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Tag: self-awareness

Permission Isn’t About Getting It Right. It’s About Giving Yourself a Chance.

Written by SharRon Jamison on . Posted in Uncategorized. No Comments on Permission Isn’t About Getting It Right. It’s About Giving Yourself a Chance.

There are certain questions that quietly follow us throughout life.

Should I take the job?

Should I leave?

Should I write the book?

Should I start over?

Should I finally do the thing I’ve been thinking about for years?

Most of us assume those questions are answered by confidence. We tell ourselves, When I’m more certain… When I’m less afraid… When I know this is the right decision… then I’ll move.

For many years, I believed that too.

Looking back over my life, however, I’ve realized that almost every meaningful decision I’ve ever made began somewhere else.

It began with permission.

That permission led me to marry someone my family didn’t support. It led me to become an aerobics instructor after earning my MBA and building a successful corporate career, a decision many people simply couldn’t understand. It led me into ministry, into community advocacy, into writing books, and into choosing opportunities that reflected who I was becoming rather than who others expected me to be.

On the surface, those decisions looked very different. But underneath them was the same quiet choice.

I gave myself permission.

As I reflected on those decisions, I realized they had taught me three important lessons about permission that continue to guide my life today. Click here to listen on Youtube.

1. Permission Is a Muscle That Develops

People sometimes ask how I became willing to make unconventional decisions.

The answer surprises them.

I didn’t wake up one morning courageous.

Every decision strengthened something inside of me. Every difficult conversation. Every misunderstood choice. Every season of trusting my values more than someone else’s approval added another layer of strength.

Over time, I realized I wasn’t simply making decisions.

I was developing what I now call my permissioning muscle.

Like any muscle, it grew through repetition. The more I practiced trusting myself with thoughtful, values-based decisions, the stronger that muscle became.

2. Permission Means Giving Yourself the Freedom to Be Wrong

There is another lesson permission taught me that changed how I approach life.

For years, I thought I needed certainty before I could move forward. I believed I had to know I was making the right decision before taking the first step.

Life has a way of correcting our assumptions.

Permission isn’t the same as certainty.

It isn’t a guarantee that you’ll always make the right decision. It is the willingness to give yourself the opportunity to discover what is right.

One of the greatest gifts I ever gave myself was permission to be wrong.

Not because I wanted to fail, but because I finally understood that if I refused to risk making the wrong decision, I would also refuse myself the opportunity to discover the right one.

Some of my decisions worked beautifully. Others taught me lessons I never wanted to learn. Every one of them, however, shaped the person I was becoming.

3. Confidence Wasn’t My Starting Point

When people see me speaking, writing books, leading in corporate America, serving in ministry, or coaching leaders, they often assume confidence came first.

It didn’t.

Confidence was the result, not the requirement.

Permission came first.

Each time I trusted myself enough to take one faithful step, confidence quietly grew alongside the experience. It wasn’t built in a single moment. It was built over decades of showing up, learning, adjusting, and beginning again.

That’s why I no longer wait until I feel fearless before taking action.

I’ve learned that confidence often follows the decision to begin.

So, What Permission Have You Been Withholding From Yourself?

As I think about your life, I wonder if you’ve been waiting for confidence when what you really need is permission.

Maybe it’s permission to ask a different question.

Permission to imagine another possibility.

Permission to change your mind.

Permission to become a beginner again.

Permission to rest.

Permission to dream.

Or perhaps it’s simply permission to give yourself a chance.

Because I’ve come to believe that permission isn’t about getting everything right.

It’s about trusting yourself enough to begin.

And sometimes, that’s all the courage you need for your next chapter.

Let’s Continue the Conversation

I’d love to hear from you.

Which of these three lessons resonated with you the most?

  • Developing your permissioning muscle.
  • Giving yourself permission to be wrong.
  • Realizing that confidence wasn’t your starting point.

Or perhaps there’s another lesson permission has taught you.

Share your thoughts in the comments. Your story may be the very encouragement someone else needs today.

If this reflection encouraged you, I also invite you to listen to this week’s podcast:

🎙️ Your Next Chapter Doesn’t Start With Courage. It Starts With Permission.

I’d especially love for you to join me on YouTube, where we can continue the conversation together.

