Why do high achievers start every year the same way - with bigger goals, higher standards, and more discipline - only to feel just as exhausted by February? Because you’ve been taught that change happens when the calendar flips. That success requires fixing what didn’t work and finally getting it right. But here’s what no one’s telling you: real change doesn’t start with another goal. It starts with an honest look at where you actually are. Most of us enter the New Year already thinking about what we should be doing differently. What needs to be fixed. What standards need to be higher. But this episode isn’t about making you better. It’s about walking you into a more honest relationship with yourself so you can actually create change that lasts. In this solo episode, I’m sharing how I approach the New Year with my clients, and it’s the opposite of what you’ve been taught. We’re looking back first, mining for data about what actually worked and what didn’t, before we ever look forward. Because clarity creates better choices. And when you know better, you can do better. Here’s what most high achievers don’t understand about the New Year: nothing changes when the calendar flips. You don’t become a different person on January 1st. Real change starts with reflection, not resolution. If you’re already thinking about what you should be doing differently in 2026, pause. Because the truth is, most of you don’t need another goal. You need a more honest relationship with yourself. You need to look back at 2025 with curiosity instead of judgment, and mine for the data about what actually worked and what didn’t. This episode walks you through powerful reflection questions designed to create clarity. Clarity creates better choices. When you know what patterns continued despite your best intentions, where your effort didn’t equal fulfillment, and what you’re done tolerating, you can actually make different decisions moving forward. The cost of skipping this reflection? Another year of chasing goals that don’t align with who you actually are. Another year of achieving things that don’t make you feel the way you thought they would. Another year of exhaustion without fulfillment. Ready to Stop Chasing Goals That Don’t Actually Fill You Up? If you listened to this episode and recognized yourself in these patterns - the over-functioning, the waiting for permission, the achieving without feeling, the overriding your intuition - it’s time for a reset. The Congruency Audit is where we look at the gap between the success you’ve built on the outside and what you’re actually feeling on the inside. We’ll identify the exact patterns keeping you stuck in cycles of exhaustion and achievement without fulfillment, the identity beliefs driving your behavior, and what it’s going to take for you to finally create success that feels as good on the inside as it looks on the outside. This isn’t about adding another goal to your list. It’s about getting honest about what’s true for you and starting to live from that truth. Because when you’re congruent, success stops being something you chase and becomes who you are. Book your free Congruency Audit: lisacarpenter.ca/audit Connect with Lisa Website: lisacarpenter.ca Podcast: lisacarpenter.ca/podcast Instagram: @lisacarpenterinc LinkedIn: Lisa Carpenter Walk the Camino: lisacarpenter.ca/camino Leave a Review: 1. Scroll down past the episodes to Ratings & Reviews. 2. Tap Write a Review (it’s easy to miss — purple text on a black screen). 3. Sign in with your Apple ID if prompted. 4. Select your star rating, add a title and your review, then tap Send.