136 | Ready, Set, GO! What is the Lord Calling YOU to do next?
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[00:00:00] Hey friends, welcome back to the Called to Lead podcast. So today's episode, I'm going to be continuing a little bit about what we've just been chatting about, which is trying to discern what is the Lord's will for your next step in business, which may be to stay where you are, or it might be to go and try something new, or it might be to wait on something that you couldn't even imagine that could be better than what you are even envisioning possible for yourself and for your life. Because all things are possible with him.
And so I'm going to be talking to you about that today. And three questions that you can ask yourself to determine where you are. And if you're ready, if you're set for that next thing, or if you are ready to go. So let's dive into today's episode in the hopes that it will help you have clarity on what's next for you and your business, where whatever season you're in. ~ ~
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Okay. So you might be listening to this thing a year or more after it was actually recorded and maybe you searched or maybe you've been some of my podcasts [00:02:00] episodes and you aren't quite up to date to the season of where I am in my business right now. But likely if you're listening to this, you probably have heard my journey and my story and that a couple of months ago, almost exactly two months ago, I got the pretty devastating news.
If I'm being honest, that the company that I have devoted the last seven and a half years of my life to plus an extra year and a half or more of using and loving and sharing the product before I was even getting paid for it. Has shifted in the direction of their business model, which resulted in a 98% pay cut for me starting in about a month or so, but also a shift and alignment from what I believe is the best part about this business. Which is the leadership side of network marketing.
And so whether you are a part of Seint right now, who I absolutely give, you know, my full support by, for anybody that feels called to continue making an income just on sharing the product alone, because it is a phenomenal [00:03:00] product. Cara, the owner has an amazing vision and I support her just like I would want someone supporting me. In the direction that she is going in her business, even if it's different alignment than what I am doing or what you are doing. And so I'm getting a baby steps closer to being able to share more about what that is for me.
And I have gotten the green light go.~ Uh, ~and I, in the next couple of weeks, we'll be sharing what in particular, the Lord has called me to next in this season of transition. So get excited for that. But in this journey, I feel like I've learned some really important lessons, including what we're going to talk about today, which is, are you ready? Are you set and are you all things, systems go for what the Lord has for you next and how to discern whether or not you are there and you're ready for your business.
So where are you at sister? Are you listening? Because you're still trying to decide, are you kind of waiting on the Lord to show you that next path? Or do you [00:04:00] have clarity that maybe you've got some fear around like whether or not it's the right thing? Hopefully these questions will help you get to the bottom of whether this is the right path for you. Knowing that it may be a completely different path from your best friend, from your upline, from some of your leaders, from someone who's not even in this business model. And honestly, that's exactly what we're going to talk about today.
So I want to start with. A story of something really special that I got to do this past week, which I attended the John Maxwell. I M C, which stands for international Maxwell conference. And if you're not already a John Maxwell fan, which you probably are, if you listen to this podcast, y'all will love him.
So I've read a couple of his books, but I'm going to be honest. I really haven't dove like deep into all of the things that he does, but I certainly will be after the amazing experience that I had at this conference. So he does for anyone who is enrolled as a coach, he does like a week long, or I don't know, three or four days or something like that, of trainings and workshops that are geared [00:05:00] towards someone who's interested in coaching. Speaking or training others. And so my friend, Colleen, she is an amazing business coach.
And so she is a certified at John Maxwell coach. So she was down there the whole weekend. She invited me to come to what is called the day to grow and ~that he brought,~ he brought in some rockstars. So Malcolm Gladwell, John Gordon, who y'all, I didn't even realize how many of my favorite books that man had written until I like his speech was almost over.
And I was like, wait a second. He wrote, you went in the locker room first, wait a second. He wrote the energy bus,~ like.~ This is insane. I feel like there's one more that I'm forgetting about, but I was like, what the heck? I can't even believe that. Oh, I know the one word that will change your life.
You guys know on this podcast that I always have a word, which I have a new one by the way, but this next season it's align. So I'm still sticking with renewal for the whole year. But sometimes I like to pick one just for the specific season that I'm in and I am doing that for the next 90 days and it's aligned.
So anyway, side note on that, but I learned that from this man, [00:06:00] John Gordon, who was upstairs on the stage sharing his brilliant wisdom. They also had Michael Jr. Who is a comedian. Um, I mean, you guys, it was so incredible. I cannot say enough things, but I share this to say that. At the end of all of the sessions, they did this really big pitch. For people who were there to join and enroll as a John Maxwell certified coach.
And they kept throwing in all of these incredible bundles where like these rock star, like bajillion dollar earners were throwing in their $10,000 courses. And these are people who get paid like literally millions of dollars to help people in their business. And they're like, oh yeah, you can have a private phone call with me and I'm going to throw in this and we're going to do this.
