She buried her head in her hands and said she felt stuck. “I don’t know what to do, and I feel lost.”

The consulting call began as a business strategy session, but quickly turned into a bigger conversation about finding a North Star.

Allow me to back up and explain the framework I use to avoid analysis paralysis and move through feelings of being stuck.

A few years ago—a time when my business was wildly changing, motherhood reached a new peak, and I was running on all cylinders—I needed a way to align big-picture dreams with small daily decisions.

Have you ever felt drained by making huge decisions with very little information on an imperative timeline?

THAT WAS THE STORY OF MY LIFE 24/7.

I needed a way to quickly sift through the important decisions to keep me aligned to my big goals.

I began by asking myself what I wanted.

I wish I could say that it hit me like a lightning bolt, but in the beginning, I sat with my pen, completely dumbstruck that I couldn’t actually find an answer.

I wanted everything. I wanted nothing. I wanted it all. I wanted a fresh loaf of sourdough bread and fresh butter. I wanted to not be gluten free.

Since the exercise wasn’t leading anywhere productive, I decided to simply write down a desire when I saw or imagined it.

(For example, I saw Leila Hormozi post a job listing for a Content Strategist, so I added it to my list…my neighbor hired a professional organizer for her kitchen, so I added it to my list… an influencer on Instagram had her manicurist do her nails for an at-home appointment, so I added it to my list, etc.)

Sometimes I wrote one thing a day, other times it was 10 things. The goal was just to get into the habit of defining what I wanted.

After a couple of weeks, I had a pile of Wants, but what did I actually Want?

I began to look for patterns between each entry and soon enough I clearly saw what I desperately wanted: TIME.

Everything I wanted to do/have/buy was to get more time.

Soon I realized it wasn’t about optimizing for extra minutes, but for extra moments that truly mattered to me.

What I wanted was to build a business and life that empowered me to have more time (quality time, presence, not just mere hours added to my day) for two main reasons: 1. creativity; and 2. my family.

Once I identified what I truly wanted, I titled it, My North Star.

Every decision I soon began to make was supposed to get my closer—not further—from My North Star.

Should I sign that contract? Should I extend into a new offer? Should I make that investment?

If it wasn’t pointing me to My North Star, I wasn’t doing it.

I explained this process to my consulting client, and said I believed she was stuck because she didn’t know what she wanted.

She was smart, talented, hard-working, and successful…she wasn’t stuck, she simply didn’t have a North Star to guide her decisions.

As you navigate your life and business today, I hope you take time to define your North Star.

It’ll help guide your decisions to what matters most, what you want, and support your definition of success.

In fact, today on >>my podcast<<, I explained how/why I invested to attend a Founder’s Retreat in Austin, Texas (and gave behind-the-scenes access to what transpired).

It was a mastermind-style event that empowered me to step into a creative form of leadership, as well as give me time with my family since we traveled together.

I hope you define what you Want…and it’s an honor to support your journey along the way.

Your fan,

j*