New Frontiers: 3 Outcomes of Cultivating Curiosity
Is a major transition igniting your curiosity in some unexpected or surprising way? Learn how cultivating curiosity through transition seasons can lead to 3 super positive outcomes.
I’m currently reading a book titled Undaunted Courage by Stephen E. Ambrose. The author’s retelling of the Lewis and Clark journey has kindled within me a new interest in American history. I attribute this newfound curiosity to the ways of transition.
The Lewis and Clark expedition was fueled by a good dose of curiosity during a major transition period. While other political and economic agendas were undoubtedly present, scientific discovery loomed large as a top priority. Simply put, curiosity got the better of our forefathers, proving to be a game changer in our country’s formation.
Transitions are like new expeditions into unexplored territory. As we set out on transition’s path, we may be surprised at what sparks interest and fuels motivation.
Is a major transition igniting your curiosity in some unexpected or surprising way? I encourage you to explore the uncharted territory which transition affords.
Cultivating curiosity through transition seasons can lead to 3 super positive outcomes:
1. Discovery. When we cultivate curiosity we begin to gain new perspective. Personal desires and dreams come to the surface. We become more aware of ourselves, our gifts and how we are wired. We discover values that have shifted. When I started to cultivate curiosity I began breaking out of restrictive patterns or thinking. Those patterns were part of my old life, but should they be part of the new? How can I make room for new desires and interests and awaken old interests that have been dormant?
2. Fulfillment. As we begin to live out of our new orientation, aligned with our values and convictions, we come to a new place of fulfillment. Fulfillment comes even as we awkwardly try on new schedules, priorities and activities. Why? Because we are moving in alignment with our convictions, not simply our comforts.
3. Wisdom. Wisdom is a treasure gained by paying attention. As we take the time to learn from the past and reflect on what our experiences have taught us, we gain a wealth of wisdom. We then take this valuable commodity into the next season and future transitions. As we share what we’ve learned with our fellow transitioners, wisdom is multiplied.
“Blessed are those who find wisdom, those who gain understanding, for she is more profitable than silver and yields better returns than gold.”
What price are you willing to pay in order to secure this priceless commodity? How can you cultivate curiosity through your transition season? What clues into your purpose and destiny are waiting to be uncovered?
As your coach I’m here to support you. Schedule a complementary discovery call to get started on your journey.
Here to serve,
–Tim Austin
Founder and Coach, Encompass Life Coaching
Crossroads and the Big Decisions
God’s way, I've come to realize, is transition. And it works its wonders differently each time. One thing is certain: transition leads us to the crossroads of decision. Here are some important steps to take when navigating your transition crossroads...
God’s way, I've come to realize, is transition.
Oh, it feels different each time. Sometimes change hits us abruptly, with no warning whatsoever. Or it can be subtle, like the first signs of fall after a long summer. Transition can serve as a boot camp of sorts, preparing us for some bold new adventure. Sometimes mostly outward circumstances change. Other times big internal shifts take place, impacting core values, identity and purpose.
One thing is certain: transitions lead us to the crossroads of decision.
Recently, on the heels of a major transition, I came across this invitation from scripture:
“Stand at the crossroads and look; ask for the ancient paths, ask where the good way is, and walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls. But you said, ‘We will not walk in it.’”
Take Time to Stand…
Transitions are opportunities to stand between the juncture of two or more paths and consider the options. A posture of stillness prepares us to see what we may otherwise not see and to make navigational adjustments while it’s not too late. Fools rush in, so the saying goes. Nonetheless one part of me wants to heed the world’s urgent call to action, “Don't just stand there, do something!”
Standing, in one sense, is stopping long enough to make sense of it all.
Our fast-paced culture tends to downplay the need for disciplines like stillness and solitude. But what if there is more heroism in the act of standing than we would dare to think? When we take time to put on the brakes and to stand at a crossroads we are more likely to end up in a good place when it’s all said and done...
“Be prepared. You’re up against far more than you can handle on your own. Take all the help you can get, every weapon God has issued, so that when it’s all over but the shouting you’ll still be on your feet.”
Look Again. What do you See?
There is more to the process than simply stopping. It's possible to stop and stand at a crossroads yet miss the message. So, what can we do?
During a recent transition, being presented with another big decision made me want to crawl into a hole. The wisest counsel I received was to pause, to give myself time and space to breathe. Difficult transitions can be complicated by decision fatigue, “the deteriorating quality of decisions made by an individual after a long session (or in my case season) of decision making.” (Wikipedia). During these times why not linger a bit at the crossroads, allowing God’s unhurried wisdom and counsel to take over?
When we pause long enough and observe closely, we may find ourselves moving beyond merely looking at the fog and thus raising the stress level; we actually may begin seeing options and opportunities through the fog!
When it’s time to ask…
At some stage of transition we need to inquire. We need to ask for clarity, for direction.