Blessings,

SharRon

How to Evaluate Your Next Career Move: 6 Questions to Ask Before Accepting a Job

Written by SharRon Jamison on . Posted in Uncategorized. No Comments on How to Evaluate Your Next Career Move: 6 Questions to Ask Before Accepting a Job

Years ago, after earning my MBA and building a successful career in corporate America, I made a decision that puzzled almost everyone around me.

I decided to become an aerobics instructor.

The reactions came almost immediately.

“Why would you do that?”

“You have an MBA.”

“You already have a successful career.”

“Isn’t teaching aerobics beneath you?”

At the time, I understood their concern.

In the 1990s, careers were expected to follow a fairly predictable path. Success was often measured by titles, promotions, and climbing the corporate ladder. Choosing to teach aerobics after earning a graduate degree simply didn’t fit the script.

Looking back, I realize they weren’t questioning the job itself.

They were questioning my judgment.

But today, the world of work looks very different.

Layoffs. Career transitions. Burnout. Retirement. Reinvention.

More people than ever are asking difficult questions about what comes next.

The question I hear most often is:

“What job should I take?”

I believe there’s a better—and perhaps more loving—question.

“What kind of work will best support the life I’m trying to build and the person I’m becoming?”

That one question completely changed the way I evaluate opportunities.

I’ve learned that one question isn’t enough.

Before making an important career decision, I encourage people to evaluate every opportunity through six lenses. Together, they provide a more complete picture of whether a job is simply a paycheck—or whether it’s helping you build the life you’re meant to live.

Six Questions Worth Asking Before Your Next Career Move – Click here to listen on YouTube. 

Position

Don’t begin by asking whether the title sounds impressive.

Ask where this opportunity positions you to grow.

Some jobs are destinations.

Others are bridges.

The right opportunity may strengthen your confidence, develop new skills, expand your network, restore your health, or prepare you for a future you cannot yet see.

Sometimes the position you need today isn’t the position you want forever. Sometimes it’s the position that makes tomorrow possible.

Ask yourself:

What will this position make possible in my life that isn’t possible today?

Perception

One of the hardest parts of making an unconventional decision is managing other people’s opinions.

People are entitled to their perception.

They are not entitled to define your purpose.

Their perception belongs to them.

Your purpose belongs to you.

If you’re constantly making decisions to satisfy someone else’s expectations, you’ll eventually lose sight of your own.

The people around you may never fully understand your decision, and that’s okay. They aren’t living your life.

Ask yourself:

Am I making this decision based on my values or someone else’s expectations?

Pressure

Let’s call a thing a thing.

Adult peer pressure is real.

It doesn’t sound like it did when we were teenagers.

Instead, it whispers,

“You’re overqualified.”

“People will think you’re settling.”

“You worked too hard for your degree to do that.”

Those voices are powerful because they appeal to our desire to be respected and admired.

Here’s the question I ask myself whenever I feel that tension:

Would I still choose this opportunity if no one else ever knew I accepted it?

Sit with that question for a moment.

Because once we recognize peer pressure for what it is, it begins to lose its power.

We stop making decisions to impress people and start making decisions that genuinely support the life we’re trying to build.

Ask yourself:

Am I choosing this opportunity because it’s right for me, or because I’m hoping someone else will approve of it?

Pay 

Money matters.

It provides choices, stability, and opportunities.

But it shouldn’t be the only way we evaluate work.

Today, before asking, “How much does this job pay?” I ask another question.

“How is this opportunity paying me?”

Is it increasing my confidence?

Expanding my leadership?

Teaching me something new?

Introducing me to people who will shape my future?

Restoring my joy?

Strengthening my character?

Sometimes the greatest return on an opportunity isn’t found in the paycheck.

It’s found in the person you’re becoming.

Ask yourself:

What am I earning here beyond money?

Preparation

For years, I thought becoming an aerobics instructor was simply a side job.

Looking back, I realize it was preparation.

At the time, I thought I was teaching aerobics.

Looking back, I realize God was teaching me.

Every class strengthened abilities I would later use as a speaker, coach, author, minister, and leader.

I was learning how to read a room.

How to communicate with energy.

How to encourage people from different backgrounds.

How to help people believe they could do more than they thought possible.

