Finding Your True North: Moving Into a New Season With Clarity, Trust, and Direction

Speaker Identification

Speaker 1 – Host / Narrator. The transcript contains one continuous primary speaker presenting the episode. The show and website branding identify the program as Sasha Talks, but the speaker does not explicitly state a personal name in the transcript itself, so the transcript uses the neutral label “Speaker 1 – Host” rather than assuming an identity beyond what the recording establishes.

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Speaker 1 – Host:
Welcome, everyone, to SashaTalks.com. Thank you for joining me today.

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Given the nature and the time of the year, I thought it would be appropriate to talk about embracing a new season through direction.

Many individuals and organizations, regardless of what their goals are, have a destination in mind. But not often enough do they pay attention to coming up with the direction. How will I get there? What do I need to do? How should I do it? Who do I need to talk to?

Depending on the type of goal, some goals are personal. You will have to rely on your own inner judgment and your intuition, and that will be dictated by your values. For other people, their destinations may align with seeking new employment, starting a new business, building a new relationship, expanding their family, or something else entirely.

Whatever that direction is — whether it is entrepreneurial, personal, spiritual, or something else — I ask each one of you out there: What season of life am I in? Where am I being directed in this season?

Whether your season is closing or you're getting ready for change, remember that every season has a beginning. It definitely has a purpose, even if you recognize it only later in hindsight. Just as there is a beginning, there is an end. And if there is an end, then you recognize that there was a beginning, whether you acknowledged it or not.

There are some chapters of life that are very fluid, where everything feels as if it is sandwiched into one block of time. Keep in mind that as you embrace a new season, it is also time to embrace a new direction.

Before we look at the direction you're embracing, keep in mind that a season could represent a period of transition or development. That could be self-development, spiritual development, or professional development. It might be that you're developing a skill that is preparing you for the future or for a change.

The thing about changes is that some are unexpected. They'll catch you by surprise. A change could happen within milliseconds, overnight, or within an hour. You might feel as if you won the lottery, or the equivalent of that, or it might be an emergency and you're doing everything you can to course-correct from there.

Regardless of the destination you're headed toward, I remind clients of something I've said over the years. I had this conversation probably a week ago with a client of mine: Old ways won't open new doors.

What worked for you to mitigate a concern? How did you cope with different situations? How did you handle change? How did you navigate relationships? Those old mechanisms, coping mechanisms, strategies, or tips may not help you move forward now. They did at some point in time, and they helped bring you to where you are.

At the same time, there is wisdom in embracing [unclear]. I'm aware that when you go through changes, there is a lot of unknown, and people fear that.

One way of navigating it is going through it. Once you go through it, chances are high that you will not have to repeat that experience in that same context again.

Here is a skill — some people view it as a gift: Are you paying attention to where you are in your life? What chapter are you in? Where are you going?

It's okay if you got lost, as long as you find your way back. You will know you've found your way back because you'll be aligned with your true north.

The skill is this: Are you able to recognize when it is time to move forward, or do you wait for life circumstances to leave you with no option but to move forward? Does it take getting dumped in a relationship, waiting to get laid off, or waiting for something unfortunate to happen so you can justify in your mind, “Now I have to move forward”?

Some people need to be dragged by their feet, and then there are those who are skipping forward. They're looking forward to the new changes because change is part of their norm.

Keep in mind that if you're headed toward a new destination, you cannot embrace the new change or the new chapter if you keep forcing yourself to recreate the old feelings and old circumstances. Everything happens in the present, and you're going to miss out on living in the moment. As time passes, you may not be at your destination by your perceived milestone.

We live in physical time and space. Eternity has no time. The Creator is obviously in no rush.

Once you learn the lessons of your season, if there are lessons there, there is definitely a purpose. And when there is a purpose, typically a healthy lesson is tied to it.

Direction is needed because it gives purpose to your transition. Change without direction will create confusion in your life, whether it is mental confusion, physical confusion in your reality, or emotional confusion.

That is one of the top scenarios that leads individuals to seek clarity, counsel, or consultation, depending on the content and context of their lives.

Direction can give you clarity about where you need to go or where you should consider going. I have to clarify that just because you may be seeking direction from a source, that source may be sharing based on professional and personal experiences.

Ultimately, you have to exercise your judgment and free will in choosing how you're going to get there and where you're going.

