Lately, I’ve been trying to build something new.
A community.
Conversations around leadership and healing—how they connect, and how they don’t.
And if I’m honest…
it hasn’t grown as quickly as I expected.
I’ve been showing up.
Posting.
Trying to be consistent.
And like most people starting something new, I’ve caught myself wondering:
What should I say today?
But the truth is—
the messages that resonate the most don’t come from me trying to create something.
They come from something I’ve already noticed.
A Different Starting Point
Each day, I start with a simple practice.
I pause.
I begin with gratitude.
Then I ask one question—something I need clarity on.
And then I listen.
Usually, a few words or thoughts come up.
Nothing elaborate.
Just enough to pay attention to.
But the message of the day doesn’t always come from that moment.
It comes from what happens after.
Paying Attention
Throughout the day, I watch.
Not in a detached way—
but in an aware way.
I notice:
- what triggers a reaction
- what repeats
- what feels off
- what feels aligned
And when something stands out…
I write it down.
Not to analyze it immediately.
Just to notice it.
What I’ve Learned
Most people think self-awareness comes from thinking harder.
It doesn’t.
It comes from observing more clearly.
The message isn’t created.
It’s revealed.
Sometimes It Finds Me
Sometimes the message comes from stillness.
And sometimes…
it doesn’t.
Sometimes it shows up in the middle of everything.
A thought I can’t shake.
A line from something I wrote the day before.
A conversation that lingers longer than it should.
Yesterday, I kept coming back to one line in my journal:
Train your mind to meet your goals.
It stayed with me.
Wouldn’t leave.
And I’ve learned—
when something doesn’t leave, it usually has something to say.
Around the same time, I got a message from one of my daughter’s friends.
I had accidentally sent her a screenshot that wasn’t meant for her.
But her response caught my attention.
She said I should share ways to improve yourself daily.
It wasn’t planned.
But it felt important.
Then later, while I was talking it through, something became clearer:
This is really about self-awareness.
Not as a concept—
but as the ability to observe yourself.
And then, almost reinforcing it, I got another message:
That I should write a book.
Because so many young people are struggling with awareness—
of others, and of themselves—
and learning how to be comfortable in their own skin.
Three different inputs.
Different moments.
Same direction.
And then today, I got my confirmation in a way I didn’t expect.
A pileated woodpecker.
It stopped me for a moment—not because it was unusual, but because it felt like an answer.
The same message I had been circling:
You just need to do the thing.
Not overthink it.
Not wait until it’s perfect.
Just move.
This Is What I Pay Attention To
Not everything is a sign.
But patterns are.
Repetition is.
What lingers is.
And sometimes…
it’s the moment that makes everything click.
This is part of discernment.
It’s not just about looking inward.
It’s about noticing what keeps showing up—
and having the awareness to follow it.
Where This Shows Up
In leadership, this is what allows you to:
- read a room accurately
- understand what’s underneath a problem
- respond instead of react
In healing, it’s what allows you to:
- recognize patterns
- understand emotional responses
- begin to change them
Different contexts.
Same skill.
The Practice Behind the Message
This is part of what I describe in the DEPTH Framework™—
especially discernment and pause.
The parts of growth that don’t always get attention…
but change everything.
Closing
So when I share a “message of the day,”
it’s not always something I came up with that morning.
Sometimes it’s something that stayed with me.
Sometimes it’s something that found me.
And sometimes…
it’s something I finally understood.
And that’s the practice I’m building—
not just sharing ideas…
but learning how to see.
If you’re exploring your own growth—whether in leadership, your work, or your life—
start by paying attention.
You might be surprised what’s already there.