What looked like an unconventional decision became preparation for opportunities I couldn’t yet imagine.

Sometimes the opportunity that doesn’t make sense today is quietly preparing you for tomorrow.

Ask yourself:

How might this opportunity be preparing me for something I cannot yet see?

Permission

This may be the most important question of all.

Does this opportunity give me permission to become more fully myself?

Teaching aerobics gave me permission to express parts of myself that had been quietly waiting to emerge.

It gave me permission to lead.

To encourage.

To create.

To laugh.

To connect.

To discover gifts that couldn’t fully develop inside my corporate role alone.

I wasn’t becoming someone different.

I was becoming someone more complete.

The right work doesn’t simply provide a paycheck.

Sometimes it gives you permission to become a more complete person and fully express who you already are.

Ask yourself:

Will this opportunity allow me to become more fully myself?

Closing Reflection

Looking back, becoming an aerobics instructor wasn’t beneath me.

It met a need during that season of my life.

It also prepared me for opportunities I never could have predicted.

What looked like an unconventional decision became one of the most important investments in my future.

The right opportunity doesn’t simply help you earn a living.

Sometimes it helps you build a life.

Sometimes it helps you become the person you were created to be.

If you’re standing at a career crossroads today, I hope you’ll give yourself permission to ask better questions before making your next decision.

The answers may change far more than your career.

They may change your life.

 

If Want To Continue the Conversation…

👉 Share this article with someone navigating a career transition. You never know who may need a new way to think about their next step.

👉 Listen to this week’s podcast, where I share the full story behind one of the most unconventional decisions I ever made—and why I’d make it again. Click here.

👉 If you’re navigating a career transition, retirement, or reinvention, I’ve opened a limited number of VIP coaching sessions this month. I’d be honored to help you think through your next chapter.

 

My friend, remember, don’t choose your next opportunity because it looks impressive.

Choose it because it faithfully supports the life you’re building and the person you’re becoming.

And most of all…

Keep growing.

Keep trusting.

Keep becoming.

Dare to soar higher, because the best is still yet to come.

Blessings,

SharRon

Benediction

May you have the courage to choose work that aligns with your values instead of someone else’s expectations.

May you recognize opportunities that prepare you, even when they don’t impress everyone around you.

May you trust that meaningful work often grows quietly before the world recognizes its value.

May you become an even greater advocate for the life you’ve been entrusted to live.

And may you never forget that the goal is not simply to find another job.

The goal is to become the person you were always created to be.

 

It’s Not About the Competence You Don’t Have. It’s About the Company You Keep!

Written by SharRon Jamison on . Posted in Blog. No Comments on It’s Not About the Competence You Don’t Have. It’s About the Company You Keep!

Have you ever noticed that some of the brightest, most accomplished people still struggle with life’s biggest decisions?

I have.

Over the years, I’ve watched remarkable people struggle to make decisions about retirement, careers, relationships, finances, purpose, and what they want their next chapter to be. The people who struggled didn’t lack education, experience, or confidence. They were thoughtful, capable people who had spent years solving problems, leading organizations, raising families, and making difficult decisions. They were the best of the best.

So why do they get stuck?

Because they needed a wider lens.

Let’s face it. When we’re standing in the middle of our own lives or arrive at a crossroads, it’s difficult to see all the possibilities in front of us. Of course, we may see the responsibilities, risks, competing priorities, and expectations. We may even see what could go wrong. But what we don’t always see are the options and opportunities that exist just beyond our current thinking and reality.

That’s why a statement I heard years ago resonates with me now more than ever: “It’s not about the competence you don’t have. It’s about the company you keep.”

When I first heard that statement, I appreciated it because it sounded wise. Today, I appreciate the statement because I’ve come to understand that the right relationships don’t simply support us. They expand our perspective. Each person offers a different lens through which to see our lives, and together those lenses help us see possibilities we might never have discovered on our own.

So let me introduce you to the five people I believe we all need, especially when we are navigating change, reinvention, uncertainty, or simply trying to decide what comes next.

1. The Person With Intellect

The question they help answer is:

What do we know?

These are the people who provide information, knowledge, research, analysis, data, and critical thinking.