And all you have to do is enroll today. And you guys, it was the weirdest thing, just like when all the Seint news kind of came to pass. And a lot of my friends and fellow leaders. We're all going to other companies. And I was like, gosh, I just don't feel called to this. ~Like, ~it just doesn't make worldly sense to me.
I mean, it does make worldly sense. This would be great opportunity, but [00:07:00] something just isn't feeling like this is right for me, even if it is perfectly right for my friend that I'm literally with, or probably more than half the people in that room that day. Right. ~Um,~ but I just had this check in my spirit that I was like, I don't think this is for me.
I don't think that this is what the Lord has in store for me to spend my money, because it is thousands of dollars to invest in being a John Maxwell coach. And then in addition to that, you have to spend hours, hours, hours doing the training so that you can actually become certified and educated and all that he does.
And so it was like the most free, but also like kind of confusing thing. Cause I was like, well, I mean, I think I could kind of afford this. I think Roger, if I even called my husband, he'd probably say I could go for this. And I know I'd get the value out of it, but why do I feel like this is not for me? And so this is going to go back to the scripture that we have been talking about for the last few episodes, which is the Joshua one nine, which was the very first thing.
The scripture that came to my mind after all the Saint news kind of came [00:08:00] down, which is, do not be afraid, right. Be strong and courageous. But in that scripture and I'm not going to quote it, not going to look it up. You can, you can definitely go look it up. But it talks about when you are called to whatever the next endeavor the Lord has for you.
You need to make sure not to turn from the right or to the left from his word and what he's calling you to. And so I've been talking about that, that if you have a laser focus, if he has told you to go, which he has for me, he has made it very clear what my next step is in business. And again, I can't wait to share that with y'all in just a few weeks from now. But, ~um, ~when he gives you that you cannot be distracted by all of the goodness that can be to the left or the right.
That might be someone else's go. And so I have so much peace in not enrolling, at least not in this season as a John Maxwell certified coach. But let me tell you that might not be like true for you. You should definitely look into it. If you want to be a coach, speaker or trainer, or if you feel like that's your go and where the Lord is calling you.
And so that's not [00:09:00] the only experience in my life or even in this season where something. Made worldly sense or even spiritual sense. So another, ~um, ~another example is I felt very much called to go on a mission trip to Africa, and I have not shared this story very, very much, and I won't go much into it today. ~Um, ~I was fully funded.
I was leading a high school trip. And you guys, my husband, who at one point supported me in, it told me that he didn't want me to go. And I was devastated. I mean, absolutely devastated. It's truly one of the hardest, just as hard, if not harder than what I've gone through in the Seint transition, it was really, really, really hard because I was so confused because something I felt like the Lord was calling me to my husband was not for, and I had a pastor who I admire.
Tell me, Heather, if you're. Your husband is not for this. If he's seeking the Lord, which he was, and it was very much. And he's not for this than it is not the Lord's plan or his will for you to go to Rwanda at this time. And I mean, I was like, you know what? You're right. And at that moment, [00:10:00] even though I didn't understand the worldly or spiritual reason behind it, I knew that that was what I needed to do, which was not go to Rwanda. And not go on that mission trip.
And I cannot wait to do that one day when it is the Lords go for me in my business. And so. Those are just a couple of examples of how I know even looking back over the mission trip side of things, Roger and I have been able to bless so many others in sharing the redeeming act of the Lord's hand on our marriage.
And that's such a bigger mission field than whatever blessing I could have been towards or what could have been a blessing to me. And going on that mission trip at that day, and we have a lifetime to be able to do this. So I hope that we will. But in this, ~um, ~there are three words and I've already kind of used them and tease them.
It's in the title. That I want you to think about. And I have a really great friend, Sophie, who also has had clarity in the last few weeks on her go. And she's like, I feel so it's ready. Set. Go. And so ready. Is when you feel like, okay, my heart is [00:11:00] prepared. You know, I want what you want for me, Lord.
You've given your life to Christ. You were seeking him above all. And we've been talking about that. If you're not there yet. I invite you to kind of dig into the word, like dig into maybe John. ~Um, ~that's what John Maxwell said. If you haven't really read the Bible, start with John. I've always said, start with James.
So pick James or John your choice, but just dive into the word, see if it hits you. And get ready to listen for what the Lord has for you. So ready. Set. And that is where,~ um,~ you you're like set and like you've got the time, the space, the energy to get ready for his go, which might not have come for you yet.
Okay. And then the last thing is, what you're looking for is that go when you have that spark, that clear steps and the joy. So let's dive into three questions to determine whether you are ready. Whether you're set. Or ~Reddit,~ whether it's time for you to go. So are you ready? So, first of all, are you open to what the Lord might have for you next?
