Brad Paisley was AWESOME!

One year ago today, I ended a 17-year career as a pastor to begin my full-time season as a life coach. A lot of things have happened this last year, but one of the most significant changes I made was I started asking myself, “Do I want to say yes?”

What changed my life the most this last year was this powerful question, Do I want to say yes?

For many of you, this is a natural thing in your life- knowing when you want to say yes and when you want to say no. But for many years, my ability to say yes and no started with the question, “What would the person asking me want?”

One recent experience highlighted this change. On a Friday night in September, a friend offered me free tickets to see Brad Paisley in concert.

Like most things in life, there were questions about what to do. Life is often 50/50- good and hard all at the same time.

The concert was about an hour away and it was pouring rain.  I do not enjoy driving at night. 

I love concerts and have not been to one since 2020.  The artist is one I really like.

Great friends and great seats!! 

What did I want to do? 

Over the last year, I’ve been investing time in learning how to notice my thoughts and keep the ones that serve me rather than reacting to the automatic. Did you know that many of our thoughts are unhelpful and just plain inaccurate? And much of those thoughts are on autopilot, like a bad habit.  

But I’m learning that we can change these unhelpful thought patterns. I’m getting better at learning when to say yes and no with more clarity and mindfulness rather than passively reacting to what I think/predict those around me would want.

I decided to say yes to the concert.  I asked a few friends to join me, and two said yes.  We had an amazing time together. I’ve never been that close to an artist at a concert before.  It was so fun!

Not only did my “yes” lead to a wonderful night with my friends, it also strengthened my internal spiritual muscle that is helping me live this one precious life. 

This type of processing goes way beyond having a good night out - it can be applied to how you approach your work, your relationships, and your self-care.  Coaching can be truly transformational.  

I am thankful for what coaching is doing for me, applying this work is allowing me to live a brave, creative, purpose-filled life.  And I want to share what I’ve learned with you!