When you’re trying to make a difficult decision, they help you sort through facts. They help you understand options, contingencies, and consequences. They help you think clearly and logically. They are excellent thought partners, strategic thinkers, and problem solvers who bring structure to complexity.

Their gift is clarity.

They don’t necessarily tell you what to do. They help you think better, bigger, and broader. They expand your understanding of a situation and ensure that your decisions are grounded in reality rather than assumptions.

2. The Person With Insight

The question they help answer is:

What does this mean?

Insight is different from information.

While intellect focuses on facts, insight focuses on meaning.

Insightful people see beneath the surface. They recognize patterns, motivations, consequences, and deeper truths that others often miss. They have an ability to understand not just what is happening, but why it is happening and why it matters.

Where intellect asks, “What are the facts?”

Insight asks, “What’s really happening here?”

Their gift is perspective.

They help us understand the larger story behind our circumstances and often reveal truths that are hidden beneath the surface of our immediate concerns.

3. The Person With Imagination

The question they help answer is:

What could be possible?

These are the visionaries.

The creators.

The possibility thinkers.

They help us see beyond our current reality.

Most people can see what is.

People with imagination can see what could be.

Their gift is possibility.

They remind us that our current circumstances do not dictate our future. They challenge inherited scripts, social expectations, limiting beliefs, and assumptions about what is possible. More importantly, they help us recognize that there is often far more available to us than we initially believe.

These are the people who remind us there is always more.

More growth.

More creativity.

More contribution.

More adventure.

More life.

4. The Person With Intuition

The question they help answer is:

What feels right?

Intuition is often misunderstood because it doesn’t operate through analysis or logic alone.

It is also different from insight.

Insight looks deeply into a situation to uncover meaning.

Intuition senses something before meaning is fully visible or mentally accessible.

It is an inner knowing. A deep sense of recognition. A feeling that something aligns, or doesn’t align, even before we can fully explain why.

I believe intuition is one of our God-given gifts. It often provides information that our minds have not yet fully processed or had access to. It helps us pay attention to signals, patterns, and possibilities that logic alone may overlook.

Their gift is discernment.

And during life’s most important decisions, discernment can be every bit as valuable as written information.

5. The Bridge Builder – “Intermediary”

The question they help answer is:

What connects?

These people connect people, ideas, opportunities, perspectives, and communities.

They see relationships where others see separation.

They recognize common ground where others see differences.

They introduce people to opportunities, ideas, and relationships that might otherwise never intersect.

Their gift is connection.

Many of the most meaningful opportunities in our lives begin when someone builds a bridge we could not build ourselves. A new friendship, mentor, community, career opportunity, or life direction often begins with a connection someone else had the wisdom, courage, and generosity to make.

Why These Relationships Matter?

Here’s the blessing:  when we begin to see more possibilities, we stop feeling limited by our current circumstances. We make better decisions, ask better questions, and move through life with greater courage, creativity, and clarity.

That’s why these relationships matter because….

The person with intellect helps us think.

The person with insight helps us understand.

The person with imagination helps us dream.

The person with intuition helps us discern.

The bridge builder helps us connect.

And together, they expand our perspective because the right people help us see a bigger, brighter, and better future that we might never have imagined on our own…. which ensures that we don’t settle for a life that doesn’t honor our goals, talents, and dreams.

This week, take a few quiet moments to think about the people you invite into your decision-making.

Ask yourself:

  • Who helps me think?
  • Who helps me understand?
  • Who helps me imagine?
  • Who helps me discern?
  • Who helps me connect?

Then ask one final question:  Which of these relationships might be missing from my life right now?

You Want To Continue the Conversation?

👉 Join the Conversation

I’m hosting a free one-hour workshop in the second week of July to explore these five types of relationships in greater depth. We’ll talk about how they help us navigate life’s major transitions and intentionally cultivate the kinds of relationships that expand our thinking and our possibilities.

If you’d like to join us, simply send me a message at SharRon@ SharRonJamison.com

👉 Watch This Week’s Conversation

If this article resonated with you, I invite you to continue the conversation by watching this week’s episode of Deciding to Soar: Living Life Your Own Way on YouTube. Click here. There, I expand on these ideas and share additional insights that didn’t make it into this article.