The good part is that if you choose where you're going and how you'll get there, and then you change your mind about your destination, you can go somewhere else. You might end up wanting to go somewhere better. You might decide not to turn around. You might decide to engage in a season of respite.

There are many different ways of acquiring clarity, and not everything comes within a set time frame. It might not happen in a phone call. It might not happen in five minutes. It might take longer for you. The time frame does not dictate the level of success.

At the same time, you don't want to be impulsive. What are you going to do? What do you need to invite into your life in order to get to your destination? What do you need to release from your life?

What can you possibly develop along the way? Do you need to embrace a stronger mindset? Do you need to refine your perspective about life? Do you need to assess the company you keep?

How are you investing the 24 hours in a day? All of us have the same amount of time. It is amazing how some people can be very productive, while others are complaining and hoping they could have, let's say, a 72-hour day.

I'm aware of giving a talk on this. I don't believe expanding a 24-hour day would make people any more productive. It would just stretch out the habits they're already investing in.

There are two ways of looking at this. If you're going through a challenge, challenges can be healthy. They encourage you to grow. If a challenge keeps persisting to the point that it snowballs into a problem, often in those situations I ask my client: Are you part of the problem, or are you part of the solution?

You get to choose that.

If you want to embrace a new season, you also have to participate in the transformation.

There are a few ways people respond to direction. Number one, all of us need to pay attention to the sources of information from which we acquire and derive our clarity.

Before I go into this, I want to share one activity that I came across about a decade ago. It has served me well. I came up with it, and I guess it was spirit-guided for me. I was going through different seasons of change.

Every few months, or whenever it is imprinted on my heart, I do this. I reflect upon what I need to change. Does it have to do with my mindset or my speech? Are there certain decisions I keep making that are short-circuiting my potential? What behaviors do I need to modify?

I look at it as: What do I need to implement into my life, and what do I need to remove from my life?

It is amazing when the answers come from within you. If you're honest, I recommend this activity. Sometimes it might be a habit you're engaging in and you didn't pick up on it. Sometimes it might be things you're bringing into your life that are not in alignment with who you are and who you're becoming.

Sometimes it might be people you may be guided to let go of. Other times, it might be opportunities that seem good that you need to pass up.

So ask yourself: What do I need to bring into my life? Maybe you might want to ask and meditate over: What do I need to release from my life?

Sometimes it's not anything material. Material things are not bad. They all have a purpose. They are a tool.

But there are many things people hold on to. Sometimes it might be unhealthy emotions. Other times, it might be habits they acquired due to the company they keep.

You can work through habits by divorcing yourself from them. Remember that those habits started out as activities, and over a period of time they became habits because they became part of your lifestyle. And if they're part of your lifestyle, they're also probably part of your beliefs.

The good thing about beliefs is that beliefs are repetitive thoughts. They can be developed, and they can also be dissolved over time.

You have to pay attention to whether that is a positive, life-giving belief or a belief that is sabotaging your growth and your overall life.

When you start working through your self-development, you will also acquire clarity.

As you go through these activities, and until this becomes part of your personal regimen, I will give you a forewarning: Whatever response and reaction arises from within you, acknowledge it. Embrace it.

Your body probably knows more than your mind knows, and it will help you clear your path to invite the new in. In order to invite the new in, literally and metaphorically, you need to clear out what is no longer needed.

Even if it means you need to mourn it, there is nothing wrong with mourning. Mourning, in a sense, is also celebrating what you had. Unless you're mourning something that was toxic and unhealthy, it is simply your mind, body, and heart going through a shock — a change.

Ultimately, if you're devoted to your destination and your goals, you will overcome it. View it as a speed bump. Don't fear it. And you're not alone in these changes.

Another response to direction could be to listen to yourself. How can you listen? I've shared this before: You hear with your ears; you listen with your heart.

That was wisdom shared with me by a guest a very long time ago, and it resonated with me because the more I reflected upon it, believe it or not, it works really well in different aspects of life.

It's not always easy for people, but listening strengthens relationships. It can also strengthen your relationship with yourself.

Pay attention to the wisdom in your life. Some of that wisdom may emanate from you.

Are you convicted about letting go of certain mindsets, behaviors, and environments where you no longer belong?

Remember, in order for a healthy plant to thrive, it needs the right temperature and the right natural resources around it.

Pay attention to what opportunities cross your radar. Just because five doors open doesn't mean every door is good for you or every door is meant for you. You'll have to apply judgment. Maybe none of them are meant for you.

