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Last week, I spent two days beside water.
Not on vacation.
Not because I had everything figured out.
Quite the opposite.
After stepping away from a 27-year career in education and moving into Terrie Power Coaching full-time, I found myself feeling something I wasn't expecting.
I knew what I was doing.
I wasn't sure who I was becoming.
That's a different question.
And honestly, I almost missed it because I was busy trying to figure out what to do next.
Why the Answers Weren't Showing Up
I blocked off most of a week to think.
That sounds more peaceful than it actually was.
The first morning, I sat beside a lake watching dragonflies skim across the water and spent a surprising amount of time mentally reorganizing my to-do list.
Apparently my brain thought that was more urgent than reflection.
What I kept telling myself was:
"You need a plan."
A bigger plan.
A better plan.
The right plan.
But somewhere between the lake, the Water Gardens, a train ride, and a small indoor river, I realized something.
The plan wasn't the problem.
The problem was that I was trying to answer questions I hadn't fully asked yet.
That realization changed everything.
The Question Behind the Question
When coaching clients through transitions, I use a series of questions that help create clarity.
I've used them for years.
Yet somehow it took sitting beside a fountain in downtown Fort Worth before I remembered to use them on myself.
Funny how that happens.
The questions aren't complicated.
Questions like:
Who am I now?
What do I actually want in this season?
Where am I going?
One question surprised me more than all the others.
I'm still thinking about my answer.
And I suspect I'll still be thinking about it six months from now.
What I realized is that clarity doesn't usually arrive all at once.
It shows up a little at a time when we're willing to sit with the questions long enough.
Three Signs You Might Need a Reset
As I reflected, I noticed something.
Most people don't realize they need a reset because they're waiting for a crisis.
Often the clues are much quieter.
You may need a reset if:
✓ You're busy but unsure whether you're moving toward what matters.
✓ The goals you set six months ago no longer fit the season you're in.
✓ You're checking things off your list but feeling disconnected from why they matter.
I've seen this with clients going through career changes, empty nests, health challenges, business growth, and seasons that simply don't fit the life they were living before.
Sometimes the issue isn't motivation.
It's clarity.
What I'm Reading, Thinking About, and Working Through
I wrote about the seven questions that helped me rebuild momentum during this transition and how each stop beside the water revealed something different.
Why it matters: We often try to solve momentum problems with action when what we really need is reflection.
Why I'm Creating the Summer Refresh Series
The more I thought about this experience, the more I realized something.
Most people wait until January to reset.
Or September.
Or "when things slow down."
But what if summer is actually the perfect time?
Not because life gets easier.
Because it's one of the few seasons that naturally invites us to pause long enough to notice what has changed.
That's why I'm creating the Summer Refresh Series.
Not another challenge.
Not another productivity system.
Just a collection of reflections, prompts, and practical tools centered around three things:
Peace.
Play.
Progress.
The three things I find most people are craving by the middle of the year.
One Last Thought
Looking back, I thought those two days were about creating momentum.
They weren't.
They were about creating clarity.
Momentum simply showed up afterward.
If you've been feeling stuck lately, maybe your next step isn't another goal.
Maybe it's one honest question.
And maybe that's enough for today.
Talk soon,
Terrie
P.S. Which question would be hardest for you to answer right now:
Who am I now?
What do I want?
Where am I going?
Just noticing your reaction to those questions can tell you quite a bit.
