(Transcribed by TurboScribe. Go Unlimited to remove this message.)
(0:00 - 5:04)
This is Goals and Grace with certified high-performance coach, Reverend Dr. Juliet Spencer. One practical framework and a faith truth to cut overwhelm and claim your calling. Ready to lead with love, not depletion? Let's go! Friend, can I tell you something I had to learn the hard way? There are some goals that are simply too heavy to carry alone.
And it's not because you're weak or incapable, and it's certainly not because you don't love God enough, or because you don't want something badly enough. It's because isolation drains momentum. And if you're anything like the women I coach, and well, let's be honest, anything like me, you've probably spent years trying to prove that you can do it all by yourself.
You're convinced and want other people to be convinced that you can carry all the responsibility. You hold everything together all the time. No matter what, you figure it out.
You push through. But after a while, even your dreams start feeling lonely. And that's what I want to talk about today.
We've been walking through decision fitness together. You've clarified what matters. You've identified your five moves.
You've practiced saying a truer no instead of automatically saying yes to everything and everyone. But today, today we talk about the thing that often determines whether momentum even lasts. Who is walking with you when you build? Period.
Who is walking with you while you build? Because progress loves company. And I don't just mean accountability in that cold performative sense, although accountability is helpful. I mean encouragement, witnesses, people who remind you of who you are when your confidence starts to fade.
People who help you keep going when your emotions get loud. When you hear those self-doubts screaming at you. Have you noticed how easy it is to break promises to yourself in private? You wake up with such good intentions and you fully mean to protect your priorities.
But then the day fills up. Someone needs something. You get distracted.
You start overthinking. The inner critic starts talking. And suddenly you're reorganizing your planner instead of doing the thing that you're actually wanting to accomplish.
Believe you me, I know that cycle well. Before I had something major come up, somehow I just had to reorganize the closets, clean out the car, organize the dresser, you name it. Anything to get my brain organized.
But really was also just delay tactics. Let's just call a thing a thing. In any event, there have been seasons in my life where I thought discipline alone would solve everything.
If I could just be more focused, more organized, more efficient, then I'd finally become the woman I wanted to be. But that isn't actually what changed me. What changed me was connection.
About six or seven years ago, I was working on a major writing project. One that unfortunately did not have a real deadline hanging over me. It was just something that I had in my heart to do for a long time.
So one day I announced to husband that I was taking some personal time off from work and I was going to write my book. A book of prayers by the way. I had the plan.
I had the color-coded notes and all the good intentions in the world. But my husband didn't really want to function as the person who was holding me accountable and I didn't include anyone in a community that would both hold me accountable and offer encouragement. And as a result, nobody ever asked if I was really writing or not.
They weren't expecting a book. The majority of people in my world didn't even know I was writing one. As a result, my progress not only slowed dramatically.
Well, let's just put it this way. It's been seven years and I'm only just now picking up the mantle of writing again. Only just now.
(5:04 - 7:25)
In fact, you heard it here first. I'm gonna have that book of prayers finished in six months come hell or high water. So what changed? Well, it wasn't that the desire to write became more intense.
It's not that God screamed at me because I hadn't done it. What changed was connection. I made sure to include not just my husband, but a close circle of beautiful, marvelous friends.
I encouraged them to challenge me. They not only agreed to challenge me, but also just simply to check to check on me. To see how I'm doing.
People who genuinely have chosen to invest themselves in my success. Isn't that amazing? They have chosen to invest themselves in my success. And once I had that community of supporters and encouragers and challengers in place, not a huge group, but an honest one.
People I trust and love. And it changed everything. I stopped fussing with tiny details and I stopped waiting to feel ready.
I showed up differently because other people could see the direction that I was moving. And here's what surprised me most. Their consistency strengthens mine.
There's something powerful about watching another person keep showing up for what matters to them. It quietly raises your own standard, doesn't it? It's not through shame, but through inspired example. That's why isolation is so dangerous for ambitious women.
Because when you're alone too long, your thoughts become your only atmosphere. And sometimes your thoughts are exhausted. I know mine can be.
Or fearful, or discouraged, or convinced that everybody else is doing better than you are. That's why Ecclesiastes says, two are better than one. For if they fall, one will lift up the other.
(7:27 - 8:39)
God didn't design us to carry our calling in isolation. So let me give you something practical today. I want you to think about three people.
First, your peer. This is somebody building something that's similar and meaningful. Also, it's not somebody who's going to drain you, but somebody who is going to encourage you.