When doors close, most of the time they close against people's will. That is often when clients seek me out. There is a process to navigating it. I would say at least 85% of the time, it turns out to be a true positive that the door had to close, because if it didn't close, it would not encourage people to move forward.

Whether that deal went through or not, whether you got the job or not, sometimes relationships last for only a few seasons and do not go for the long haul like a marathon.

How can you listen if you're always surrounded by people? That could be your social circle or those you were close to.

And just because you were close to people, I have to clarify: Is that closeness because of your vicinity — because you're always around people, let's say at work or in your social circle — or are you close to them spiritually? [Unclear phrase.]

There are going to be moments of isolation that are a blessing. That is where you get to remove the noise. You still interact with society. You don't drop off the planet. But your engagement may be a little more minimal for a set period of time.

That is where you remove all that noise. The noise is the distraction — what other people are doing, how they did it, and the idea that you should therefore consider doing it the same way.

There is a lot of mental stimulation in the world we live in today — more than is necessary to be successful at any goal you desire to achieve.

If you keep all of that noise on because you happen to be someone who enjoys having noise as a habit in the background, that does impact you, even though you think you're in control of the situation.

Here's a big one: Trust. Do you trust yourself?

How can you trust directions you've never applied in your life? You believe the destination is there, but directions in life don't come quite like a GPS. You will have to apply judgment, course-correct, and adjust.

I say adjust because so much happens in a day. You can plan all you want, but the execution of it will be dictated by things that happen out of the blue and outside of your control.

There are different personalities and different decisions being made. They may not interfere directly, but they may impact how you go about working your day, proceeding forward, planning your personal time, or managing your family life.

Adjustment could simply mean time and logistics, including building in some buffer time for days when you thought you were going to go 200 miles per hour. Let's say, out of the blue, you wake up and need a sick day.

You also have to take into consideration that you're a human being and not a robot.

When you adjust, it does not mean your efforts are being discounted. It does not mean you're going to lose direction or forget who you are or where you're going.

Adjusting means you're living life in real time, proactively and mindfully.

Just because you're driving and you're the first car in the lane and you see the green light, you're not automatically going to drive away on autopilot because the green light is there if the intersection is blocked with other cars and traffic.

That's where you have to pay attention. Just because you might have the right signs guiding you, even with signs you need to apply your judgment.

Direction can come in many different ways. It can come through people. It can come through your own insights and your own life experiences.

Just because direction may be given by well-meaning sources does not mean it is accurate or that it guarantees you're going to get to the destination.

You can always change the “how” part. When the “how” part of your journey adjusts, the good part is that you have more options in deciding: Do you want to continue to your destination? Do you want to upgrade your destination? Do you want to pause? Or do you want to go 180 degrees in a different direction?

That would be perfectly fine.

I work with people who often come with a certain destination in mind, and I commend them for being proactive about coming up with ways they want to pursue their endeavors.

I remind them that they have to be intentional, and the choices they make have to be meaningful and aligned with who they are and what they believe in.

Many people can follow a checklist and go through the actions. Eventually, they're working on autopilot, and they don't realize that they're lacking a belief in what they want.

Do they really want it? Why do they want it?

They think simply going through the actions will deliver an outcome. But a certain percentage of people lack the belief that they are capable of reaching their destination or that they are worthy of their destination, and that creates bottlenecks in the process.

That is why I encourage them to trust the process.

Trust is not something that can be bought. Trust is not an act you engage in and then automatically trust the situation or the people. It develops over a period of time.

You can start from a healthy baseline, but ultimately trust is developed over time. Either it will increase, or it might be eradicated due to circumstances.

Then there is trust in the unknown.

When you receive directions in life, metaphorically, sometimes you know what the next step is. Sometimes you know how far you're going to get by a certain milestone. But beyond that, there's a fog.

The fog can be a good thing because it forces us to develop a better relationship with trust and patience.

Some people view patience as solely waiting. It's not just the waiting activity. Some people are better at it than others. It has to do with time. What are you doing with your time while you're being patient?

If you're only waiting and not leveraging the time in front of you, then not much development has happened in the process.

For those who are diving headfirst into their new chapters, the new season requires an intentional release. You are letting go of outdated mindsets.

Keep in mind that just because something is outdated now does not mean it did not serve you well in the past. That past version of you — who you were and what your priorities were — was part of your journey.

But old ways won't open new doors.

