Hello Reader,

Did you know I almost quit . . . being a therapist?

Oh yes, all the while I have been sharing with you about setting goals and casting a vision, I had been struggling behind the scenes about the direction of my life. Can you relate?

For the entire time I was in graduate school, I questioned whether I made the right decision to move into the counseling field. There were a thousand reasons running through my mind about why this was the wrong decision. But the "shoulds" about finishing what you started and the encouragement from my people kept me pressing on.

So when I graduated in May of 2024, I told God I'd give him until February 1 to make a decision. I know you might have opinions about that, but hear me out for a moment.

By the end of December, I was pretty sure I would be quitting, or really pivoting back into full-time coaching instead of counseling. And yet, there was this unsettledness in my soul. I didn't want to stop working with my clients, as I see their growth unfold. I wanted to continue to support their journey of healing and transformation, and be able to use EMDR as a tool in my toolbox. But, I was still struggling with balance and the looming thought of meeting licensure hours necessary for staying in this lane.

Plan A & Plan B Decision-Making Strategy

With the tension mounting, I did what I have told my clients to do, which you can hear more about in this week's Wellness Tip over in the Thrive Toolbox. I put Plan A & Plan B Decision-Making into action. In a nutshell, the process boils down to these simple steps:

1. Imagine Plan A.
2. Consider Plan B.
3. Set a deadline date for moving towards Plan A.
4. Privately take action in that direction.
5. Watch to see what comes up.
6. Notice what shifts and changes.

Practically speaking, I was already living out Plan A while considering Plan B. But on January 1, 2024, I made a clear decision to pray intentionally for the next 30 days and take action towards wrapping up my therapy practice.. I tracked my feelings everyday in my planner to see if there was any pattern or triggering the thoughts towards Plan A or Plan B. I drafted a new business plan and schedule based on coaching fulltime instead of counseling. I wrote all the emails that would need to be sent but kept them as drafts. And I had one, really significant conversation in mid-January, convinced that would be the D-day moment.

And then everything changed.

That conversation I'd been putting off was what needed to happen months ago. I discover that my pespective on licensure requirements was misinformed, which dramatically released a burden I had been carrying for the last five years. Everything changed in that moment. There was no need for Plan A nor Plan B. The current plan, simply revised, was what needed to happen! And with that, everything shifted.

Joy returned.

Excitement was birthed.

Creativity was unleashed.

Faith was reignited.

Hope was restored!

I'm in awe at how getting up the gumption to make a decision, having the hard conversations, and experiencing the emotions of anticipated grief and loss as I made a private decision and sat with it for 30 days, that I'm in a totally different place than I expected to be.

God shined the light on all the things I had not seen, and restored hope by reviving old dreams alongside new ones!

Hope deferred makes the heart sick; but a dream fulfilled is a tree of life. Proverbs 13:12

So here I am, no longer with a heart sick, but rather filled with fresh hope as a dream is fulfilled! I get to serve clients as a counselor and coach, while balancing my family and faith, and also making room for creative projects, like the Liberated Equestrian Podcast that's launching on February 18!!

So if you are struggling in this season, I encourage you to consider the benefits of utilizing the Plan A & Plan B Decison-Making Strategy process to get clarity about your options and freedome to make the decisions that move you into the life you're meant to live.

I'm happy to set up a session with you to see if having my support as your coach or counselor may be what you need to stabilize and thrive!

Let's do this together,

Lisa Pulliam
Founder, Stableminded.us