Feeling stuck or overwhelmed can make even the most meaningful dreams feel out of reach. Whether you’re trying to start a business, change careers, write a book, or move forward on something that matters, the hardest part is often figuring out the next step.
Sometimes all it takes is a different perspective to create the momentum you need to move forward.
This is the story of four words that changed the trajectory of my life and what they taught me about taking the next step.
“I think it’s possible.”
Those four words changed everything.
Have you ever had a dream you thought about for years but rarely said out loud? Not because you didn’t want it. Not because you didn’t think about it. But because saying it out loud would make it real.
Maybe your version is writing a book, starting a business, changing careers, or finding joy in a leadership role that currently drains you. Maybe it’s something only you and God know about. If you’re feeling stuck and unsure how to move forward, sometimes the hardest part isn’t the dream itself. It’s taking the next step.
For years, mine was becoming a speaker and a coach.
I didn’t have a plan. I didn’t have a vision board. I didn’t even have a sticky note tucked into my planner reminding me to become a coach someday. It was simply one of those dreams that would show up every once in a while, whisper to me, and then disappear back into the background of life.
One evening, Jason surprised me with an Enneagram for Marriage webinar because he knew how much I enjoyed learning about the Enneagram. During the webinar, they began discussing their certification program.
Almost without thinking, I made an offhand comment.
“I’d love to be a speaker and a coach someday.”
Jason turned and looked at me.
“Why don’t you?”
I laughed.
“What do you mean, why don’t I?”
“Why don’t you sign up?”
And just like that, my brain went into overdrive.
Kids in college. Maybe after the kids were through college.
A full-time job. Maybe when life slowed down.
A busy life. Maybe someday.
My brain was doing what brains do best. It was trying to protect me by listing all the reasons this dream should stay exactly where it was: safely in the future. At the time, those reasons felt responsible and practical.
Then Jason said four words that stopped me in my tracks.
“I think it’s possible.”
In that moment, something shifted.
Not my circumstances.
Me.
When Someone Sees Possibility in You
Looking back, I don’t think Jason gave me confidence that night. I think he gave me permission to think about what was possible.
Before that conversation, my brain was busy telling me all the reasons this dream belonged in the future. After that conversation, I had permission to consider that maybe it didn’t.
Sometimes we need someone else to help us see what is possible because our brains are very good at finding reasons to stay where we are. When we’re overwhelmed, it’s easy to get buried in all the reasons something won’t work and lose sight of the next step.
We tell ourselves we’re not ready, that it’s not the right season, that we don’t have enough time, or that we’ll get to it later.
Five years later, I honestly don’t think Terrie Power Coaching would exist if someone hadn’t spoken possibility into that moment.
Take a few minutes and think about the people in your life who help you see what is possible. Who encourages you? Who challenges you? Who reminds you of your strengths when you’ve forgotten them?
Make a list.
Those people matter more than we often realize. Sometimes those voices come from friends and family. Other times they come from a community of people committed to helping one another move forward.
Looking for Possibilities Instead of Obstacles
Once I started believing it might be possible, something interesting happened.
Nothing about my circumstances changed. I still had kids heading to college. I still had a full-time job. I still had the same schedule, responsibilities, and concerns.
What changed was the question I was asking.
Instead of asking why it wouldn’t work, I started asking, “What can I do to make this happen?” Instead of listing obstacles, I started looking for possibilities.
I had 24 hours to make a decision. I started thinking about ways I could pay for the certification. I thought about how I could make time for it while working full-time. I prayed. I talked with Jason some more.
The next morning, I signed up.
The circumstances hadn’t changed.
I had.
If you’re feeling stuck, try this simple exercise.
Draw a line down the middle of a piece of paper.
On the left side, write down all the reasons you think something won’t work. Don’t filter them. Get them all out of your head and onto paper.
On the right side, think about the people in your life who help you see what is possible. What would they say? What opportunities would they notice? What solutions might they suggest?
When I looked at becoming a coach, my left column was filled with reasons to wait. Kids in college. A full-time job. A busy life.
The right column started asking different questions. How could I pay for it? How could I make time for it? What would it look like to take one small step?
You don’t have to ignore the obstacles. I didn’t.
The goal is simply to make sure obstacles aren’t the only thing you’re looking at.
Sometimes we borrow someone else’s perspective until we’re able to see it ourselves.
How to Take the Next Step Before You Feel Ready
One of the biggest lies we tell ourselves is that we’ll know when we’re ready.
I didn’t feel ready when I signed up for that certification. I felt hopeful.
For the first time, I could see the possibility.
There is a difference.
Ready says, “I know exactly how this will work.”
Hope says, “I don’t know exactly how this will work, but I think it might.”
If I could go back and talk to the Terrie sitting in front of that webinar, I would tell her, “Terrie, you may feel unsure, but this moment will change your ability to change lives, including your own.”
Five years later, Terrie Power Coaching is celebrating its fifth anniversary.
Today, I spend my days helping people make meaningful progress on what matters most.
What started with one conversation, one possibility, and one step created momentum that led to an entirely different chapter of my life. Not because I had a perfect plan. Not because I wasn’t scared. Because I was willing to take the next step.
Looking back, that next step mattered far more than having all the answers. It created momentum. And that momentum made the next step easier, and then the next one after that.
That’s often how meaningful progress happens. Not through one giant leap, but through a series of small steps that build momentum over time.
We talk more about this in the The Biggest Reason You Feel Burned Out (Even When You’re Productive) Read it here.
Questions to Help You Take the Next Step
As I look back over the last five years, I’m grateful for that conversation. Not because it magically removed my fear or gave me a perfect plan, but because it helped me see a different future. It gave me permission to consider that maybe this dream didn’t have to stay safely tucked away in “someday.”
As you finish reading this, I want to encourage you to think about your own version of “I’d love to…” Is there a dream, goal, project, or change you’ve been putting off?
Maybe it’s a business you want to start or continue growing. Maybe it’s a book you’ve wanted to write. Maybe it’s a career change, a ministry, a project, or a leadership opportunity you’ve been putting off because the timing doesn’t feel right.
Take a few minutes and reflect on these questions:
- What is your version of “I’d love to…”?
- Who are the people in your life who help you see what is possible?
- What is one next step you could take this week?
You might also make a list of three things you’ve left undone, postponed, or feel stuck on. Then ask yourself:
- What risk am I willing to take to move this forward?
- What would give me hope that progress is possible and help me build momentum?
Five years ago, I almost left a dream sitting safely in the future.
I’m grateful I didn’t.
If this article brought a dream, idea, or next step to mind, don’t let it drift back into someday.
If you’re feeling stuck, remember that you don’t need a perfect plan. You just need the courage to take the next step.
Maybe the momentum you’re looking for begins with one next step.
If you’d like help thinking through your next step and identifying what matters most in this season, learn more about scheduling a consultation call.
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