. In this solo episode, Kayla walks event professionals through goal-setting inspired by her Event Pro Reset workshop. You’ll reflect on where your energy has gone, reconnect with your core values, and choose one intentional next step for the second half of the year. This is not about adding pressure or creating a massive to-do list... it’s about refocusing, refining, and reclaiming what matters most. 

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Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:05

Hi everyone, it's your host, Kayla Worthy. I'm here with a new episode of the Feel Worthy podcast, and this one I'm super excited about. First, it's the 25th episode of the podcast. So we are now 25 episodes officially in, and that feels like a milestone. That feels like we're getting some traction here, people. We have um hit a new milestone of number of episodes, and I feel like we're finding a rhythm of what the episodes are about, the guests that we're interviewing, the content that we're putting out. I'm super excited that you're even listening to this. I think the stats show that there's people from 29 different countries that have listened to this podcast and from over 150 cities. Like that feels wild. That feels like a dream come true. I had no idea the stats that I would have received from like the back end that used Buzzsprout, if anyone is interested in like starting their own podcast in the future. And it shows you a lot of analytics and details about each episode. I am floored and I'm so honored that you guys are even listening to these episodes. Furthermore, it is an exciting time because can you believe it? We are halfway through 2026. Like six years ago, I couldn't even imagine what 2026 would look like, let alone saying I am in the year 2026 about to really get ready for 2027. And in some businesses, you're, I'm sure, already planning for what the first quarter of 2027 is going to look like. If you're not there yet, don't worry. This is not an episode that's meant to alarm anyone or freak anyone out or put pressure. That is never what I want you to feel when you come to listen to an episode. I want you to feel worthy. I want you to learn different things that will help you feel worthy in your day-to-day life, but then also apply and spill over into having an incredible career, having an incredible partnership with your partner or your family or your friends, and really live an abundant life. So this episode is also great timing because, as I said, we're in the middle of the year and it's launching on July 1st. But July 2nd, 2026 is actually the center of the year. It's the exact midpoint of 2026. So if you're listening to it on July 1st, get ready. This is a great episode to really dive into today, and then it'll start the rest of the year right on track. If you're listening to it after July 2nd or July 1st, don't worry. You can listen to this at any point. The whole purpose of this episode is to hit that reset button. I created a workshop last year that was based off of this idea of I needed a reset. I felt like I had been going for so many years, and maybe it was the mix of pandemic plus being a new mom. I just felt like I was running on all cylinders and I didn't even know where I was going. I had a clear focus for work, right? I knew how to build a timeline for an upcoming event. I knew where we were going. I saw the vision. I was able to cast it to my team. I was able to identify all the milestones to get there. But when I looked at my personal life, I was, I was lost. I was floundering. I was just trying to survive. And while that is admirable and what I needed at the time, right? There's seasons in life where you are just surviving. There are seasons where you're thriving. There's seasons where you're hitting the goals, setting the goals, moving forward fast and full steam ahead. So I've had some grace with myself where I've looked at the past and said, okay, that was a season of survival. And if this is where life finds you, honestly, pause. You don't have to listen to this episode. If it's going to feel overwhelming or daunting at this time, and you're maybe in new stages of parenthood or a new job, or you're moving, which is also a really big daunting task, right now may not be the time to goal set. It may not be the time where you want to reset. But you come back in a couple months, in a week, in a year, and you're like, okay, I think I'm ready for that reset. I'm not ready to go full steam ahead and have like the billion-dollar business tomorrow. But I just want to start maybe running again. Or I want just one goal I can aspire to and keep me motivated personally so that I have something to look forward to in my free time. Maybe it's reading like six books in the next six months. Or you want to maybe you want to start the business. Again, it's not gonna be a million-dollar business tomorrow, but maybe that is what it you've had a dream on your heart for so long. And now's a time where you're like, I can reset, I can zoom out, I can focus. That is what this episode is all about. Usually in the month of January, I am busy planning an annual event in quarter one, and goal setting feels somewhat impossible at that point because I'm head down. My eyes are to the brim with menus and decisions that have to be made and understanding how this one change connected to all the others. As an event pro, it is busy, and sometimes you could be in that season right now. So if you cannot listen to this episode until until December, where I'm in my busy mode, then by all means we will flip-flop and switch places. But if you have a bit of breathing room right now, you want to be able to look at what do I can, what goal can I um not achieve, but attain, attain, I