How do you know it's time to follow your calling?
Have you been sitting on the edge of a decision for months, maybe longer? You've heard the calling, you know something wants to shift, to be created, to be brought into the world, but you keep asking yourself: “Is it really time? Am I ready, or should I just wait a little longer?” ✨
If that's you right now, episode 8 of the Soul & Strategy podcast might be exactly what you need. This one is a little different, more reflective, less scripted, and I recorded it during a moment of major transformation in my life.
Listen to the full episode above (episode 8), or keep reading below.
The question that matters more than "Is it the right time"
We tend to ask ourselves what will happen if we take the leap. What if I quit my job? What if I invest in that training or that coach and it doesn't pay off? Those are valid questions. But there's a question we skip far more often: what is the price of not doing it?
That price tends to grow the longer you wait. Think of it like being on the wrong train. An hour takes an hour to undo. But after three days of staying on the wrong train will take you far longer to get home. The longer you stay in a job, a relationship, or a situation that isn't aligned, the more frustration, misalignment, and unhappiness you're quietly paying for it.
You don't have to wait for rock bottom
So many of us wait for the crumbling moment, the burnout, the redundancy, the breakup, before we finally make a change. That moment often becomes the permission we didn't think we needed. But you don't have to wait for everything to fall apart first.
You can choose to leave the job, look for something more aligned, or start building your business alongside your current one, before life forces your hand! It’s not a “this or that”; it’s “this AND that” situation. You get to take steps towards your dream while not having to fully jump right away.
The universal cycle: Creation, maintenance, and destruction
In yoga, there's a concept of three states we constantly cycle through:
Creation, the exciting, sometimes scary stage of starting something new.
Maintenance, the comfortable stage where you know what you're doing and just keep going.
And destruction, the stage most people fear, even though nothing new can be created without it first.
If you want to bring something new into the world, ask yourself what needs to end to make room for it. For me, that meant consciously stepping away from teaching regular yoga classes to create the space, time, and energy for this podcast.
Look at your own life. What might need to shift - a routine, a relationship, a full-time role - to make space for what you're calling in? Because there can’t be creation before destruction…
Why following your calling feels so scary
Here's the part that explains why this is so hard, even when you know deep down what you want. Our minds try to predict the future using evidence from the past. But your calling is asking you to do something you've never done before, which means there's no past evidence to reassure you. That's exactly why it feels like stepping into the unknown, because it is.
Most people never act simply because it feels scary, not because they don't know the answer. Often you already know, in your heart, what the right thing is. Pulling the trigger is the hard part, not the knowing.
You don't need to go all in overnight
I want to be clear about something. You don't need to quit your job tomorrow. That kind of all or nothing leap can feel completely overwhelming, and it's not the only way. I built my own business step by step, moving from full-time employment down to part-time, keeping a financial safety net while slowly creating more space and time for my business to grow.
Look for the middle ground. Maybe that's dedicating one day a week to building your business alongside your current job before making a bigger shift. The goal is to create space for your calling while still feeling safe enough to actually take the step.
Building the self-trust to keep going
Here's the honest part about following a calling: you often have to trust before you have the evidence. Manifestation works this way too; you can't fully predict a new future using only proof from your old one. So the first step is trusting and showing up anyway, even without certainty.
As you take action, the evidence starts to build. You post, you talk about your offer, you sign your first client, and suddenly there's proof that this is possible. That evidence is what builds self-trust, and self-trust is what makes the next step easier than the last one.
Look at what you've already created
Our brain is naturally wired to look for the negative, for why it isn’t or can’t work out.
Before you look for evidence that it won't work, look for the evidence that it already has and evidence that it can. Think about everything you've already manifested or built in your life so far: a relationship, a move, a career shift, a project you brought to life against the odds.
Key takeaways
Ask what the price of not following your calling is, not just what could go wrong if you do.
You don't have to wait for a breakdown to make a change. You're allowed to choose it before life forces it.
Creation always requires something to end first. Ask what you need to let go of to make space.
Following your calling feels scary because there's no past evidence for something new, that discomfort is normal, not a red flag.
You don't need to go all in overnight. A middle ground that keeps you safe while creating space is often the smartest first step.
If you're standing at this exact crossroads
If you're currently sitting on the edge of a decision, unsure whether it's time or whether you should wait a little longer, that's exactly the space I hold with clients in a free Soul Business Start-Up Session. We'll look at what's actually blocking you right now and what the next aligned step could look like for you ✨
Book your free Soul Business Start-Up Session
Listen to the full episode (episode 8) above, and if this resonated with you, follow the Soul & Strategy podcast so you don't miss what's next.
I'd also love to hear your reflections; come find me on Instagram @sabinelehnhardt.
With love,
Sabine 🤍
