From Burnout to Calling — The Call to Decision Coaching
"I'm giving up sweets, alcohol and snacking between meals for the month of January," my sister declared — as I downed my third plate of New Year's Eve dessert.
I licked a bit of chocolate from my lip and replied without hesitation: "I'm in!"
"I'm dedicating it to God," she added.
I felt funny dedicating something to God that was inherently for me — to lose the holiday excess and get me closer to my pre-baby weight. But she made a good point… dedicating it to God would help us actually stick to it, and we'd have plenty of opportunities to pray for strength and sustenance when tempted to break the fast.
THE WAITING PERIOD
Throughout the month of January, I kept an open heart to what God might teach me during this fast. I'd been itching for purpose and direction after God had called me to cut back on work the previous October with my design business, Legacy Loft. The hardest part of that was the wait — I felt the need to be still and not plan or brainstorm anything (which, if you know me, is suuuuper challenging).
While I always have a million business ideas brewing, I resisted the urge to think through any of them during this holding period. But there was one idea that kept surfacing... A comment from a friend here, a podcast episode there. The repitition caught my attention, so I kept it in the back of my mind.
THE NUDGE
On the last Sunday of my fast, the worship songs at church tugged at my heart. The lyrics brought me peace about a few things that I'd been wrestling with, including my business/career direction. I can trust that God has a plan and it's better than what I could come up with on my own, I said to myself.
Pastor Gordon stepped onto the stage and announced the sermon topic: your purpose and path. SAY WHAAAAT?!
I knew this message was going meant for me. Ok God, I'm listening.
THE HUMBLING EXAMPLE
I strangely related to the character Gordon spoke about — Moses. Now, don't get me wrong, I would never EVER dream of comparing myself to Moses in the way most remember him — THE MOSES, who God spoke to through a burning bush… who God used to free the entire Israelite population from the Egyptians… who parted the red sea… and saw God’s glory on the mountain top. He was a pretty big deal… I’m, well, not. But I could relate to Gordon's analogy.
And it was humbling…
Moses spent his first 40 years trying to become somebody... That was me with my first two businesses, Legacy Loft and Bosscation. I approached them with pride, holding an inflated view of my design skills and business capabilities. I had dreams and desires to be a "somebody" in the online business world and had strived for that for several years.
Then, Moses spent 40 years as a nobody... That was me since having my first son in 2018. I shut down Bosscation soon after Carson was born, and stopped marketing my design business, so it stayed small.
Finally, Moses spent 40 years as an example to everybody. Saying “yes” to God’s calling, no matter how challenging or intimidating, is where real impact happens. When you set aside your plans and expectations and follow God’s path, you’ll see greater things than you could ever experience on your own. This was my next step.
THE CONFIRMATION
After that message, I felt I had the confirmation I needed to move forward with the idea that had been surfacing lately — create workbooks for Christian women.
This was actually a full-circle moment for me. Take it back to 2017 (cue the wavy, blurry “flashback” effects) — I was running my design business full time, working way more hours for way less pay than the corporate job I'd left just one year prior. I was burning out and needed a new business plan, quick. I spent a weekend camped out in my living room, using my glass doors as giant dry-erase boards, to do some deep prayer and self-reflection. Do I add passive income, hire a junior designer, hire a marketing team, scale via one-to-many? A lot surfaced during that time, but in short, God revealed that I was to go with passive income, making workbooks for Christian women. I jumped around in praise when I felt the calling.
TAKING THINGS INTO MY OWN HANDS
Unfortunately, as stated with the Moses analogy — the “trying to be someone” part — I took that calling and blew it out of proportion, trying to build a name for myself rather than follow God's path. Why serve just Christian women, when I could build a brand that serves everyone... that would make for much bigger impact, I thought. I settled on a target market of all small business women.
Then, I took the workbook idea to a whole new level of no, by adding a subscription box style package with office supplies and self-care items so the business owner could complete their workbooks on a solo business vacation. After months of planning and preparation, Bosscation was born... just before my first son.
I had put a ton of time and effort into creating Bosscation and sourcing the box items — yet it didn't take off like I'd hoped (and quite honestly, the box items were not very enticing). While I wouldn't call Bosscation a complete flop (I still sometimes get requests for my workbooks from those who find old interviews and content of mine… and might just have a few repurposed in my current shop 😉), I realized I should never have made it about the vacation... or the box. I completely lost focus of the workbooks, which I had been called to do and actually had really great content.
BACK TO THE NEW CALLING
So, back to January, there I was with a clear call for two things:
Create workbooks for Christian women
Build a business that glorifies God rather than building myself up
You can bet I was terrified of veering off God's path again. I had wasted years of my life deciding what path to pursue — brainstorming ideas, starting new businesses (building audiences and networking for each of those businesses), and then changing courses and throwing it all away. I couldn’t keep switching business directions… I had to create something I’d stick with. Plus, the stakes were higher this time... I was now a mom of two and couldn’t exhaust my precious work time building something that would flop, something done my way. I had to have clarity from God and wasn't going to move until I heard from him. What topic will these workbooks cover? I prayed for months, waiting for direction.
THE DIRECTION
Then, one night on vacation, while rocking baby number two back to sleep at 3am, I heard God's still small voice speak to my heart — I was to help people make decisions. But God, I'm horrible at making decisions, I objected. That's exactly why you need to do this, he responded, you need this for you, and to help others like you.
I first had the confirmation, now I had a direction. It was time to get to work.
I set out to listen to every podcast, audio book, Ted Talk, and YouTube video on decision making. I read blogs and books from all different perspectives. I took pages of notes and formed a framework. Then I tested my framework on myself first... could I, the girl who had a different answer to "what did you decide on for ___" every time someone asked me, finally feel confident in my decisions? The answer was finally YES (and thank goodness for that, because it’s been tempting to flip-flop when my heart and mind are in conflict).
I then beta tested my framework via my first decision workbook and the feedback had me praising God: "This was by far the best and most comprehensive solution to making a decision that will affect my life now and into the future. Thank you so much for the opportunity to participate in the beta test. God's richest blessings to you, Jamie H."
WHO AM I?
So, who am I to be a decision coach? I’m just an “unschooled, ordinary [wo]man” (Acts 4:13) who is willing to step boldly into God’s calling and let him speak through me.
Stay tuned for more decision-making workbooks and content on following God’s will, finding your purpose, and making an impact!
And if you know someone who struggles with making decisions, please help a small business gal out and share my page with them!