Faith is Taking the First Step
As I write this, the calendar is holding the confluence of three big things:
It’s International Coaching Week – yay for coaching!
It’s National Small Business Month – holy cow, this is me now!
It’s the one-year anniversary of Teal Horizon Coaching LLC – yowzas!!
(Since I lead with high Connectedness in CliftonStrengths language, I’m delighting in this. If you know, you know.)
But the real reason I mention those three things is that they all relate to this beautiful piece of artwork. (You can now see why I am not a professional artist.)
This gem of a scribble is from three years ago. I created it in June 2020 while in a session at the CPSI Conference (Creative Problem Solving Institute) called “Creating a Vision for My Future” led by the wonderful Dr. Roger Firestien. Let me give you some context for this drawing…
I had recently lost my job (at the beginning of the pandemic), thus ending not only a job, but a 20+ year career in ministry. I was adrift. I knew I was facing a career pivot and was being invited (read: forced) to AGAIN entertain the question, “What do I want to be when I grow up?” Roger led us through a guided meditation to create a vision for our future, including great questions, time for journaling, and invitation for us to create a simple visual storyboard: 6 boxes on a page. In Box #1, we drew our current reality and in Box #6, we drew our desired vision – the other boxes were initially blank, to be filled in as we figured out what was stopping us and how we’d overcome that obstacle.
Even though I look back at that time in my life as characterized by lots of confusion and upheaval, I’ve realized that I am not giving myself enough credit. When Roger asked “You’ve just been given a magic wand and any wishes in relation to any aspects of your life can come true. What might those ideal goals or wishes for your life be?” I found myself writing in my journal, “Having my own practice in personal development – coaching, presenting, bringing leadership and spirituality together.” The dream was already there, waiting to come out – I just needed encouragement to admit it, own it, and share it out.
When he asked us to fill in box 1 on our storyboard, I could clearly show in an image how I felt in that moment – confused and a bit uncertain, filled with questions and doubts, but knowing that I had a lot of knowledge and skills that could be used in service of others. Box 6 was not exactly clear, but I knew that this kind of work would involve accompanying and inspiring other people, bringing them (and me!) much joy, and allowing me to live my purpose with passion.
The other boxes – as you can see – were far less clear. Huge unknowns. Which (finally) brings me to the real point of this blog…
“Faith is taking the first step even when you don’t see the whole staircase.”
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
As you can see from my masterpiece, I couldn’t see the whole staircase to the new career I was pursuing and the new life I’m now living. (Truth be told, the meaning of whatever I scribbled in boxes 2 and 3 is a mystery to me!) I couldn’t really see many of the “next steps” to take, which is why bringing the dream to fruition took some time. While this vision was there in 2020, it was still two years before the business became official. There were LOTS of fits-and-starts, stalls and detours, pauses and deliberations. LOTS of self-doubt, overwhelm, and confusion.
But I took the first step. I scribbled the dream. Then I took the next right step. And, even though sometimes I delayed or detoured, I kept taking what seemed like the next right step, no matter how small or unsteady they were. Did I do it perfectly. No. But that wasn’t the goal or the point. The point was to do it, and to do it in a way that honored who I am, my needs and values, the ways I operate.
OK, enough about me! Sorry that this was a long-winded way of getting to ask you this question:
What dream in you is begging you to take the first step?
“You’ve just been given a magic wand and any wishes in relation to any aspects of your life can come true. What might those ideal goals or wishes for your life be?”
Maybe it has to do with your career. Maybe it has to do with an important relationship in your life. Where you live. A hobby you have. A skill you want to develop. A desire of your soul. A fabulous, outrageous dream that you’ve never said out loud.
In case you’ve forgotten, I’m here to remind you that you already have a magic wand. You’re alive, so you have the gift of time. You have talents, so you have the ability to do amazing things. You have will and conscience, so you can make decisions and take action.
So what’s the staircase you’re facing? Are you brave enough to take the first step, even when you can’t see the whole thing? I see you. And I think you are. And if you need reminding and encouragement (and help making a plan), I’m always here for you. If I can help you get from your box 1 to 6, that will make my box 6 explode with even more joy!
Take the first step and keep climbing! I’m cheering you on all the way.