Be quiet and listen.

That about sums it up.  I have struggled with a number of things during this transition period. I am a Christian, specifically an Episcopalian, and I’ve struggled with the ‘God has a plan for you’ mindset. I pray. I ask for guidance. I pray for others. I ask for help for them. A networking friend, who has become a good friend, tells me of her challenges to discern what it is that God is telling her to do. She realized that she just wasn’t listening in the right way, at the right time. She has learned to just be quiet and listen.

I heard that same message from someone else last week, in a completely unrelated context. 

Be quiet and listen, no, really listen. So that’s what I did.

And what did I hear. A meetup group will help you learn. A friend has some customers that need the service you want to offer. Your wife likes the idea and supports it. Another networking contact has some ideas on how we can work together. The NPR news article that is telling a story about taking the first step. The sign I saw yesterday that tells me that I should not just “stare at the steps” but to actually “take the first step on the stairs”.

I’m listening…and acting. New things are happening.