Asking well requires the art of a waiting with a listening ear. Do you ever get annoyed when someone asks you a question but doesn't wait for the answer? My wife can tell you that I have a tendency of not stopping long enough to hear the answer to the question I'm asking, especially in decision fatigue moments. Thankfully she gives me more patience and grace than I deserve.
Ancient paths are the good ways. They are proven and trustworthy. but they are not necessarily the most well-worn. It takes courage, discipline and a sense of adventure in order to trod these paths (for more read Hebrews 11 in the Bible). Are we stopping long enough and with intentionality to see the best options, the God-honoring ones?
Walk in it…
Take it…the road that is. At some critical juncture we must heed the call to action. What will it take to walk in the path you are now destined for? Through the process of standing, observing and asking, you can reach the clarity and confidence to pursue new, unfamiliar paths. A personal guide awaits us,
“But I’ll take the hand of those who don’t know the way, who can’t see where they’re going. I’ll be a personal guide to them, directing them through unknown country. I’ll be right there to show them what roads to take, make sure they don’t fall into the ditch. These are the things I’ll be doing for them—sticking with them, not leaving them for a minute.”
What do you need to move forward? Courage? Accountability? Rest?
Rest…
Believe it or not, this is really the goal of the whole process…to enter into rest, a quiet, unhurried confidence which has learned the secret of walking with the Creator through times of transition.
Moving forward at a crossroads is something that can be greatly enhanced by working with a life coach specializing in transitions. Need a supportive partner to journey with you in transition or know someone who does? Contact us HERE.
Life After Transition
God has his own way of getting us ready for change. Transition is a process of letting go, grieving the losses, celebrating the past, and moving forward by faith into a new season of life and ministry.
I’ve experienced more than my share of transition over the past 6 months. I said farewell to life and ministry in the land of Turkey. My oldest daughter was married (I gained a super son-in-law by the way.) Our son recently moved away to college. Our youngest daughter started her high school career in a new town. A new home, church, and community. While many of these life events give good reason to celebrate, they are nonetheless big changes to navigate, and especially all at once!
One proud father walking his lovely daughter down nature's aisle. I even got to officiate the ceremony and, believe it or not, mostly held myself together!
It wasn’t easy saying goodbye to full time cross-cultural ministry. After all, it was some of the most rewarding and fulfilling 20 years of my life. Someone recently asked me what it was that triggered such a big transition. I couldn’t point to just one thing. Transitions are strange in that way. Feeling under-utilized, not challenged, restless – there were a number of indicators over a long season before the actual transition took place. God has his own way of getting us ready for change.
Transition is a process of letting go, grieving the losses, celebrating the past, and moving forward by faith into a new season of life and ministry.
God has used transition, in its many forms, to shape my character, re-align me with His purposes, and get me ready for the next assignment. And he’s not finished with me yet.
I recently came across a devotional about the life of Joseph. You may have heard about the multi-colored coat he proudly wore in his youth, the “coat of many colors” which his doting father gave to him. But there is something much more enduring than a coat: his character.
“It was Joseph’s character, not his coat, that sustained him through years of betrayal, temptation, accusation and imprisonment.”
In other words, no amount of difficult transition could get the best of Joseph because he gave attention to personal character formation. Prolonged and difficult transitions can be fertile ground for character transformation, thus a great time to work with a life coach, mentor or counselor.
As a family, we’re starting to recover and regroup from all the transition. We’ve settled into our new abode (new for us), a 1960’s era home in the Sierra Nevada Mountains of Northern California. I’m back to building fires in the woodstove, raking up loads of pine needles, and a bit of hiking and hunting – all activities that were not part of life in the big city of Istanbul. These are things that renew and energize me. Well, maybe I could do without all the yard work!
Transition has taken its toll on me emotionally and spiritually. Thankfully, God has given me the gift of time and space to breathe. I’ve been reminded of who I really am in relationship to God. I’m kept in the love of God and sustained by Him through intimacy with Him, not merely by what I do for Him. I’m passionate about coaching, but I want to be more passionate about God. I need this reminder from time to time. I always will.
From a coach's perspective, I’ve learned two valuable lessons through this season of change:
- Working with a life coach is a vital part of processing and planning through a transition. For me, it’s practicing what I preach.
- For you coaches out there, you don’t need to have your own transition all figured out to effectively coach others. God can and will use us to serve our clients well even when, or maybe especially when, we are navigating our own transitions.
Finally, I’m thinking of the global scope of this blog readership. I consider God’s promise to Abraham, that through him and his seed (that’s us) all nations will be blessed (Genesis 22:18). May prayer for each one of us is to be shaken like salt and dispersed like light among the nations, in order that God’s promise to Abraham might be fulfilled, to the ends of the earth.
Peace on Earth,
Tim
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