guess would be the word. What do I want to set my sights on for the next six months? Let's let's keep it simple. What do I want to do over the next six months? This episode is for you. You came to a great place. We're gonna be moving and grooving and talking a little bit more about what that looks like and the way that I've goal set and the way that I found my North Star. And I've done it for the last couple years, actually, probably the last three or four years. It's been a hodgepodge of a lot of different um mechanisms that I've seen from different people because I've taken like the smart method. I've taken like obviously working backwards from a goal. I've done a lot of different things and I love, love, love goal setting. But this is something that I found is like the perfect mix of making sure my life is included here, making sure my work is included, really taking a hard look at my life or where I am in the past, present, and then where do I want to go in the future? So I want to share that with you. I would love to hear your takeaways. I would love to hear what works for you. Feel free to send a text message or a voicemail, and we can keep talking more about this topic if you want anything clarified. I'm so happy to do that. So let's officially dive in. My goal is that by the end of this episode, you'll know how to pause, kind of recalibrate, check your energy, reconnect with your values, and choose one intentional step to get to the second half of the year. And not just get through, but to really do it with intention and feeling like you're connected to your personal life and your work life, and the two are working in harmony. So, my first action item for you is you want to create the space to zoom out. Maybe you're listening to this while you're driving, and that's great, but you're going to want to pause this if you really want to apply the action items, the kind of to-dos that I've suggested in this, because it'll help you really look at everything all together in one complete picture. So I'd recommend listening, but then also finding time and carving out space, maybe one hour, maybe two. I honestly would love if you could do like a full, like a full day. Half the day is planning and half the day is doing something for yourself. I love going to like a new coffee shop and finding a new space to be for this vision casting, this mid-year reset, this end of year goal setting, whatever time this finds you in. I love to be able to zoom out and find a space that's different than the space I'm normally in. So if you're always at the office, maybe you're doing it at home. If you're always working from your home office, maybe you're going to a boutique hotel that you haven't been to yet, or a library. I don't know. Find the space that's calling to you to say, hey, I'm going to a new location to try this out. Also include a cute coffee or and I wouldn't include cocktails because you want to be as clear-headed as possible for this. But go to a coffee shop, go get a matcha, smoothie, whatever you desire, and block the time. So at maximum, I would say, let's do four hours. Four hours is probably a good number to hit, or even look at a minimum an hour. You could probably go through this quickly if you're like an action-oriented person, but really be the sweet spot. It's like two hours, two to three hours for this. Okay. So block the time out. Then you're gonna look at your calendar. Look at the last six months. What has drained you? What has given you energy? What do you want more of? And then what do you want less of? I look at this in two big buckets. So work and my personal life. If you have a business that you're working on, if you have a health goal that you're hitting, then you can include those as separate categories. But I try to keep things simple. Especially as event pros, we have so much going on. We could have endless columns and buckets and checklists. But the best thing to do is look at life in those two angles: personal life, work life. And then in those, look at what drained you, what gave you energy, what do you want less of, and what do you want more of? This is just looking at the past. Before you know where you're going, you have to know where you've been. And it isn't to dwell there, it isn't to spend and so much time and ruminate over the things that you wish you could have done or wish you had done. It's just to take a pulse check. We can't go anywhere if we're digging our head into the sand. If you listen to my retreat reflection episode, you would have heard there was this quote that my coach Juliet said, if you don't know where you're going, you'll continue treading water. This is a point where we're resetting. We're no longer treading water. We're having a clear vision of where we want to go. We don't need to add every single thing into this list. We just need to add the right things. And again, we're not even adding or subtracting yet. We're just taking a pulse of where have we been? What meetings have drained you? Maybe there was a situation with a friend that you were like, oh, I didn't like how I felt after that coffee date. Maybe I don't want more coffee dates with this person. Or I had a certain event that didn't go the best, and it's because we didn't zoom out enough. So we're just taking a pulse, all right? So what drained you? What gave you energy? What do you want less of? And what do you want more of? So this is where the adding and subtracting comes in. But it's really focusing on the top two questions. What drained you? What gave you energy? Maybe in your personal life you loved having family time and dedicated family game night, and it happened February 2nd. Okay, there's no reason why you can't have game night more throughout the year, but