Stuck? Here's How to Find Your Next Step


The Weekly Reset

Practical encouragement for calm, clear, and sustainable leadership.

Hello from College Station, Texas!

This week I’m attending the annual RRHA Convention & Trade Show with my coworkers from Hamilton Valley Management. If you're here too, I hope our paths cross!

How to Discern Your Next Step

Discernment is one of those words we don't use every day, but it's a skill we all need. Simply put, discernment is the ability to see clearly, understand what matters, and make wise decisions.

When life feels uncertain, discernment helps us cut through the noise and focus on what is truly important.

Discernment often happens in three simple steps:

1. Observe

Pay attention to the details. Notice the things others might overlook—the recurring thoughts, the gentle nudges, the gut feelings, and the opportunities that keep showing up.

2. Analyze

Take time to reflect on what you've noticed. Are there patterns emerging? Is there something you've been avoiding, overlooking, or feeling called toward? Consider both the facts and your feelings.

3. Decide

Using your experience, wisdom, values, and faith, make the best decision you can with the information you have right now.

Discernment isn't about having all the answers. It's about seeking clarity, trusting your judgment, and taking the next faithful step.

Movement Creates Clarity

One of the biggest misconceptions we have is that clarity comes before action.

More often, clarity comes because of action.

Some of our best ideas appear during a walk, a workout, a run, or while simply stepping away from our desks. Physical movement helps create mental movement.

The same principle applies to our goals and decisions. When we're stuck, we tend to overthink. We wait for certainty. We tell ourselves we'll act once we know exactly what to do.

But often the opposite is true.

The next step becomes clearer after we take the first one.

If you've been struggling to know what to do next, ask yourself: What is one small action I can take today?

Then do it.

Reflection Questions for the Week

You Don't Need the Whole Plan

Where are you waiting for certainty before taking action?

Challenge: Move forward on one thing before you feel fully ready.

Fear Gets Loud Before Growth

Courage often feels uncomfortable before it feels empowering.

What fear has been influencing your decisions lately?

Challenge: Name the fear honestly instead of avoiding it.

Clarity Often Comes While Moving

Action has a way of quieting overthinking.

What are you overcomplicating right now?

Challenge: Spend 15 uninterrupted minutes on something meaningful today.

Wisdom Over Hurry

Speed isn't always the answer.

Where do you need wisdom instead of urgency?

Challenge: Before reacting, pause. Give yourself space to think, pray, and reflect.

Engagement Ideas

1. June 25 – National Bomb Pop Day

Simple, sweet, and guaranteed to bring a smile. Cool off with a Bomb Pop and share one with a friend, coworker, or neighbor.

2. June 26 – National Food Truck Day

Grab a friend and try a food truck you've never visited before. If your area has several options, make it an adventure and sample more than one!

Things I'm Loving

  1. My Travel Must-Have: This rechargeable Venty fan has saved me more than once during Texas summers. It's lightweight, compact, adjustable, swivels easily, and even has a built-in night light. Definitely worth every penny.
  2. The World Cup: I'll admit it, I know very little about soccer (or football, depending on where you're from). Most of what I know came from The Big Green, Bend It Like Beckham, and, of course, Ted Lasso. What I do love is the excitement and positivity these events create. People from different backgrounds can rally around a common love for their team, favorite player, or country. Events like this remind me how much we have in common and leave me hopeful for the future.
A Thought to Carry With You
“The best leaders are readers of people. They have the intuitive ability to understand others by discerning how they feel and recognizing what they sense.”
– John C. Maxwell

Freebies!

One Decision Away Challenge

You don't need more time. You need one powerful decision at a time.

Join the free challenge and discover how small decisions can create meaningful momentum.

Have a super week!

963 CR 335, Burnet, TX 78611
Unsubscribe · Preferences

Rachel Spakes Solutions

I help women like you create simple systems, establish grounding rhythms, and develop meaningful habits so you don’t just survive - you thrive. No more chase of more tasks, more meetings, or more stress. Instead: clarity, heart-led action, and steady growth aligned with who you are becoming .Subscribe to my newsletter.

Read more from Rachel Spakes Solutions

The Weekly Reset Practical encouragement for calm, clear, and sustainable leadership. Mid-Year Heart Check After spending time with so many managers at convention, one thought stayed with me during the drive home. Growth doesn't always look dramatic. Sometimes it looks like a conversation that would have felt intimidating six months ago. Sometimes it looks like someone asking a thoughtful question, sharing a new idea, or encouraging another manager. Sometimes it looks like quietly realizing,...

The Weekly Reset Practical encouragement for calm, clear, and sustainable leadership. Last week, I read a devotional on the Uplift app about Romans 2:4: "Or do you show contempt for the riches of his kindness, forbearance and patience, not realizing that God's kindness is intended to lead you to repentance?" I also appreciated how The Message translates this passage: "God is kind, but he's not soft. In kindness he takes us firmly by the hand and leads us into a radical life-change." I've read...

The Weekly Reset Practical encouragement for calm, clear, and sustainable leadership. Calling or Pressure? Have you ever stopped to ask yourself whether you're being led by calling or by pressure? At first glance, they can look surprisingly similar. Both can keep you busy.Both can ask something of you.Both can require courage and effort. But they feel very different. The challenge is that pressure often disguises itself as responsibility, ambition, or even opportunity. Pressure pushes. It...