March 2025 Love Note
As a broker and a leader I get asked so many questions, and among those are how to do business and life in a not-so-sure environment. What in the world do I do to promote my business? Myself? Why are some people so successful and why am I not? The questions are endless, but I have found that what is most important are the questions we ask of ourselves. How do we act on the other end of disappointment? Setbacks? Failed attempts?
As most of you know I am a huge consumer of books, podcasts and research. I know that all that I am and desire to be is there for me to access. Most of it is a deep, internal wisdom that lets me know that I have inside of me all that is needed to become and be who I was meant to be. I WILL NOT ever find that in a spirit of negativity, doubt or comparison. So let me tell you a question that helped me, and continues to help me.
I have a friend who has a podcast named: “The Next Right Question” by Josh Taylor. They are mini podcasts but they are far from mini in their impact!!! Please go to Spotify and listen, and listen more than once like I do. I love all of them, but the one titled “What does this make possible?” has stuck in my heart and my spirit.
Josh tells the story of his disappointment when he had decided to leave the pastoral ministry and take a job in marketing at a University. He loved his job because it challenged him and he was able to work with some of his best friends. But as life does, it becomes quite life-y (not a word but I love it), and a new administration was put in place. And I bet you know the rest of the story. Josh found himself sitting across the desk from his best friend who had to deliver the not-so-great news. Josh was without a job!!!
On his way home, fearful questions were running through his head. Why did I leave my other job? What in the world am I going to do? How can I fix this? How am I going to tell Rachel? What could I have done differently? He shared he was worried about going home to tell his wife that he was unemployed. What he did not know, was that Rachel would pose a question that would totally reframe his thinking and attitude about this unwanted event.
As he shared the news with Rachel, she let him know that she trusted him and that he always figured it out. She believed in him, but what she asked next shifted EVERYTHING! She said, “What does this make possible?” What opportunities are on the other side of this? REFRAME!!!
I have found that everything in my life boils down to my perspective. I believe with all my heart that God empowers me to live beyond my natural ability and strength. I also believe that this is only possible when I shift my thinking and rely on possibility thinking and NOT negative and limited thinking. As Josh shared, “The way you respond to a setback determines what happens next.” Take your fear and turn it into curiosity.
Fast forward and Josh now has a job that he really never could have imagined. He is the co-owner of a marketing agency that is thriving and making a huge difference in the lives of his clients and his own family. By asking, “What does this make possible?” we can shift ourselves and our lives in a new and better direction.
What is holding you back? What attitudes or systems have you stuck to? Ask yourself the right questions so you can begin to explore your next adventure. Asking questions opens up what is possible. Look for the people who are doing what you want to do and follow their direction. Shake it up!!! You can use this question to help you focus on what you want rather than what has been lost.
Many of my setbacks and disappointments have led me to a life that is far better than I could have imagined. When I was trying to raise kids without child support, it led me here to all of you. Had I not been desperate for a better and more fulfilled life, I might have stayed in the land of ordinary but instead I get to live in this grand adventure with all of you!!!!