you wouldn't know if you didn't look. So we're doing an energy audit. That's how we're starting off. I love looking at my calendar, my Google calendar or Microsoft calendar to kind of get an analysis and go through it quickly. You can pretty much scan to see what meetings happened, and you'll quickly remember how you felt during that time and then any big events that were blocked off on your calendar, and then also look through my paper planner. So I have a passion planner, so I have a physical one in which I'll look through as well. So using those materials will help you do that energy audit. Now we're gonna step into the present. We're gonna look at our core values. And when I first ever heard of values, I was like, oh, this feels daunting. What do I value? I don't I don't know. I feel like I value a lot of things, but I simply broke it down to what are my lighthouses? What are the things that I look for at night? And I'm like, ah, okay, I'm going toward you. I know I care about this. I deeply want this to be a part of my life. So that's how I started to really analyze and look at what do I value? What do I care about? What are those things? And I would choose three to five. I love Passion Planner because there's a huge list of values in the front of it. And I can read off some of them to you. And this is not an advertisement for passion planner. It's just a tool that I like to use. You can Google values, you can put it into a LLM, or again, that means like a copilot, Chat GPT. Like just say, give me a list of values, and you want to find one that resonates with you or three to five that resonate with you. I in the middle in the passion planner, there's a page that says uncover your compass, and it's in the newer passion planners. It says identify your values. What values do I embody when I feel the most alive and fulfilled? So there's a list of like at least 40 here. So I'll read some to you to see if they kind of resonate with you. So accountability, achievement, adaptability, altruism, balance, belonging, collaboration, community, contentment, courage, creativity, curiosity, empathy, excellence, freedom, generosity, growth, harmony, health, honesty, hope, humility, integrity, imagination, knowledge, leadership, making a difference, openness, optimism, perseverance, power, respect, responsibility, teamwork, understanding, vision, wealth, well-being, wisdom. There's so many different values. And I know this is where I felt it was daunting at first, where I was like, I don't want to begin to choose. But I really sat with myself and said, like, what do I really care about? And these words kept replaying to me over and over. I'll share with you what mine are and their family. And family includes the people that I've chosen to be family. So my bestest friends are my family. Freedom is big as an Enneagram seven for me in motivation, but also having autonomy at work, having freedom in finances. I love to live my life with a lot of autonomy in general. Like I like to be able to go where I want and do what I want and feel free. Health, wealth, and adventure. Adventure has always been a big one. I love to have an exploration. And it doesn't have to be going to, like I told you in the business retreat episode, I went to London, and that really fills my adventure cup. But it could also just be going to a new part of town and exploring that little area. My son and I love to go to this coffee shop and explore. We've explored the same place five times, but we just like walking around and finding new shops in that um part of town. And it's just been great. So find the values that are meaningful for you. And then these are important for when you're goal setting, because when you're looking at what your goal is or goals for the end of the year, and I would recommend only focusing on one. You don't want all planes, all terrains leaving at once. You really want to focus in on one that will make a big difference, especially because it's six months. You'll accomplish so much more in six months if you're laser focused on one goal. If you're focused on a five, you'll feel like you're drowning very quickly. And this reset will turn into like, I'm actually going to read in my bed forever because I don't want to come out. And we don't want that. We want you to feel, and by we, I mean me. I'm it's I'm I'm the only one back here. Is I want you to feel like it's a reset. I want you to feel like it's a breath of fresh air. Not that it's doom and gloom, and I need to like revolt and go back into hiding. It should feel like you're looking for light and looking for this new achievement that you're gonna be so proud of yourself at the end of the year for. So when you're looking at your values, we want to hone in on them, take some time to reflect on them, and identify what they are. Then we're gonna go into something I like to call the three R's. So it is refocus, refine, and reclaim. This also builds on the core values because you're looking at the refocus, is what matters most? What matters most over these next six months? I'm not asking in the next six years, I'm not asking in the next 60. What matters most in the next six months? Maybe you want to have a better relationship with your family. So family is what comes first. Or your health is something that you need to focus on. I've had family members that have had health scares and they zoomed in and quickly started getting to the gym and starting to eat healthier foods because of that health scare. So that has been their priority for months now. And they are looking and feeling so great. And it's not even about the looking part, it's about how do they feel. So maybe that is what matters most. But identify what that is. So we're gonna refocus. We're gonna