Dear Reader,
If you've ever found yourself asking, "What should I do next?", you're in good company.
It's one of the most common things I hear...from clients, from people after workshops, from friends in quiet moments when something in their life is shifting and they can't quite name what comes next.
It feels like the right question, responsible even, like you're taking your situation seriously.
But I've noticed something about that question over the years. It tends to keep people in their heads.
And the longer they stay there, the more stuck they feel, even when they're genuinely trying to figure things out.
So today I want to offer you a different question...one that I've found opens something up instead of closing it down.
Now let's get ALIGNED...
Inspirational Quote
"Follow your bliss and the universe will open doors where there were only walls."
- Joseph Campbell
The Story
I've been sitting with a conversation I had recently with a friend of mine.
He's a respected leader in his organization, and has been for years. People rely on him, look to him for direction, and trust him to keep things moving. By almost any measure, he's doing well.
But lately, something has shifted.
He can feel a pull toward something new. He doesn't have a clear picture of what it looks like yet, just a quiet but persistent sense that there's a next chapter trying to get his attention.
So he started asking the question most of us ask when we feel that pull.
What should I do next?
Every time he tried to take a step toward it, something got in the way. Not because he didn't have a sense of what excited him. He did.
There were new interests, new arenas he wanted to explore, things that genuinely lit something up in him when he thought about them.
But then came the familiar responses.
I don't have the time right now. I'm too tired after everything else. Maybe when things settle down a little.
And underneath all of that was something quieter, and more honest. He wasn't sure how to take the next step.
The excitement was real, but the path forward wasn't clear. And not knowing how to begin kept him exactly where he was.
So the weeks passed, and the new thing kept getting postponed. Not abandoned, just never quite started.
And I found myself wondering, what happens if he never starts?
Not because his life falls apart. But because that quiet pull keeps getting postponed, and one day he looks back and realizes he never quite got around to the life that was calling him.
The Spiritual Lesson
"What should I do next?" is a mind question.
It comes from the head, and the head wants a plan, a clear answer, something logical to act on. And in a clear, stable season of life, that kind of thinking serves you well.
But the heart works differently.
The heart doesn't speak in plans or timelines. It speaks in pulls, in longings, in that quiet but persistent sense that something more is waiting for you. And when you keep bringing a heart question to your head, you tend to get circles instead of clarity.
Not because you aren't smart enough to figure it out. But because the head and the heart are answering different things.
That's why so many capable, thoughtful people stay stuck. Not because they aren't trying hard enough, but because they're asking a question that the moment can't yet answer.
We're evolutionary beings. Growth is not something that happens to us occasionally. It is our nature.
We're always being called forward into the next expression of who we are. And that call doesn't always come with a clear itinerary.
It comes as a feeling, a pull, a quiet restlessness that doesn't go away no matter how well you manage everything around it.
Which is why the question I keep returning to, both in my own life and with the people I work with, is a different one.
Not "What should I do next?" but rather, "What is my heart already pointing me toward?"
That shift might seem small, but it changes everything about how you listen.
Instead of scanning for the right answer, you start paying attention to what already feels true.
Instead of waiting for clarity to arrive fully formed, you begin noticing the signals that have been there all along.
My friend didn't need a better plan. He needed to stop drowning out the quieter voice with the louder urgency of everything already on his plate.
When he started asking what his heart was pointing him toward, something began to open. Slowly, but it opened.
That's how it usually works.
Your Call to Action
This week, I'd like to invite you to try the question on for yourself.
Not "What should I do next?" but this one instead: What is my heart already pointing me toward?
You don't need to have an answer right away. Just let the question sit with you. Notice what surfaces, what you feel when you ask it honestly, and what you've maybe already known but haven't quite let yourself say out loud yet.
The heart usually knows before the mind catches up. It just needs someone to ask it the right question.
And if you find yourself wanting to explore what your heart is pointing you toward with some personal support, I'd love to have that conversation with you. Just hit reply.
Abundant Blessings and Namaste.
Abundant Good News and Notes
The "Tuning Into Your New Potential" Video Series: If something in this issue resonated and you're sensing that a different version of you is trying to emerge, I've been sharing a short video series exploring change, identity, and what it really takes to step into something new. Each video is brief and grounded. You can watch the series here.
Thanks for reading ALIGNED!
If you have any questions or want to share what you thought about this newsletter, hit reply and let me know.
Abundant Blessings,
Joselito Laudencia
Spiritual Life Coach, Teacher, Speaker
Author, The Creative Impulse: Answering the Highest Calling of Your Heart
www.abundantgood.com
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