👉 Join the Reclamation Circle

If you’re ready to reclaim your voice, your vision, and your next chapter, I’d love to welcome you into the Reclamation Circle. Registration for this cohort closes soon, and we won’t open the doors again until later this fall.

👉 Work With Me One-on-One

July is my birthday month, and I’m opening a limited number of VIP coaching sessions. If you’re navigating a major transition, seeking greater clarity, or preparing for your next chapter, it would be my honor to walk alongside you. Click here to schedule.

—————-

My friend, remember that your future does not have to be a continuation of your past.

No matter your age or stage of life, there are still possibilities waiting to be discovered by you.

Until next time,

Keep growing.

Keep becoming.

Keep creating a life that is uniquely your own.

And as always,

Dare To Soar Higher® because the best is yet to come.

Blessings!

SharRon

 

Weekly Blessing!

May you have the courage to surround yourself with people who challenge your thinking.

May you have people around you who deepen your understanding.

May you have people who expand your imagination and help you see possibilities beyond your current reality.

May you have people who sharpen your discernment and help you trust what is right and true for you.

May you have people who build bridges, create connections, and open doors to opportunities you could not see on your own.

May you never shrink your life to fit your current circumstances when there is so much life available to you.

May you always remember that you can dare to soar higher because the best is yet to come.

 

Their “Wait” Was Not My “No”

Written by SharRon Jamison on . Posted in Blog. No Comments on Their “Wait” Was Not My “No”

When I entered the fitness profession in the early 1990s, I quickly discovered that I did not fit the image many people had of a fitness professional.

At the time, the industry promoted a very narrow standard of fitness, beauty, and leadership. Unfortunately, I did not fit that standard because I was a Black woman with curves and hips. To most, I didn’t look at all like someone who should be standing at the front of an aerobics class, leading and instructing others.

So, unsurprisingly, I kept hearing the same advice.

“Just wait.”

“Your opportunity will come.”

“Be patient.”

At first, the advice seemed reasonable because there are seasons in life when waiting is wise. Not every opportunity is supposed to happen immediately. Timing matters. Preparation matters. Developing the expertise, experience, and confidence necessary for success matters.

However, as the months passed, I noticed something.

The opportunities were not coming!

In fact, after many meetings, I never received a callback.

At first, I felt discouraged because I knew my rejection was NOT due to a lack of knowledge.  I knew deeply in my heart that I was being ignored because gym owners could not see beyond their assumptions and biases about what a fitness professional should look like.

So instead of focusing on who would hire me, I started asking myself a more important question: Where can I serve?

That question led me into churches, parks, community organizations, and eventually even a beauty salon, where I taught fitness classes and motivated people to believe in themselves and their ability to create healthier lives.

Here is the good news:  Teaching in those spaces led to newspaper coverage, speaking opportunities, community leadership, entrepreneurship, national television appearances, and many other experiences that enriched both my life and my career.

More importantly, finding unconventional spaces to serve others taught me THIS important life lesson …..DON’T WAIT for validation when you know you are called to do something!

So this is what I want you to always remember:  Getting wise counsel is important.

Advice matters.

Mentors matter.

Coaches matter.

Experienced voices matter.

Feedback can help us avoid costly mistakes and unnecessary detours.

However, not all advice is rooted in wisdom. Sometimes people can ONLY offer you opinions based on their limitations, fears, and prejudices. And if you listen, you will not do what you need to do to enjoy a fulfilling life.

So, as you reflect on your own life, I encourage you to think about the times you were told to wait and ask yourself a few questions, like:

Was that advice rooted in wisdom?

Did it help you become more prepared, more capable, or more successful?

Did it feel rooted in someone else’s assumptions, fears, preferences, or inability to see your potential?

Did the wisdom help you win?

More importantly, determine where you are being told to wait today.

And determine if the advice to wait aligns with what you know to be true.

Because there are moments in life when we must respect and heed advice. However, we must always discern whether the advice aligns with what we know to be true in our hearts, minds, and spirits, so we won’t abandon our purpose, calling, and dreams.

That way…. we will never let someone’s advice to wait override what we KNOW !

Blessings!

SharRon

————–

P.S. Let’s Continue the Conversation

👉  Listen to the Podcast
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👉 Join the Reclamation Circle
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👉 Work With Me One-on-One
A limited number of coaching sessions are available for those seeking clarity, strategy, and support for their next chapter.