The fear that past disappointments will repeat themselves is one of the things most likely to keep people anchored and prevent them from moving forward. It's a human response, and that's perfectly understandable. You don't want to own that fear and allow it to become imprinted in you forever so that it keeps you from moving forward.

It is normal to fear the unknown.

Are things going to go well? Are you going to be received well by the new people you're going to be working with or the new people you're embracing as part of your family?

Sometimes it doesn't have to do with people and relationships. It has to do with you. How will you respond to the new changes? Are you willing to embrace and develop new habits?

All of this is happening while life is in motion.

Often, people think that as they go through changes, life will somehow pause. People are going to wait on them. Maybe there are people waiting on you, but keep in mind that their lives are also moving along.

Time does not stop for anyone.

This is an opportunity to show gratitude for what the last season taught you. Show gratitude for the blessings that came into your life and the challenges that came into your life.

Did they make you better, or did they challenge your faith in proceeding forward? And how are you navigating that?

I recall many, many years ago interviewing a teacher. Even though she was a math teacher, we covered a few life topics.

One of the most important things she said was, “Preparation leads to multiplication in life.”

Prepare. Prepare as much as you can. Do your best.

There is no way of measuring perfection when it comes to preparation, because it will lead to multiplication in life — multiplication in terms of the lessons you're open to embracing.

That reminds me of one detail.

Whether it is an organization or an individual who seeks me out, they're usually looking for change or desired solutions. They say they're open to change. They're open to a solution.

I ask them, “Are you just open to considering solutions, or are you open and ready to act upon those solutions? Are you open and ready to embrace those solutions?”

I had a client quite a long time ago who was changing careers. Their mission was to secure a very particular type of job in a foreign country. I believed they kept self-sabotaging their opportunities.

I said, “You keep saying you're open to the right opportunity.”

I was privy to the fact that they were going out and interviewing a lot. I said, “Are you open and ready to receive an opportunity? Because if you're just open, you're just scanning the market and going to interviews. Maybe you don't feel inclined to take a new opportunity. That's fine. But maybe the universe doesn't feel convinced that you're ready for this opportunity.”

Are you getting in your own way? Are you self-sabotaging your success?

I do recall that this individual adjusted the direction and how they approached their opportunities moving forward. They did land what they were seeking. It took about three and a half months from the time we had that conversation.

I encouraged them to look at what they were doing over and over again.

So are you open and ready to let go of what no longer serves you and what you've outgrown? Are you open and ready to embrace what you're seeking?

If you happen to be out there looking for a job, here's a random example: If that perfect, ideal job lands in your lap, are you ready to receive it?

In order to receive something, you have to be open to it. Once you're open to it, can you identify and recognize the opportunity you would like to be considered for? And if that goes well and you're extended that opportunity, are you ready to embrace it?

It comes down to readiness.

That is why some people drag out their goals. They're well-meaning. They want to go about taking care of that checklist of what they should be doing to achieve the goal, but they lack the belief — or enough belief — in the goal. Or they don't put in enough effort and think it will just come find them.

I recall listening to a very wise person once, and he said, “No matter what your goal is in life, it's better for the universe to direct a moving car than a parked car.”

There are tons of people who know what they want, but they're not doing anything to make it happen. They are parked like parked cars, and they think it will just land on the windshield. It will come to them.

Maybe it can happen once in a long shot, but we live in reality, and we know reality is far more complex, with many dimensions and billions of people on Earth. Everyone is in motion. Time does not stop.

If you are like a moving car, even if you're slightly misguided or seeking direction, the universe can guide a moving car much more easily than a parked car.

Don't wait for something to just happen because of the passing of time.

It can happen, but depending on what you're waiting for, it could be maybe one out of a billion chances. That is not meant to be doom and gloom. That is simply reminding you of all the forces at play out there.

Life is for you.

My bigger question is: Are you for yourself and your life?

As we move through the new season, I look forward to hearing from people. What are your goals? What new chapter are you embracing? What old chapter are you letting go of? What are you celebrating?

Maybe you're celebrating coming out of a questionable opportunity that no longer serves you. Maybe you're celebrating a promotion. Maybe you're celebrating welcoming a new family member.

There are many different ways of celebrating life. There are many different ways of learning from our trials and challenges.

I wish you strength and clarity for the new season coming up.

If you have any testimonies or questions you'd like to share about your own experience, go to SashaTalks.com, click on the contact page, and I look forward to hearing from you.

Have a blessed week. Be good. Be safe. Be blessed.