67 | Saying “Yes” to Everything to Find Your Purpose? Here’s Why You Still Feel Stuck

Speaker A: 00:00:01

It's not that you're doing this wrong, it's just that you were never taught a better way. The world is loud when it comes to purpose. It tells you, follow your passion, do what you enjoy, and you'll find your purpose.

Have you ever found yourself you're saying yes to things, hoping one of them will finally be it. Like, maybe this is the thing I'm supposed to be doing, maybe this is my purpose. But deep down you're still unsure.

You're still questioning, still feeling alone.

Little off in today's episode, we're going to be talking about why saying yes to things is actually keeping you stuck and the better way to discern your God given purpose with God, whether you're driving, folding laundry or in the middle of mom life, let's do this.

If you're tired of feeling unsure about your purpose because you don't know how to hear God clearly and you want simple, faith rooted steps to discern his will and move forward with confidence, you are in the right place. I'm Michelle Cradle, Catholic mom of three and a discernment coach for Catholic women.

I learned how to move from confusion and overthinking to hearing God's voice clearly and moving forward with confidence in his will. If you're ready to grow closer to God, begin discovering how God uniquely made you and experience mindset transformation.

Grab that laundry, pop in those earbuds and let's do this. When I was first starting to look into my purpose, I would start and then stop just out of frustration.

I wanted a clear path, something that helped me partner with God and that stayed aligned with the Catholic faith. But I didn't know what that actually looked like.

Then when my daughter was born, I told myself, I'll come back to this later when I had more time when life slows down a little. But as a mom, life rarely slows down the way we imagine it will.

What I eventually learned is that discerning God's will for my life, it didn't require hours of free time or a perfect season. It started in small, intentional moments with Him.

I needed a simple faith rooted process, something that helped me stop guessing and stopped starting over and actually moved me forward with clarity. So I created a framework that helped me focus on the right things when I sat down for even just 15, 20 minutes.

And little by little, I started discerning God's will with more clarity.

And if you've been feeling that desire to understand God's plan for your life, but you keep thinking I don't have time for this right now, I want you to know it doesn't have to feel overwhelming. Sometimes you just simply need a clear place to begin. That's why I offer discernment coaching sessions.

Together we walk through simple, faith rooted steps to help you discern God's guidance right in the middle of your life as a mom.

If you'd like support in that process, you can learn more or book your discernment coaching session at MichelleBrannam.com/coaching that is M I C H E L L E B R-A-N-N-A-M.com coaching there was a season in my life where I knew I wanted more. I had this desire on my heart to stay home with my kids, to do something meaningful, something that mattered. But I didn't know what that was.

So I did what I thought I was supposed to do. I started saying yes to different things I tried, different business ideas, different opportunities, things that I even enjoyed.

But no matter what I tried, I still felt off, overwhelmed and unfulfilled. The truth is I was trying to figure this out on my own. I was looking at what the world was telling me or what I thought that I would love to do.

But God wasn't actually at the center of that process. I started to notice I wasn't the only one doing this. I hear it from other women too. Saying yes to things, hoping one of them will be it.

Hoping they'll just fall into their purpose. You know the Lord is calling you to something, but you're not sure what that is or how to discern it. So what do you do?

You start saying yes to things, hoping one of them will be it. Hoping you'll kind of fall into your purpose. And I get it, because it feels productive. You're doing something right.

But in reality it's actually keeping you stuck. It's slowing you down, not really moving you forward on your path to your God given purpose.

Because you're trying to find your purpose by experimenting instead of discerning it with God. And I want to say this because this is important. It's not that you're doing this wrong. It's just that you were never taught a better way.

The world is loud when it comes to purpose. It tells you follow your passion, do what you enjoy and you'll find your purpose.

So naturally you start saying yes to things you like, hoping one of them will be it. And this is where we run into a problem. Your purpose isn't something you create on based what you enjoy.

It's something that God already created you for. Let me say that again. Your purpose isn't something you create based on what you enjoy. It's something that God already created you for.

That doesn't mean your passions don't matter. They do. They are clues. But they're not the final answer. Because you were created by God, for God and for a unique mission. And here's the truth.

Your purpose is not something you stumble into. It's something you discern with God. God, he already created your purpose, and he's not hiding it from you. He desires to guide you to it.

