A Mid-Year Life Audit to Realign Your Goals ✨

Yesterday, I celebrated my birthday in London. After a pub night on Friday (complete with a birthday cake and candles!) I spent Saturday with friends bopping from cafe to cafe, sipping iced lattes and sampling pastries from the cutest coffee spots we could find. It was truly a dream—especially as someone who lives for a cute cafe and a sweet treat. But the loveliest thing of all was sharing it with new friends, and having the opportunity to share new hopes and dreams with them for another trip around the sun.

I consider birthdays a second New Year. It’s a time to be introspective and reflective, and a perfect opportunity to tweak the vision you have for your life, or in my case—completely overhaul it. It doesn’t have to be your birthday to do this, of course, and funnily enough, I actually think now is a perfect time to do a check-in with yourself and your goals. It’s almost June, halfway through 2026! I typically do a solo outing with a journal for my birthday and dump all my thoughts onto the page, but what a gift to be able to do it with a group this year, in London of all places. Whether your birthday is coming up, or you’d just like to take some time to check in with those resolutions you set for yourself in January, here are the questions to ask yourself, journal about, and share with the ones you love most over the long weekend.

First things first, remind yourself of where you were at the beginning of this year. What was on your mind? What did you envision for yourself this year? No judgement allowed! More often than not, my goals shift and change, and I realize I’m on a slightly skewed path than the one I set out on in January. This is never a bad thing, especially because I usually realize what I thought I wanted wasn’t what I needed. Or it might just mean I have to lock in a little more, and in both cases, this only means new and exciting things ahead.

For me personally, the beginning of this year was miserable. When I finally got real with myself, I realized I felt stuck, bored and unfulfilled. I was basically having daily crash outs, and my prayer became “I gotta get out of here. Please get me out of heeeere.” Who knew that six months later, I’d be writing this from a tiny flat in London, almost halfway through my program at RADA. I’m so proud of myself for taking action, making moves, and doing it all scared because wow, has it all been so worth it. The change has been monumental, and I’m so excited for what’s to come!

I had never heard this until yesterday, when one of my cutie friends asked me during our cafe crawl. Thinking back on the last six months (or the last year if you’re doing the birthday version of this), what is the best thing that happened to you, and the worst? This is the rose and the thorn, and my hypothesis is that there’s a good chance they’re linked in some way. Perhaps not always, but the rose and the thorn were definitely linked for me as I mulled over my answers.

There have been so many roses for me since last May (12 weeks of The Artists Way, a bakery, a mail club, blonde hair!), but the very subtle thorn was quiet longing. I wanted something more and I wasn’t even really aware of it…until I was. The biggest thorn (actually admitting to myself I was unhappy and unfulfilled) led to the biggest rose (getting accepted to RADA and moving to London). A dream!

Take into account your own rose and thorn, as well as the intentions you set in January, then make some changes if you need to. Maybe you’ve realized you actually don’t want the thing you wanted six months ago. Maybe you realize the dream is going to take a bit more time, so you can break it into smaller pieces. Maybe you discovered something new and want to focus on that instead. Or perhaps your intention is still the same, you’re proud of yourself for what you’ve achieved and you just keep trucking. Remember that wherever you are now is perfect, and you can always begin again, literally at any time. Phew!

Finally, we all get a wish when we blow out our birthday candles, but a sweet friend asked what my three birthday wishes are for the year ahead—and I just love that. There are no limits to wishes, of course, but I found something extra lovely in picking three. Whether you’re thinking of a full calendar year, or the next six months ahead, what are three things you’d like to see manifest for you?

If I’ve learned anything about wishes and manifesting, it’s that the sky is the limit, and you might as well wish for something big. Not only is it literally free to wish, daydream and ask the cosmos for what you want—but you might just get exactly what you ask for, if you believe you’re deserving of it.

I hope you found this helpful, especially if you want to get a little introspective over this long weekend! It’s Memorial Day weekend in the states, and we have a bank holiday here in the UK, so I’m off on Monday too. There’s also a heatwave, which has me fighting for my life tbh—bring back the 60 degree days! Try as I might, I’m not a summer girlie. I’m off to Primark to get some more warm weather clothing (I didn’t pack enough, eeeek!) Sending loads of love!

xx, Kristen

To join the Cozy Vibes Mail Club for SUMMER, tap here!

To become a paid subscriber for the digital version of the Cozy Vibes Mail Club, as well as exclusive personal essays, guides and vibes, tap the button below!

To be friends on Instagram, tap here!

To be friends on TikTok, tap here!