Or are you so set in your ways right now or wherever you [00:12:00] are that you can't even see it and you guys, I was not ready for this transition in my life. Not even close. I felt a, and I talked about on this podcast, I felt this like discomfort or a restlessness that I thought was like, actually my home, like I talked about, and hopefully I still will have this office space, which I'm definitely gonna need now. I'm here. ~Um, ~outside our home and I wanted to move, I wanted to invest or build in like this like really fancy home.
And there's this neighborhood next door, like literally next door, same river right there that I'm like, oh, but I want to live there. And so I felt this restlessness, but honestly I think looking back, it was miss assigned. Are misaligned. Restlessness for, not my home, but for where I was spending my work and my time, because I would never have left Seint
you guys. I would never have entertained another opportunity. I was not ready two months ago, not ready, but if you are, if you were in a season of like being fully open, You know, open-hearted open hand. Never say never, [00:13:00] right? Because I know some of you guys were like, I will never do another network marketing company again, but yet you're listening to this podcast, which makes me think you might be like thinking or seeking or praying about it. So never say never, or I will never join this company. Or I will never work with this person again or whatever that is for you.
Like never say, never get ready for what the Lord has for you. And that's how you can kind of know is, you know, are you, are you ready? Like, are you ready to stay, put where you are? If you like, maybe are struggling with that restlessness in your job. And the Lord is like, Nope, I got you there for a reason.
And for a season. Maybe it's to be a light to someone else in that place, right. Where you are right now, who knows the kind of impact just like Esther had in the Bible that you could have on someone else's life by staying. Right where you are. So it could be to stay. It could be to wait just a little bit longer.
You might be having that restlessness and you may or may not be ready, but you might be just kind of in that waiting of like, okay, I feel like you might be preparing me for something else, which I have [00:14:00] had several friends in this St. Journey and transition who have felt that exact way. They couldn't quite go, but they really didn't necessarily want to stay, but they were like, they were ready.
They were ready for the Lord. Okay. So are you ready? Are you. Open to what the Lord has for you next, and are you seeking him and whatever that is, and go back and listen to the last few episodes. If you need to kind of get there. So that's the first question. Number two is, are you set? So this is specifically in your life and in your schedule and in your current priorities. Are you set to where you have a margin and a schedule to even allow to hear him when he does show up.
And when he opens that door for you, when he gives you that clarity to move forward in the next thing. Or are you, you know, keeping yourself busy with things that might not be his best for you? Are you looking to the left or the right? Are you spending money? Which could be a sabotaging the opportunity, like it's really easy.
[00:15:00] Let me tell you if you're stressed or flustered to spend more than you're making. And I don't think that the Lord is going to call you into something. That's going to have a bigger income possible. Possibility or potential if you're not already stewarding what he's given you really, really well, so that you're set, you're set in your budget, you're set in your schedule and he will make the time he will make the money.
I have heard, like, I even have a friend. I think I can talk about this here. Yeah, I think I can talk about this hopefully, but she's a pharmacist, not in network marketing at all, that she just had a huge transition to go from full-time to part-time left~ a, ~an amazing company with incredible benefits to go to this part-time with a pay cut. But yet you guys. Because of her realizing they have financially invested enough to kind of set them up for retirement.
Now she was able to not pour so much into a 401k, which this new company doesn't offer provide at that level. And so you guys, her paycheck is only like a $400 difference on the net and that's all the Lord showing up and showing [00:16:00] that he's got her and yes, like, will she have to make a $400. You know, a month or I guess a paycheck.
So $800 a month in adjustments somewhere, but her husband also has stepped up in his career. And I guarantee you that, you know, $800 deficit, the Lord is going to make up in one way or another to where by trusting him to go and being set in her finances and in her priorities and in her schedule to where she had everything worked out to where she could jump.
When he said go, that's what I'm talking about. So are you set, are you in alignment? With what his word teaches and seeking after the things that he is, whether that's the biblical wisdom of finances or relationships. One of the biggest things I learned from that John Maxwell conference is if you are looking for something that is avoiding conflict or avoiding adversity, my friend, you're not set, you're not set firm for what's next because in this world you will have trouble.
And that is scriptural my friends. And so you have to realize that [00:17:00] that conflict is there to prepare you and better. For you for the next thing. So if you have unresolved or unaddressed conflict somewhere, you're probably not set for what's next for you for that go. Okay. So are you set and where you are and ready for that?
Go. And then finally, are you ready to go? So do you have that clear open door where someone has given you an opportunity and y'all, there's a lot of opportunities out here. I know of one person who's gotten a go on her next step that literally was on multiple calls with like the actual CEOs, like the founders of multiple companies. For really good companies.
