There's a particular kind of clarity that comes at the end of a quarter, when you stop long enough to look back.
I've been doing that this week. What I found wasn't dramatic, exactly, but the lessons were more connected than I expected. Three months, three things learned, one thread running through all of it.
Here's my honest Q1 report.
January: Name what brings you joy. Then act on it.
We got a puppy at the end of last year, and January was our first full month with her. Her name is Pippa Joy. I put "Joy" in her name on purpose, because I'm at a stage of life where I'm paying deliberate attention to what actually brings joy into my life. This puppy sure does.
Refocusing on joy might sound small. It isn't. Most of us in the more senior stages of career have spent decades making choices based on what's smart, strategic or expected. Asking "does this bring me joy?" can feel indulgent. I'm here to tell you it's not.
Pippa is exhausting and wonderful and has completely upended my sleep schedule. She is also, unequivocally, a joy. Starting the year with her — and with an intentional emphasis on joy — set a tone I didn't expect to carry all the way through Q1.
My takeaway is this: Name the things that actually bring you joy. Not the things that should, but the things that actually do. Then look at how your choices stack up against that list. You’ll likely see some misalignment that you can begin to rectify.
February: Work can be redesigned. Really.
Back in October, I started planning a shift in how I work. By February, that plan had evolved into something better than I imagined: less operational stress as a business owner and more focus on the coaching work I love and on building my content creation skills.
The shift was less about adding things than letting go of them. I'd been carrying more operational weight than was good for me or the business, and it was crowding out the work I'm actually here to do.
What I know now: You can redesign your work at any stage, including in senior career, even if it takes longer than you planned and looks different than you expected. The work life that emerges from honest reflection and willingness to make brave choices will be even better than you anticipate.
If your career situation is no longer working for you, don’t be afraid to reimagine what you’ve built. It may be time to renovate — or to create something entirely different.
March: Honest accounting matters more than ambition.
This one took the most courage to write.
For about two years, my family has been navigating health challenges, including some of my own. Everyone is stable. We're OK. But I've finally admitted something I'd been resisting: Being present at home when challenges arise takes energy. A lot of it. And I no longer want to run as hard professionally when my personal reserves are depleted.
That's not a shortcoming. That's reality. And that’s honesty. It completely changed how I'm thinking about what comes next.
The culture most of us built our careers in celebrates stamina. Saying yes to all the things and working around the clock to get ahead. At earlier career stages, that trade-off may be worth it. At more senior stages, I'm not sure it is. You don't get more energy by pretending the drain isn't there. You get less.
What I'd offer you: Do an honest energy audit. Not just your calendar, but what's actually drawing from your reserves. You need less of that and more of what fills you up. Even if that means working less. It’ll be more effective (and more sustainable) in the long run.
What Q2 looks like from here
I'm heading into Q2 with more clarity than I've had in awhile. Not because everything is sorted, but because I stopped pretending it was.
The thread running through all three months is the same: honesty first. Honesty about what brings me joy, what work actually fits, and what it costs me to carry the things I’m carrying. That's the foundation. Everything else gets built on top of it.
If any of this resonates, I'd love to hear what Q1 taught you. Head over to The Bespoke Life Network, my community for conversation and connection, to discuss.
