Have you ever worked toward something for months (or in my case, 10 long years) only to accomplish it and suddenly find yourself asking:
“Now what?”
It surprises people when I tell them this is one of the most common questions I hear.
I’ve sat across the table from entrepreneurs who successfully sold their businesses, authors who finally published the book they’d dreamed of writing, professionals who retired after remarkable careers, and parents whose children had grown and left home. Each of them had achieved something significant, yet instead of feeling energized, they felt… listless, lost, and untethered.
Recently, I had the pleasure of discussing this very topic on the Personal Development Trailblazers Podcast. As we talked, I realized that navigating life’s transitions has become one of the central themes of my work. Not because I have all the answers (Heaven knows I’m still working on my own on that count!) but because I’ve had to reinvent myself many, many times.
As an analytical biochemist, college professor, entrepreneur, homeschooling mother, author, and business owner, I’ve learned that life isn’t a straight line. It’s a series of chapters. Every chapter asks us a different question.
The challenge isn’t reaching the goal. For me, I found my greatest challenge ended up being how to begin again. Here are some of the lessons I have learned the hard way. I didn’t do these things, but I have since come to realize just how important these things are. So this is present Janine sharing with present you, things she would tell past Janine. (Did you follow that?) LOL!
Celebrate Before You Strategize
One piece of advice often surprises people.
Before you make your next plan…
Celebrate.
Not because you’ve “earned a break,” but because celebration reveals something important.
When you invite people to celebrate with you, you quickly discover who is genuinely excited about your next chapter. Those people become part of the community that walks with you into what’s next. (There is a whole list of people, experiences and just plain sad stories I could share with you on this topic, but instead just know this one thing. The friends and community that got you to this part of your journey, may not be the group that wants to join you on your next chapter. Just say’n’.)
Every major accomplishment changes us. Whether you call it personal growth, raising your vibration, or simply becoming a different person through experience, something shifts inside you and others pick up on it and they decide whether they wish to continue to travel with you or if they move into a different community altogether.
Celebration isn’t just about looking backward. Celebrations are great tools to redefine and envision your next series of projects. It’s about discovering who is ready to walk forward with you.
The Three Questions I Ask Every Client
When someone tells me they feel stuck after a major life change, I don’t begin by helping them write a new five-year plan. (UGH!)
Instead, I ask three simple questions.
1. Where am I now?
Not where I wish I were. Not where I used to be. Not the story I’ve been telling myself.
Where am I—right now? This is a huge question that forces your analytical brain to take a back seat for a bit and just allows you to observe, Wow, how long has that box been sitting in my office unopened? What is in there anyway? You’ve been so busy working to this particular conclusion, it is time to take stock and rework items that have been forgotten in the shuffle of the every dayness of your life.
This question forces us into the present moment. As someone who spent years as a Girl Scout leader, I often compare this to arriving at an unexpected campsite. Before making any decisions, everyone puts down their backpack and takes inventory.
What resources do I actually have? What skills are available to me today? Who is already in my corner?
Reality, harsh, cold, direct Reality, is an incredibly powerful place to begin.
2. What was I really trying to create?
Sometimes the original goal wasn’t the real goal at all. It wasn’t until you got to this “false” summit that you realize, there is more to do, plan and create along the way.
Maybe I wanted freedom. Maybe I wanted meaningful work. Maybe I wanted financial security. Maybe I wanted to make a difference.
When we identify what we were truly trying to create, we often discover that parts of that dream are still very much alive. Even after disappointment, there are usually valuable pieces worth carrying into the next chapter.
We are not starting over from nothing. We are literally building from the remains, it is an insanely creative place to be.
3. What’s my next meaningful step?
Notice I didn’t say:
“What’s my perfect plan?”
Or…
“What’s the most practical thing to do?”
I ask:
What’s my next meaningful step?
That wording matters. The word “meaningful” invites in your overall purpose. It allows you to stay connected to the bigger picture of your life rather than being trapped in a loop of endless analysis.
As an analytical biochemist, I know my logical brain is a wonderful tool, but there are many times where it, frankly, just gets in my gosh darn way and I need to make it take a backseat while the “creative geniuses” in the room in my brain have a turn. LOL.
Years ago, while wrestling with a particularly difficult decision, I asked myself this question.
The answer that came back was:
“Go make yourself a cup of hot cocoa.”
Honestly?
I thought it was ridiculous.
But I made the cocoa anyway.
While I was standing in the kitchen, the phone rang. The conversation that followed provided exactly the information I needed to make my decision.
There are many times that the next meaningful step doesn’t make logical sense.
It simply creates space for the right opportunity to find you. Wow. I wasn’t expecting that!
Relationships Build the Next Chapter
People often ask how I’ve rebuilt businesses after difficult seasons. (ie: my business dies, I watch the last client walk out the door, my lead generation system up and quits or the funnel that has been working for 10 years just fine, Stops!)
My answer usually surprises them.
I pick up the phone. I write handwritten cards. I leave voicemail messages.
I stay in touch with people because I genuinely care about them, not because I hope they’ll buy something next week (although the business’ bottom line would LOVE that!) This is not the reason I stay in contact with them.
Technology has changed dramatically over the years, but people still long to be remembered, heard, seen and communicated with.
The strongest businesses I’ve ever built weren’t built on clever marketing campaigns.
They were built on relationships. Phone calls. And a card now and again.
That’s why I continue teaching what I call relationship marketing. Which is a practical, sustainable approach to growing a business through genuine human connection rather than constant hustle.
Every Ending Is Also an Invitation
If you’re standing between one chapter of life and the next, remember this: You do not need to have the next ten years figured out. You don’t even need to know what next year looks like.You simply need to know your next meaningful step.
1. Take inventory of where you are.
2. Remember what you were truly trying to create.
3. Celebrate what you’ve accomplished.
4. Only then to you move forward one meaningful step at a time.
Life has a remarkable way of revealing the path once we’re willing to pause, celebrate what we’ve done and then -> start walking.
Listen to the Conversation
This article was inspired by my conversation on the Personal Development Trailblazers Podcast, where we explored navigating life transitions, rebuilding after setbacks, relationship marketing, and finding clarity after major accomplishments.
If you’d like to hear the full discussion, you can listen to the episode below.
After you’ve listened, I’d love to hear your answer to one question:
What is your next meaningful step?