So, it’s July. The halfway point of 2014 is here. (I say twenty-fourteen. You? I reverted to my twentieth century ways once we reached 2010, and now it seems cumbersome to hear people say two-thousand-whatever.)

My recent birthday reminded me I’m well past midlife (unless I end up a centenarian), and any funk I may happen to find myself in from here on out cannot be explained away as a midlife crisis.

But can you have a mid-year crisis? All those January hopes and dreams? Where do they stand now? Wilting in the summer heat? Evaporated by now?

I don’t look in the mirror on this July 2nd and see a man six months better than the man I was on January 1st. I’m not exactly a goal-setter, but I haven’t had any systems in place (remember, go for systems over goals) throughout the previous six months that have led to making this year my best ever.

I have upped my reading, and I’ve been consistently writing and posting recently. I have had quality time and fun adventures with my family, and my work life is rolling along just fine.

I know the long game should be my focus. Six months is just six months. I have no regrets. I’ve enjoyed a happy half-year.

I just know with a bit more intention and a more consistent commitment to worthwhile systems and habits, even small ones, I could be further along towards a more excellent life.

I am not facing a mid-year crisis or even a mid-year bad mood. But it is a great time to assess where I stand. What good have I done this year, and what good remains to be done in the half year ahead? Examine your life regularly. Face it squarely. Change what you can. Accept what you can’t. Spend your days wisely.

How we spend our days is, of course, how we spend our lives. -Annie Dillard