 

My Blessing for You This Week

May you have the wisdom to recognize the difference between a necessary pause and an unnecessary delay.

May you have the discernment to distinguish divine timing from human limitation.

May you trust your gifts, honor your calling, and continue moving forward even when others cannot yet see what is possible.

May you learn from wise counsel without surrendering your authority.

And may you always remember that a divine calling will be more powerful than any artificial delay.

The Place Was The Same… But I Was Not.

Written by SharRon Jamison on . Posted in Blog, Soar Higher Blog. No Comments on The Place Was The Same… But I Was Not.

There is a particular kind of transition that we do not talk about often enough.

Most people talk about starting something new. A new job. A new relationship. A new city. A new chapter.

But what receives far less attention is the experience of returning to something familiar and discovering that you are no longer the same person you were when you left.

That realization can be surprisingly emotional. Shocking. Disorienting.

Recently, I experienced this firsthand when I returned to the gym after a long illness and knee surgery.

As a former athlete, I was no stranger to the gym. The equipment was familiar. The routines were familiar. The environment was familiar. The smell was familiar.

Yet within minutes of walking through the doors, I realized something.

The gym was the same.

But I was not.

This reflection is based on a recent episode of my podcast, Deciding to Soar: Living Life Your Own Way, where I share the full story and unpack the six lessons that emerged from it. If you prefer to listen, I encourage you to start there and then return to this article for deeper reflection. You can listen by clicking here.

What followed was not simply a workout.

It was an encounter with a new version of myself.

And it taught me an important lesson about healing, identity, resilience, and personal growth.

We Often Underestimate the Emotional Side of Recovery

The truth is, when people talk about recovery, they usually focus on outcomes.

Getting stronger.

Returning to work.

Reaching a milestone.

Moving forward.

What they talk about less often is the emotional complexity of the journey itself.

Because recovery frequently requires us to acknowledge both what has been regained and what has been lost.

For me, that reality became painfully clear when I sat down at the leg press machine.

For years, I routinely leg pressed 200 pounds.

This time, I could not move it.

I reduced the weight.

Then reduced it again.

Eventually, I found myself pushing only a fraction of what I once considered normal.

The physical challenge was not the difficult part.

The difficult part was realizing that my expectations had not yet caught up with my reality.

Many people experience a version of this same lesson.

Not necessarily in a gym.

But in life.

For example….

A professional returns to work after an illness and discovers they no longer have the same energy.

A leader comes back from burnout and realizes their priorities have changed.

A parent enters an empty nest and struggles to recognize themselves outside of caregiving.

A retiree discovers that life beyond a title requires a new sense of identity.

The circumstances differ.

The experience is often the same.

Though my first days in the gym were extremely emotional, I had 6 important reflections that may support you.

1. There Are Different Kinds of Beginners

When we hear the word “beginner,” we often think of someone doing something for the first time.

But there is another kind of beginner.

The woman returning to work after cancer treatment.

The executive rebuilding confidence after a layoff.

The entrepreneur starting over after a business failure.

The caregiver returning to work after years of putting others first.

The person learning to trust again after betrayal.

These individuals are not entering entirely new territory.

They are learning how to inhabit familiar territory with a new version of themselves.

And that is its own kind of beginning.

2. Familiar Places Can Feel Unfamiliar When We Have Changed

One reason transitions feel so disorienting is that the environment often remains unchanged.

The office is the same.

The church is the same.

The marriage is the same.

The neighborhood is the same.

The gym is the same.

But we are not.

We carry new experiences, new wisdom, new priorities, new wounds, and new perspectives.

As a result, we cannot engage familiar environments in exactly the same way we once did.

This is where many people become frustrated with themselves.

They expect the old version of themselves to show up.

Instead, they encounter someone new.

Someone who requires patience.

Someone who requires compassion.

Someone who may still be healing.

3. Many Beginnings Are Invisible (You can listen on YouTube by clicking here.)

One of the greatest misconceptions about growth is that it always looks dramatic.

In reality, some of the most courageous beginnings happen quietly.

A woman pursuing IVF again after multiple disappointments.

A professional sending out another résumé after months of rejection.

