“Debbie, I saw my doctor today and she told me the same thing you’ve been telling me!”

“Hmmm. . . .I wonder what I said,” I pondered. As my client, “Rachel,” continued she explained that her doctor had noticed that her spirits were low and asked what was going on with her. Rachel, a weary elementary school principal who has done wonderful work in an inner city public school system, had reached the point of burnout. When she shared information about her difficult work situation, the wise doctor affirmed that she had done important work in the community, and as a result, was well respected.  She urged her to consider moving on to other work in some other arena or form. I’d been doing the same thing for at least three years! Like me, the doctor too had no doubt that Rachel would be a success where ever she was led to work.

Hearing the same message from two credible sources got my client’s attention. It seemed to be the shot in the arm she needed to begin to believe that she really would survive financially if she left her current position. For the first time in all the years I’ve worked with her, I heard determination and optimism in her voice about making that significant job change. And, she was making plans to take actions could lead her out of her current situation and on to something better.

It’s interesting how the Universe works. The message from the doctor came after two major clutter clearing sessions with me. In those sessions Rachel made hundreds of decisions to let go of books, supplies, and other teaching materials that she had held on to for years. It was as though she was slowly pulling up the roots of doubt and fear with each decision to move things along to others who could use them. That done, she was both physically and psychologically lighter and therefore more receptive to that important message from her doctor.

If you hear the same message from two people you trust, don’t blow it off. Messages from God, your Higher Power, the Universe, your intuition, whatever you call that small wise voice within you that looks out for your well-being, get repeated until they’re heeded. I learned long ago that when I hear something twice, it’s time to take action. I have NEVER regretted taking those actions. Each one has taken me further along on a wonderful journey!

“Debbie, “I’m sick.” Those words from my mother stopped me cold one Wednesday morning during a mastermind group meeting.  “I need you.”  Three more words propelled me into action and an immediate reorienting of my priorities.

You see, my mother is one of those independent depression-era survivors who HATE to let you know that they are struggling, much less need help. There was no question about whether I would cancel clients and go to her.

Life is like that. You may have the best laid plans for your time and your productivity, and everything can change in an instant. Just three words plus a lifetime of love can turn you onto a completely different path, one you couldn’t have anticipated. 

That’s where I found myself. I really needed the income from the clients I had scheduled, and I’d be lying if I didn’t admit to feeling some anxiety about how I’d manage financially because of this turn off the path I had chosen. 

Fortunately there was another, stronger part of me that knew that there are no accidents, that I would be taken care of. I was called to be with my mother and step-father for important reasons, not all of which were initially clear to me. My challenge was to be fully present with Mom and John, not worrying about my future. 

Within two days I got my answer. I had helped Mom get back on her feet with supplements, homemade chocolate chip cookies and some TLC, the kind only a daughter can deliver. As I was mentally planning to return home to my life with Bob and my furry children, Mom called me from her bedroom. “Debbie, come here. John is acting strange. I think he may have had a stroke.”

In fact John had had a neurological event that was later diagnosed as Normal Pressure Hydrocephalus. Getting him to the doctor’s office, the hospital and back home was no small feat. Digesting the information that John had enlarged ventricles and would need brain surgery to drain spinal fluid from his brain was even more challenging. 

I thought I was being called to help my mother recover from a virus, but in fact I was really called to help Mom handle one of the scariest events of her life. 

The next time you get called off your path and are wondering what the heck is going on, pay attention. Guidance comes in many forms, and could be as simple as three little words.