That would be awesome opportunities for her, but she didn't get the clear go. You guys just like me watching all of those. My like some of my favorite authors on stage telling me. To give John Maxwell all my money who by the way, gives a lot of his money to incredibly worthy, worthy causes as well. He's not in it to make the money he's in it to help build up my business. And [00:18:00] did I feel that go?
Did I feel that open door? No, I didn't. And neither did this friend that I'm telling you about either. So, but if you have that clear open door and I did a whole episode on this. You'll know because you've got three things, three ingredients with that. You've got a spark of hope where you're like, the flame is burning up.
That's where my next go came from. It was a spark. And it was the first spark that I'd had after that devastating news. I'd had other open doors, but nothing gave me that spark quite like this, even if it didn't make sense. And honestly it looks totally different than what. Sparked that initial spark at the beginning, but there was a spark of hope that allowed me to at least like, kind of look into a little bit more. And then one of the other things I learned from this conference, and I kinda talked about this, that you will not have clarity on all the steps you might.
That's kind of the way my brain works is~ like, ~I feel like sometimes the Lord, even with these podcasts episodes, it's like, He'll he'll, it's like he sticks a USB in my mind and it's like, And the whole thing will just download and then I just put it, put it out there. ~Um, ~and so it's kind of crazy how it [00:19:00] works.
So sometimes you might have that clarity, but most of the times you're only going to have a clear first step. Maybe a couple after that, but if you have a clarity of that first step in your journey, so just to use a John Maxwell example, like if that first step for someone was to enroll as a coach, the rest of the answers and the next steps are going to be presented for that.
Right. So. If you have a clear next step, that's an important ingredient. And the most important ingredient. My friends is a peace that can only come from God. And it's a peace that passes all understanding that even if it does not make worldly sense, even if it's something you never said you would do. It doesn't matter what anybody else thinks.
My friends, it doesn't matter what you've said before, especially if it was out of alignment, you know, from the Lord. But if you have that peace and you're like, okay, Lord, I feel like this is my go. And I'm going to trust you, even though there's a million questions and a million things that could go wrong. But yet there's a million things that could co could go right. [00:20:00] My friend that's when you know you are ready to go. So, are you ready?
Are you set? And have you been given the green light to go into whatever's next for you? So, like I said, I'm not quite ready to share officially with you guys. What my next steps are in my "Go" journey. But if you feel like the Lord has said wait to you. And you're you're ready. Like you're open hearted and open-minded, you're set like meaning you're like, okay.
I think, I think I have the capacity to possibly take something on. Get excited for what I'm going to be sharing with you guys in the next coming weeks. I'm hoping that next week's episode will be me interviewing my awesome pastor because I've learned so much from him. He's actually who baptized me.
He's not our lead pastor, but I don't know. I've just felt really inspired to, to have him come on and share his, ~uh,~ like actual pastoral vision on vision. That's what we're going to talk about. And so hopefully you'll be able to get something, somebody other than me talking about this. So it'll be an ask the expert [00:21:00] episode and. And you'll say prayer with me that I can get him on within the next week, because then it's my goal to be able to share with you guys the week after that.
~Um,~ so after labor day, my next steps and go, so y'all pray with me. I'm going to close this out in prayer today, and I thank you so much for listening. Lord, thank you for the women and maybe men who are taking the time to listen to all these crazy words that I really do feel like are a download from you each and every week on this podcast.
And I'm so thankful that. I've been given the clarity and the go to continue doing this podcast and that even every single week today included when I'm like, huh, what am I going to talk about? You give me that go and it's because I'm ready and I'm looking for you for guidance and all things I'm set to where I have the time and the space and the availability in my schedule to do it so that when you call me to go. Then I can dive into it.
And so I just pray Lord that those listening can seek you in those three steps. I pray that anyone who is in that season of waiting can [00:22:00] really know clearly where they are and can be open-minded and prepared for. When you say go to them, even if that's not in what I'm doing next, right. That they would know, and that we would all have a piece that each of us has a different path.
And we're when we have that clarity. ~Uh, ~like we, like some of us do that. We should not look to the left or the right as your scripture tells us. And we should look to your word and your example and your guidance. And just like John Maxwell said on the bracelet that he gave us, it's not just, what would Jesus do?
It's do what Jesus did. That's what I am praying that each one who are listening will be able to do in their lives and in their business moving forward. So thank you again for this opportunity and this platform. And I pray that it reaches the people that need to hear it. And thank you again. In Jesus' name.
Amen. All right. Y'all. Hope this was helpful. Get excited for the next episodes in this season to come. And I can't wait to share more with you guys very soon. Alright, bye. [00:23:00]