I've just had a beautiful and symbolic birthday art show, celebrating how circumstances change, and how much growth (and art) can come during times of challenge. You can see the radiance of the people I am surrounded by bouncing off my face in the photo.

I gave a talk on the series (Seven Valleys of Summer) followed by a dynamic discussion. One thing I've been asked but have not yet fully addressed is how I made the big decision to move to San Antonio.

As life is rich with choice and occasion for decisions I thought it might be helpful to share some of the wisdom I gained about the process of Making BIG Decisions:

Watch your language. My wonderful housemate in California helped me with this. Instead of repeating dis-empowering phrases like “I don’t know what to do!” or worse, “why am I so [insert negative quality]?” do the following:
Ask good questions. The ones you want answers to, like “how can I best accomplish [this]?” or “What is the best next step?” I tried to focus my questions on where to be and how to best use my talents to be of service.
Make Believe. When you feel pressured and unsure it can hamper creativity - so just pretend you knew some possible answers to the questions you're asking. What would they be?
Be specific. A dear friend taught me this over the holidays last year and it was a game changer. Go from asking good questions to specific ones. Take those possibilities and reflect on them. “Is [X] the best next step at this time?” Sometimes the answer is instant! When it isn’t:
Give it Space. In my case, it took a couple of months practicing step four but when the answer came it was clear. There were no light bulbs or disembodied voices. I simply recognized a peaceful sense of certainty as if I’d always known.

I hope this reflection is timely and helpful!