Miss Your Q1 Goals? That's Good Data.

Q1 ended a month ago.

Did you notice?

If you're like most of the high-achievers I work with, you spent the first week of April toggling between two voices in your head: the one tallying what you crushed, and the one cataloging what you didn't. A scorecard. Hit. Miss. Hit. Miss. Pass. Fail.

Here's what I know to be true this week: that scorecard is the wrong tool for the job.

Goals aren't a test. They're a hypothesis. And every good hypothesis delivers data. Loads and loads of data.

You set your goals in January based on what you knew then about the market, about your bandwidth, about what you wanted, about who you were... in January. Q1 is the first round of data on whether that hypothesis still holds. The point of looking back isn't to grade yourself. It's to ask a sharper question once you have more of that data in hand and can ask yourself the most important question:

Are these goals still my goals?

Because you might have missed hitting some of the goals. But... did you miss not hitting them? In other words, do you actually care?

Perhaps -- and hold space in your goal-oriented, performance-trained, gold-star-driven heart for a moment and hear me out -- you didn't miss them, but you outgrew them instead. Maybe you learned something along the way that made the original goal feel small, or off, or disconnected from what actually matters now.

And what about the goals you hit? Were they meaningful... to you? Maybe they were worth hitting. But maybe they simply moved a metric but not your life.

In fact, just yesterday I commented on a Threads post of a woman who asked, "Is it okay if I take a lateral job move if it comports better with my values and the way I'd like to live right now?" My response: "Lateral career move. Upward life move."

That's the work of consonance. It's the alignment between what you do and who you are. And it shifts. It has to! Because, ahem, my friend you are not a stagnant pile of cement. You are a living, breathing, evolving, and expanding human being (not just a human doing, as they say).

The version of you who set those January goals doesn't have access to the version of you sitting here today. Today-You has new information. And Yesterday-You would be very proud if you used it.

So before you white-knuckle your way through Q2 chasing a January wish list that isn't yours (and maybe never was?), take 15 minutes this week and ask yourself:

• Which Q1 goals still feel like mine, and which ones feel like someone else's voice in my head?
• Which "wins" actually moved me toward the life I want, and which were just noise dressed up as progress?
• What did I learn in Q1 that should change what I'm chasing in Q2?
• What would I have set as a goal in January if I'd known then what I know now?

Missing a goal isn't a verdict.
Hitting one isn't either.
The verdict is whether you're still building from what was true four months ago, or from what's true today.

Hit reply and tell me: what's one Q1 "miss" that, looking back, was actually the right call? I read every single one.

New Book Recommendations, Hot Off the Presses

I'm excited to recommend three books to you this week, two about being intentional in the moment, and one about being who you are.

​Moments the Matter by Chris Dyer. You don't need to make every moment count. You need to recognize which ones actually do. My friend Chris Dyer's new book Moments That Matter lays out a framework for identifying the moments that carry disproportionate weight in your career, your relationships, and your leadership, and what it looks like to show up fully when those moments arrive instead of coasting through them on autopilot. If you've ever crushed your goals and still felt like you were missing something, this might be the missing piece.

​Make It Matter - Unlocking Human Potential Through the Mattering Mindset by Matt Emerzian. The Mattering Mindset framework is the foundation for all of the transformational programming we have developed. Here's why I recommend my friend Matt Emerzian's new book: because in a world where distrust, isolation, and a growing sense of insignificance are eroding our workplaces, relationships, and communities, Make It Matter teaches us to be more mindful about the people all around us.

​Conversion Therapy Dropout by Timothy S. Rodriguez. In truth, I don't know Timothy, but I have been listening to his advocacy to protect LGBTQ+ youth at a time when the rights of so many are being eviscerated. An invisible architect behind evangelical Christianity's digital empire, crafting messages of belonging for some of the most influential megachurches, all while secretly questioning his own place within the faith. In a desperate attempt to "fix" himself, he turned to conversion therapy, spending eight years trying to pray the gay away. It didn't work, because of course it didn't. Instead, he forged a new path, discovering a vibrant faith beyond the constraints of non-affirming theology and finding a community that embraced his whole self. In short, he let go of other people's ideas of who he should be and, as a result, became fully himself.

Want to Bring Me in for a Keynote?

I have been so honored to keynote for all manner of organizations this year, from college campuses to associations, to mortgage companies, financial services firms, healthcare providers, and technology solutions companies. If you'd like to bring me in for a keynote, one of the smartest things you can do it work with one of our favorite bureau partners to do so. Working with a speaking bureau doesn't cost you a single dollar more, but gets you a seamless, professional, and reliable contracting process that acts as a free insurance policy for your event.

One of our favorites is Mollie Plotkin of the Mollie Plotkin Group and here's why: Mollie is known for her instinct in pairing the right speaker with the right audience, and has worked with top executives, elite athletes, and globally recognized voices. Her work sits at the intersection of storytelling, leadership, and performance, bridging the gap between industries and audiences. Plus, she's a advocate for women in business, which you know I always appreciate.