A physician returning to practice after fighting to regain credentials.

A person rebuilding their life after addiction treatment.

A speaker stepping back onto a stage after a painful public failure.

These moments rarely receive applause.

Yet they often require extraordinary courage.

They represent a willingness to continue despite uncertainty.

To try again despite disappointment.

To show up despite fear.

4. You Do Not Have to Choose Between Grief and Gratitude

Perhaps the most important lesson I learned is one that many people need permission to embrace.

You do not have to choose between grief and gratitude.

You can miss what was and appreciate what remains.

You can mourn what was lost and celebrate what is returning.

You can feel sadness and hope at the same time.

In fact, emotional maturity often requires our ability to hold multiple truths simultaneously.

The attempt to eliminate one emotion in favor of another often creates unnecessary suffering.

Healing becomes easier when we stop arguing with our reality.

When we tell ourselves the truth.

When we honor our experiences without judgment.

5. Courage Is Not the Absence of Fear

Many people believe courage means fearlessness.

I have come to believe something different.

Courage is showing up when you are scared.

Courage is continuing when you are uncertain.

Courage is trying again when you are disappointed.

Courage is allowing yourself to be vulnerable while still moving forward.

Most of us are waiting to feel ready before we take the next step.

But courage rarely works that way.

More often, courage is taking the step while your hands are shaking.

It is trusting yourself before you have all the evidence.

It is believing in your ability to grow before you feel strong again.

6. Permission Is Powerful

The moment we stop shaming ourselves for where we are, we create space for healing.

The moment we stop comparing ourselves to who we used to be, we create space for growth.

The moment we stop forcing ourselves to move at someone else’s pace, we create space for wisdom.

That is why we must give ourselves permission just TO BE!

Permission is not a cop-out.

Permission is not surrender.

Permission is self-respect.

Permission is saying:

“This is where I am, and I will honor my experience without judging myself for it.”

And that may be one of the greatest gifts we can give ourselves.

 I explore each of these six reflections in greater depth and share additional examples from coaching leaders, caregivers, professionals in transition, and individuals navigating recovery and reinvention. You can listen on YouTube by clicking here.

My Personal Invitation….

If you find yourself standing in a familiar place as a changed person, please give yourself grace.

Do not rush yourself.

Do not compare yourself to previous versions of who you were.

Do not mistake adaptation for failure.

And do not assume that because your progress looks different, it is any less meaningful.

Remember that life will ask all of us to begin many times again.

Sometimes in new places.

Sometimes in familiar ones.

And the question is not whether change will happen.

The question is whether we will meet ourselves with judgment or compassion when it does.

Because growth is rarely about becoming someone entirely new.

More often, it is about learning how to inhabit your life as the person you are becoming…. and that is what makes us human. ❤️

This Week, Ask Yourself These Reflection Questions…

Where in your life are you returning to something familiar as a different person?

And what would change if I met that version of myself with compassion instead of criticism?

If You Want To Continue the Conversation & Join Other Conversations:

👉 You can listen to the companion podcast episode:🎙️ What Happens When the Place Is the Same, but You Have Changed on Apple Podcasts, YouTube, and wherever you listen to podcasts.

👉If you enjoy reflections like this, I invite you to join my newsletter community, where I share personal stories, leadership lessons, coaching insights, and reflections on healing, reinvention, purpose, and personal growth. Join the Newsletter Community

👉Explore the Reclamation Circle

If you are navigating a season of transition, healing, recovery, reinvention, or personal growth, I invite you to learn more about the Reclamation Circle here. Together, we create space to understand where we are, honor what we have experienced, and reclaim who we are becoming.

Thank you so much for sharing your time with me and for reading this article. I pray you have a wonderful week.

A Blessing for This Season

May you have the courage to honor what was lost without losing sight of what is growing.

May you trust yourself enough to tell the truth about your experience.

May you stop measuring your progress against old versions of yourself.

May you recognize the invisible beginnings happening within you.

May you give yourself permission to move at the pace healing requires.

May you remember that grief and gratitude can sit at the same table.

And may you continue showing up for your life with honesty, courage, compassion, and hope.