look at where we've been, where we are today, and where do you want to go? So, what is going to matter most on December 31st? The confetti is dropping from the sky, the champagne is popping, or you're sipping on your sparkling cider, whatever it is, or you're out on the town, or you're in your cozy PJs with your New Year's Eve little tiara? What exactly is going to be what resonates with you on December 31st? And then you're gonna refine it. What needs to shift? Going back to that first section of the energy audit. What has been draining you? What do you want to not drain you going forward? What do you want to have more of? Do you want more time reading? Do you want more time like getting a massage monthly? That was something I added a couple years ago where I said, Oh, I really need this because my neck it is on fire. And I I know it makes me feel like I have something to look forward to every month. What needs to shift? Maybe it's a meeting or a certain person that you're interacting with. Do you really need to interact with them? Is it mandatory? Are they your boss? And even if it is your boss, could you find a new boss? Maybe it's not at that current job, maybe it's at a different location. And this is not me encouraging you to quit your job. It is me suggesting to take a hard look at what's been draining you and find ways to fix it. And we're gonna reclaim the last part of the three hours to reclaim. What are we reclaiming? Are we taking back our time? Are we taking back our health? What are we claiming to be ours by December 31st? Maybe it is. I want to launch that business. What is the one area that we are refocusing on? We are refining to get there, and that we are claiming as ours for the end of the year. And now that you have that main focus, we're gonna say it's I want to save $600 by the end of the year. Your goal can be very different. It doesn't have to be monetary, it can be starting that business. But December 31st, that is the goalpost. That is the finish line. That is where we're running through the checkered um line. I don't know if it's line or if it's like like a ribbon anymore, but we're running through it and we're saying, ah, I've accomplished the goal. Whatever it is. And like I said, I'm gonna use $600 because it's easy. We are going to work backwards from it. Okay. In this 3R section, we've figured out our one focus. And maybe, maybe if you're Kayla, maybe if you're a little type A and you have a lot of goals and ambition, or maybe you're an achiever and you're in a Neogram 3, you have a lot of goals. You're like, I can do a lot by December 31st. And maybe you can, but we're gonna just choose one, the most important one, and circle it. Maybe there are five things that are on your list, but what is the one thing, if everything else were to remain the same, the one thing you want to absolutely change? What is that goal? It no matter what, even if it is a really big audacious goal, you're making severe, significant traction over it to it in six months. If that is your one focus, what is one that we are focusing on? Okay, maybe it is saving $600. And if we're saving $600, we're gonna reverse engineer that one goal. One goal. And you know, it feels daunting, it feels tricky, it feels like that. I have so much I want to accomplish, but we're gonna pick one because the more laser focused you are on it, everything else will rise. I'm telling you, you will feel a difference. So let's say the goal is saving $600. We're gonna reverse engineer it. Okay, so December, we have $600 saved. November, $500. We're going backwards. Every month we're saving $100. Now we're in July, July 31st. Now I need to save $100 in July. Okay, they're 31 days in July, they're four weeks in July. That's easy math. Okay, I need a hundred dollars in July. 100 divided by four is $25. So every week I am going to save $25. Maybe I'm dog walking, maybe I'm doing some new online business. Perhaps I'm opening up a lemonade stand, selling waters at the pool after swim lessons are over. I I don't know, but I am figuring out how I'm making $25 per week, and that is my weekly goal. And maybe some weeks I make more, maybe some weeks I make less. But my goal is $25 because my overall goal is to save $600 by the end of the year. So reverse engineer, whatever your goal is. Maybe you want to start the side hustle, okay? And I know that's a bigger goal, right? But you could identify the one thing that you're going to sell. You can get the LLC running. And you want to be specific with the goal, right? The goal shouldn't be, I want to just start the side hustle. Because now that I say that out loud, that can mean anything. You can do a lot of things to start the side hustle. You need to get specific with the goal. The goal has to be something tangible, something that you can break apart into pieces. We're going to go to starting this the business because people say that a lot. They want to start the side hustle. But is it that they want to make a certain income? Is it that they want to coach people? Is it that they officially want an LLC with their name on it and they can start running websites for people and making new programs and landing pages? Whatever that is, be specific. The goal and the refocus is something that you're so specific on that you know exactly how you're going to hit it. And maybe you don't know about that today. But this is where you can use the internet. Okay, dare I say it. You can use the internet. You can find another podcast that talks about how to become a salesperson. You can listen to a YouTube video about how to become a yoga instructor and find maybe a local yoga studio that is having courses. You can find the information, but you need to be crystal clear on what you're going