Here's an Important Reminder: Not Everything Needs to Be Decided Right Now
One of the things I’m actively resisting this month is what I think of as the January effect: pressure.
January has a way of amplifying the sense that decisions need to be made — quickly and definitely. And while pressure shows up all year long in life, business, and money, I’m reminding myself that not everything needs to be decided right now.
This leads me to how I spent my weekend…
One of the things I often remind my clients and prospects of is how the work I do with them isn’t just about theory. I’m in the trenches applying the same strategies and ideas I’m recommending to them — in my own business. (Personally, I think it’s one of the reasons I’m able to ride the ups and downs they experience alongside them with genuine empathy — while also being to them the voice of reality like Mr. Berthoud was to me.)
As I mentioned last week, my three words for 2026 are: Re-Imagine. Re-Build. Experiment.
This weekend, I was head-down working on the “experiment” part — on the heels of mapping out my strategic priorities and goals for Q1. No, I’m not overhauling my entire business in one fell swoop. Rather, I’m adjusting one decision point and paying attention to one aspect of my business at a time.
This weekend, I honed in on tweaking my discovery call process for prospective coaching clients. An exercise that aligns perfectly with provisional thinking, aka: “the practice of holding ideas, knowledge, or plans as temporary and open to revision.”
One of my many lessons and takeaways from 2025 is the power that comes from holding things lightly.
What goals, timelines, plans, or expectations might 2026 be inviting you to hold lightly?
Where in your life, in your business (or career), and with your money, might provisional thinking help you move the needle forward?
The Discovery Call Experiment
So, what did I tweak?
I tweaked the framing of the discovery call, the questions, the pacing — and, importantly, who it’s for. No more hedging.
Why am I experimenting?
I’m curious about how the revised process will affect how both prospects and I experience getting to know each other — how quickly alignment becomes clear, and how it impacts my energy.
But what sparked this curiosity was feedback — from two different sources.
When I reviewed my data from last year — along with trends regarding who was scheduling discovery calls and my conversion rates — it made me recall a conversation with a friend. He and I often talk about business during our walks in the park and during one such walk this fall, he said, “you’re asking too much, too soon.”
I respect his perspective regarding business, in general. But particularly so when it comes to sales since he once led a sales team for a financial institution.
So while I heard him, I wasn’t ready to really hear him. Can you relate?
After all, I’ve been using the same process for years and clearly it worked! But his point was: Could it work better?
That’s what this experiment is intended to answer, in due time. It’s what I’m watching for (not just outcomes, but information I can turn into insight).
Back to My Three Words
By being willing to question what I’ve been doing for years, I demonstrated being willing to question the default. (Re-Imagine)
By taking the time to adjust the structure (and improve it, if I do say so myself), I was demonstrating how re-building doesn’t always mean tearing things down.
By remembering that all experiments are about gathering data without judgment, I’m reminding myself how this isn’t an exercise to optimize, but to understand it better first.
This is me not just talking about my three words, but living them — re-imagining, re-building, and experimenting — in real time.
A pretty meaningful way to end the first full week of 2026.
Where might you benefit from not deciding yet — and from treating something in your life, business, or money as provisional instead?
About Jacquette
I love to ask questions and spark aha moments. I love to talk about why success with money is about more than just the numbers, and how the cultural impact on the intersection of money, business, and life matters–A LOT! And, I really hope I help people feel seen, heard, and not judged—especially since money is emotional and personal.
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