Not someone who competes with you, unless you are one of those people who thrives on competition. I am not. If that's you, then find someone to compete with.
Otherwise, find someone who understands what it means for you to keep showing up. Second, find an encourager. Now this is someone who reminds you who you are beyond your productivity.
They love you, not just your accomplishments. When your inner critic gets loud, they help you remember that your value hasn't disappeared just because you had a hard week, or in my case, seven years. And the third person you need is a guide.
(8:39 - 10:45)
It might be a coach, a mentor. Maybe it's someone a few seasons ahead of you who can help you untangle confusion when you get stuck. In other words, you don't need dozens of people, but you do need the right few voices.
And then I want you to create a rhythm. Something preferably that is simple, not at all complicated. In the morning, you might say, here's my move today.
And at the end, you might say, here's what happened. And that's it. You don't need a spreadsheet.
You don't need a perfect system, but you need consistency more than complexity. And if you miss a day, that's okay. You do not need to disappear in shame.
You simply say, I missed it. I'm starting again tomorrow. And that matters a lot more than perfection.
In fact, one of the most helpful speeches I ever heard was on visioning for your success. But the key difference between what this person said and what I've heard most of my life is that when you're envisioning your success, also envision how you persevere in the face of adversity. Picture yourself picking yourself back up when you've had a bad day or week or month.
Picture yourself reaching out to a friend and saying, Hey, I could use some encouragement. Figure out in advance the things you're going to do when the going gets tough, when you don't feel like making any more progress, what are you going to do? And when you envision your success, envision yourself courageous enough, talented enough, and prepared well enough to succeed. I also want to encourage you to stop making all your important work invisible.
(10:46 - 13:30)
Schedule one work session this week with somebody else nearby. It might be a coffee shop or a Zoom call or maybe a walking call, a library. It doesn't matter.
But there's something about another human being quietly working beside you that helps your brain settle and focus. And you realize, Oh, we're doing this now. And one more thing, protect the time you say matters.
Don't tell yourself your priorities are important and then surrender them every time somebody else becomes emotional or urgent or disappointed. I had to learn that one myself. There were seasons when I confused availability with faithfulness.
I thought being needed meant I was being loving. But even Jesus protected priorities at times. There were moments he stopped, moments he withdrew, moments he said no to immediate demands because he understood his larger purpose.
And that changed how I look at my own life. Most interruptions weren't emergencies. Most could wait.
But my dreams, my goals, my calling, my health, my relationships, and my work, those could not survive endless neglect. So if somebody presses in to protect a time, you can just lovingly and graciously say that time is already committed and you don't need to apologize and you don't need to defend or provide an elaborate explanation. Just clarify.
Because healthy support systems work best when you actually honor the commitments you report back about. Friend, you are not meant to build your life alone. That includes your goals, your healing, and your calling.
And if you're listening to this and realizing you've been trying to carry everything alone, maybe this is your sign that it's time to stop white-knuckling your way through growth. Because clarity grows faster in conversation. Confidence grows faster in community.
And momentum grows faster when someone is helping you stay connected to what matters most. That's one of the reasons that I care so deeply about coaching. Not because I think people need fixing, but because I've seen what happens when someone finally has a space where they can think clearly, hear themselves honestly, and stop carrying the weight of every decision alone.
(13:30 - 14:29)
Sometimes one good conversation changes the direction of an entire season. So if you're feeling stuck, overwhelmed, and disconnected from your purpose, or simply tired of trying to figure it out all by yourself, I would love to walk beside you. You can find information about coaching in the show notes, and I'd be honored to help you build a life that feels aligned, intentional, and deeply grounded in who God is calling you to become.
So this week, I want you to do three things. Text one peer, ask one encourager, and reach out to one guide. Then schedule one focused work block with another human being present in some way.
And remember, it doesn't even have to be someone you know. And tomorrow morning, send the text to your people. Here's my move today.
(14:30 - 15:11)
Keep it short, simple, and honest, because you don't need more pressure. But you do need support and a rhythm. You need reminders, we all do.
And you need community that helps you stay connected to who you are becoming, to the dreams that are in your heart, to the vision of your life that you're working toward. Remember, progress loves company. And you were never meant to do this alone.
So until next week, my friends, thank you so very much for listening. And may God bless you with goals and grace.
(Transcribed by TurboScribe. Go Unlimited to remove this message.)