But we actually have to partner with him in that process, because when we don't, we end up reaching out in the dark and we're hoping we grab that right thing. It's like when I walk to the family room at night when the kids, they didn't pick up their toys.

I can try to make my way across the room, but I'm tripping, I'm stumbling, and I'm stepping on things, and I might even eventually get where I'm going, but it's slow, it's frustrating, and it's uncertain. But when the room is clean and there's light, I can walk straight there. Quick, clear and confident. And that's the difference.

Saying yes to everything. It's like reaching out in the dark. You're hoping something is right. And discernment is allowing God to turn the light on for you.

Psalm 119, 105 says, Your word is a lamp upon my feet and a light upon my path. He will guide you. And I love this reminder from St. John Henry Newman that God knows you personally. He knows what you're capable.

He knows what will bring you your greatest fulfillment, and he desires to lead you there. God will guide you if you give him the chance.

In James 1:5, it says that if any of us lack wisdom, that we should ask God, and He will give it to us generously. He wants to give you wisdom for your life.

Spend some time in prayer and ask God for wisdom in what step you should take next or what he created you for. And you might be surprised. Sometimes that next step he shows you is much simpler and much clearer than you ever expected.

And that's why discernment matters. So what's the better way? It's not about saying yes to more things, and it's not about sitting back and waiting either.

It's about learning how to discern it with God. Because discernment is actually a process. It's not guessing, and it's not Hoping. And it's not. I think this might be it.

It's intentional discerning, which means you're no longer trying to figure out everything out on your own. You're inviting God into it and walking through it with him step by step. And this is where prayer and reflection and action come together.

A couple months ago I had to make a big decision. I asked God for guidance and a few days later he answered very clearly.

I heard it through reflections on a gospel and then I heard the same message come through again through someone else. And that's how I knew. Not because I guessed right, but because I discerned it with Him. And this is what changes things.

You start making those decisions with clarity, with confidence and with peace.

Because let me ask you this, if you say yes to something and it seems good, will you really know with clarity and confidence that it's what God created you for or will you still be questioning it? That's the difference. Discernment gives you that clarity.

It helps you to see how God created you, how he's been guiding you and what he's actually calling you into. So instead of filling your plate with more, you're getting clear on what actually belongs there.

Okay, Michelle, but how do I actually discern this with God?

We can walk through simple faith rooted steps to help you discern God's guidance with more clarity, confidence and peace inside a discernment coaching session. You don't have to keep guessing your way through this alone.

You can learn more or book your session@michellebrannam.com/coaching so the things that I want you to anchor to from this episode is you don't need to find your purpose by saying yes to everything. You discern it with God and clarity and confidence. They come when you stop guessing and start discerning with God.

Alright, so let's take this to prayer before I leave you with some small actionable steps for this week. In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. Holy Spirit, we come before you asking for guidance and wisdom in our lives.

We ask that you give us wisdom in the next step that you are calling us to take so we can step into who you created us to be. Help us to trust your guidance and not lean on our own understandings.

Remind us that you created us, each of us, uniquely and intentionally for the mission that you are calling us to, to love, serve and impact others through the gifts that you have given us. May we become the answer to someone's prayer through the purpose that you have placed on our hearts.

We surrender our plans, our fears and uncertainty. You in Jesus name, Amen. In the name of the Father and of the Son and the Holy Spirit, Amen. Now let's take this from head to heart.

Because knowing that truth is powerful. But real change comes when we act just one small step at a time.

This week I invite you to spend some time in prayer and ask God for His guidance and what step he wants you to take next. Not five steps from now, not the whole plan, just the next step. That one next step.

You might be surprised of how much clarity comes when you stop trying to figure out everything on your own and begin inviting God into this process. Remember, my beautiful sisters in Christ, that God uniquely created you for a unique purpose. You were made to do great things.

God is within you and you will not fail. I look forward to continuing this journey with you. I'll meet you next Tuesday for another conversation.

Until then, may God bless you and give you peace. I hope you enjoyed today's episode.

If so, take 30 seconds to share it with a friend who's feeling unsure about her purpose and one simple faith filled steps to discern God's will. And if you learned something today, please leave a quick review on Apple Podcasts. It lights me up to know that this show is helping you.

Okay, time to tackle that laundry and unload that dishwasher. Gotta go. I'll see you next Tuesday for another conversation.