As we began 2009, I wrote a Game Plan column challenging my readers to go a little deeper at a time when there are a lot of financially and emotionally troubled folks in this nation. Well, we’ve just passed the halfway point of the year and that means it’s time to check in.

Have you gone inward yet?

I know this sounds all Zen and New Age-y and that’s not for everyone, but truly this is a very basic concept. It means that your life can be vastly improved if you invest the time and energy into understanding yourself a little better. Clear cut, right?

If you have clutter in every corner of your house, it’s probably not about laziness. Dig in and ask yourself what’s going on. If you can’t stop thinking about food and are constantly picking, it’s not just about eating too much. Dig in and ask yourself what’s going on. If you are frequently sniping at people you love, it’s not about them. Dig in and ask yourself what’s going on. Fear? Loneliness? Discontent? Anger?

One area that particularly seems to need attention these days is the “just getting by” syndrome. So many people seem to be running on automatic pilot. Why would anyone settle for simply surviving day to day?

Of course sometimes the answer in this economy is necessity. Maybe you took a job to bring in a paycheck because there’s a bigger purpose than just self-fulfillment. Or you’ve stayed in an unsatisfying job for too long for that same reason – paying your bills and caring for your family’s needs is front and center. While that’s understandable, it should also be looked at as temporary, as part of a transition plan. In other words, what steps are you taking to make sure you’re back on your own priority list at some point in the near future? Otherwise your unhappy self is going to make everyone around you miserable. Don’t believe me? Just ask them.

In another popular scenario, I recently met with a former client who was marveling that he hadn’t completely accomplished any of the five goals we had set when we began our coaching series a year and a half ago. I had to laugh, considering he has worked so hard creatively and in a networking capacity that his vision for a Broadway musical is much closer to becoming a reality. Not too shabby, right?

But his story is a good example of how a list can do a number on some people. Let’s look at that. Have you knocked off anything from your bucket list this year? Your goals list? Your resolutions list?

Nothing on all of the above? Hmmmmmm. Are you instead using a list to beat yourself up? Or to hold up some random measure to yourself? Well, maybe it’s time to tear it into tiny little pieces. It may have lost its relevance. Creating a list can often be a starting point to just get you living.

However, if you look at the list and it still makes you nod your head that yes, this would improve my life if done, well, there’s still half a year to make some progress. Look inward at why you haven’t done anything the first six months of the year. What’s behind that? If the issue is time, make some. Not unrealistic, self-sabotaging blocks of six hours, but blocks of 30 minutes or an hour that you set aside and keep sacred.

There are so many of us who have found ways to enjoy life in small ways that add up to big rewards. I loved that author Janet Evanovich told me she takes “20-minute vacations” because she maximizes the environment she has created in and around her home. I took myself to task earlier in the year for not taking advantage of the myriad cultural offerings in and around New York City and now feel immersed in it. A simple switch and it feels great.

So what’s this year been like for you, specifically you? What have you done this year that you are proud of? If you’re putting something off, it’s in anticipation of what? What do you know about yourself that you didn’t in 2008?

Come on, go deep. It’s a real kick.

Nancy Colasurdo is a practicing life coach and freelance writer. Her Web site is www.nancola.com. Please direct all questions/comments to FOXGamePlan@gmail.com.