I said it before I even thought about what I was saying.  Do you ever have those moments?  No? Then moving on. 

I was at a networking event and was talking to a new friend.  A friend I had met over the phone months before when she asked if I would serve on the board of this organization.  

From the get-go, she had a way about her.  I was drawn to her confidence. Her spunk. Her warmth. For months, I had been thinking that I would choose her as my coach, if I could. 

As the networking event was getting started, she asked a simple question and I blurted out that I would want her to be my coach.  To be honest, I was a little bit horrified at first.  We're still getting to know each other and well, I'm not sure I have all my pennies saved for such a grand gesture.  

What I was sure about is the need to process with someone who could ask good questions and pull things together for me.  She graciously offered to meet with me for a conversation.  I agreed because well, she's fun, and spunky, and confident.  

Before I knew it, we were talking life themes, and patterns and focus. There were new light bulbs going on.

I found clarity right there in the middle of this lobby type area with my bottle of diet coke.  And the clarity that came, it was nothing like what I had envisioned.  And it involved changing, ever so slightly, the story I tell when I talk about my business. It involved choosing my story and your story. It involved listening to my story so that I could learn about what's next. 

And I wonder if, like me, you're wondering about your story.  Where is it leading? Am I really doing what I'm supposed to be doing?  Am i stepping in the right direction?  All good questions. But how do we find the answers? 

Ask for what you need

Maybe not the way I did.  But our people?  They don't know what we need until we express it. Expressing our need gives us ownership of doing the next thing. Well, expressing our need just helps us. 

As I blurted all this out to my new friend, I had no idea where it would go.  But as I sat and talked with her today and processed my heart out loud, I found peace. And clarity. And the ability to embrace my unique story. The story that God is writing.  The story that God is asking me to live fully in the middle of my everyday life. 

It all started with an ask.  It started with choosing to not be a lone wolf, but to need a little help from someone I respect.  It all started with getting real about where I was so I could express where I wanted to go.  

Be honest with yourself

You and I, we sometimes like to put off thinking about what's really going on inside.  Tied up in my need for clarity is this One Foot baby I developed almost 4 years ago now.  Tied up in my need for clarity was the thought of turning the ship in a new direction.  Tied up in my need for clarity was trying to do it all - which really meant I was accomplishing very little. 

Clarity comes when we can be honest with where we are.  Clarity comes when we're willing to be open and raw and vulnerable with the person right in front of us.  Clarity comes when we can confidently say "I have no idea". 

Choose your next steps

I'm a direction person.  What I mean by that is that I like to map it out.  I like to know the destination and the plan for how we're going to get there.  I can hold some things loosely. But changing direction when we're halfway there is a deal breaker for me.  

Sometimes life happens in unexpected ways.  God may have you on a path that's firm and in the same direction.  And sometimes, we get a curve ball.  This is not where we thought we would be.  That turn was never on my radar. And before we know it, we're being asked to change directions right in the middle of our story.  

The reality is that each step is an adventure, a journey if you will.  Steps that teach us to hold on to things loosely as we grip on to God tightly. Steps that surprise us and delight us in that crazy-scary way when we step out and trust God with the next chapter of our stories. 

I'll tell you a little secret. I like to flip to the end of a book halfway through so that I can see the ending. I can hear your gasps from here.

You see, discovering our purpose or calling or even if we're on the right path is a process. You're story isn't being written in a day - it's being written over a lifetime. A lifetime of people and experiences and courage.  A lifetime of trusting God day-by-day as He writes our story. 

Choosing our story is about embracing where we are.  Choosing are story is about making changes when the time is right. Choosing our story is about trusting our people to help us find the clarity we need to do the next right thing. 

Hey friend!  I'd love to hear from you.  Are you needing some clarity?  Or maybe you're working on changing directions ever so slightly?  I'd love to pray with you in the middle of your story.