to aim toward. And this is not to apply pressure. If you're listening to this, then you have something on your heart that you've been thinking about. Maybe it's being a keynote speaker, maybe it's running a marathon, but get crystal clear on what that is. This is your hour, two hours, three hours to really set the vision for your life. And it's only six months. But if you do it for six months, you can do it for a year and you can repeat it and repeat it and repeat it. But six months is enough time to gain some traction. So you're going to refocus, you're going to refine and you're going to reclaim that goal. You're going to reverse engineer it for the next six months. Okay. You're going to start in December and work your way backwards. Each month is a guidepost. If you can even break it up into each week, even better. And then at the end of this, you're going to now think about what exactly you're going to do for next week. Honestly, plan out the month of July because once you do that, you will be able to know exactly where you're going each and every week. And it won't feel daunting to wake up every day and say, Oh, what am I doing? You can ask ChatGBT co-pilot Claude to create a calendar for you so you know exactly what you're doing every day for the next six months. And some days will change, and that is totally fine. But we are starting with the month of July, and you're starting with this week. What are you going to accomplish? And you're going to write your goal as if it's already happened. By December 31st, I have earned $600. I have saved $600. I have spoken at one old person's home because I am going to be a Kino speaker. I have had my first client by December 31st. Find the one goal, speak it into existence as if it's already happened. It is my one biggest hack for everything. I was listening to music. And there was a lyric that said, so it's by Anderson Pock, and he says, Because if I know I can get it, then I've already had it. So if you know you can do it, right? If you if you speak it as if you've already done it, then you've had it at some point. You've done it. You past you, future you is already like, come on, Kayla, come on, Gabby, come on, Jessica. You can get to that goal. What are we doing about it? How are we getting there? Okay. And then we are going to choose one word for the next six months. What is going to be the mantra for it? Is it going to it could even be the value? It could be health. It can be wealth. It could be adventure. You can use it as a mantra. I will blossom this year. What is going to encapsulate the next six months for you? The momentum that you're getting. Next, look at who or what will support you. Is it that you're getting a coach that is going to teach you how to run the marathon? Is it that you're going to use ChatGPT to keep you accountable and or Claude and have it run a report every day for you so that you know exactly what your mission is every day? Or is it a friend? Maybe you're like, hey, we're going to do accountability check-ins and six months. We got this. What are we doing? How are we cheering each other on over the next six months? And then finally, what are you releasing? Is it guilt for not having done the goal yet? Is it shame for not getting there faster? Is it that you're releasing like negativity? Maybe you're gossiping a lot at work and you're getting rid of that. Or I would say that maybe you're speaking to them less. Maybe you're releasing the stress. Maybe you're finding ways to get through stress better than you have before. That's enough. This is all enough. You are now setting the tone for what the next six months of your life is going to look like. I remember feeling so untethered, and I hated feeling like that. And finding this mixture of practices and doing this every six months made me feel tethered, helped me feel like I was my own person again, that I could be a mom, that I could be a friend, that I could be an event professional, but also be Kayla Karina worthy. Be someone that I was proud of again. And not that I wasn't proud of everything that I had been accomplishing and doing, but I did feel like I was floating and I was so tired of it. This practice helped me reclaim what I wanted, helped me refocus and make sure that I was aiming towards something. This is why I believe in this many year reset. And this was just a taste of what the workshop was like. I'm really thinking about doing the workshop again later this year. Um, also at a different time. It wouldn't be at a typical time of year. So if you're interested in that workshop, let me know. If you want any clarity on this practice, let me know. But this is what I usually do to keep myself in line, to focus. And I've already done it. I'm excited for what the next six months are going to look like. And I really cannot wait. I'm also excited for you because if you've listened to this episode and are at all energized or motivated by it, let me know. I'd love to keep the momentum going with you. I'd love to be your accountability, buddy, pertinent person, partner, and go through this next six months together. Go on the other side of 2027, feeling like we are going to accomplish whatever is on our heart or our dreams. And it could be whatever it is that you want. I truly mean that. It doesn't mean it has to be that you're starting a business. It could be that you maybe travel more or that you start the book that you've been thinking about writing for so long. I'm excited for you. I'm excited for what the next six months are going to look like for all of us. Let me know how this practice is going for you. Let me know what you're gonna accomplish by December 31st. And, you know, go into this next six months feeling stronger, more exhilarated than ever.