Blessings,

SharRon 

Dare To Soar Higher®

Not Everyone Is Qualified to Witness Your Your Sacred Journeys So BE CAREFUL Who You Build Around

Written by SharRon Jamison on . Posted in Blog. No Comments on Not Everyone Is Qualified to Witness Your Your Sacred Journeys So BE CAREFUL Who You Build Around

A couple of days ago, I felt led to share something personal.

As some of you may know, over the last 18 months, I have been working my way back to health. Thankfully, I am getting stronger. My stamina is increasing. I am slowly beginning to feel more like myself again, and for that, I am deeply grateful.

During one of my recent workouts, I was inspired to record and share a short video. The video was not meant to impress anyone. Honestly, it was simply a moment of gratitude. A moment where I realized how thankful I was to even be moving my body again, to feel my strength returning, and to recognize that healing was taking place little by little. ( Click here for the video)

What many people may not realize, however, is that sharing that video required vulnerability. During my wellness journey, I have lost a significant amount of weight. I have also experienced hair loss; my skin was sullen and felt droopy. Honestly, there have been moments where I have felt extremely self-conscious and reluctant to show myself publicly while trying to navigate those changes privately.

If you have ever been sick or know someone navigating illness, you know that long-term illnesses change more than your physical health. It can affect your confidence, your identity, your comfort in your own body, and even your willingness to be seen.

But that day, I felt led to share anyway.

And what happened afterward was both surprising and deeply revealing.

Three different people responded to the exact same video in three very different ways.

The first response stung a little. Someone told me I was “showing off.”

Perhaps it stung more because it came from someone who was familiar with my journey, someone who knew many of the challenges, limitations, fears, and side effects I had been navigating behind the scenes.

Then two other people responded very differently.

One person told me, “You are showing up for yourself.”

Another person said, “You are showing people the way.”

And I sat there for a moment thinking about how fascinating that really was.

Three people viewed the exact same moment through three completely different lenses.

One saw arrogance.
One saw healing.
One saw leadership.

That experience reminded me of  3 important points. ( Click here to listen on YouTube.)

  • How people interpret us often has very little to do with us and a great deal to do with their own experiences, insecurities, wounds, worldview, emotional maturity, and relationship with themselves.

Sometimes, people can only interpret your growth, healing, and success through the limitations of their own perspective.

  • Language matters. 

The difference between “showing off,” “showing up,” and “showing the way” may seem small at first glance. Yet each phrase carried a completely different meaning, emotional weight, and intention.

As the scripture says, life and death live in the tongue, which means that the words we use are powerful. Our words can affirm, fortify, guide, or deeply inspire people. Our words can create safety and strength, and make people feel seen. But they can also reinforce insecurity and doubt, especially during moments when people are already vulnerable.

That realization stayed with me. And honestly, it connected deeply to many of the conversations I have been having lately with people in this community.

How?

Over the last several weeks, I have spoken with people navigating career transitions, health challenges, grief, divorce, burnout, entrepreneurship, leadership changes, caregiving responsibilities, IVF, and profound personal reinvention. Although the stories are different, the emotional thread underneath many of them feels strikingly similar.

So many people are trying to rebuild themselves while simultaneously discerning who around them is truly safe for their spirit and supportive of their journey.

That is not a small thing.

Why?

Transition seasons are NOT easy. ( I share more on YouTube.)

And one of the things I have learned, both personally and through walking alongside so many incredible people, is that there are certain kinds of people we all need in our lives while we are becoming, healing, growing, building, or pivoting.

  • We need people who can celebrate us.

Not tolerate us. Not compete with us. Not secretly resenting our growth while pretending to support us. We need people who can genuinely recognize resilience, courage, healing, discipline, and progress, and respond with joy rather than discomfort.

Life already creates enough doubt during difficult seasons. We need the people closest to us to be sources of support, not to become an additional source of emotional diminishment.

  • We also need people who can champion us.

There is a difference between people who compliment your dream and people who actively champion it to help you move toward it.

Champions share resources, wisdom, opportunities, encouragement, and strategy. They speak your name in rooms you have never entered. They remind you of your possibilities when exhaustion makes you forget. They help you effectively operationalize, mobilize, and execute.

Championing is not just visceral; it’s visible. It’s practical and tangible. You hear, see, and feel the support.

  • We also need people who can hold our confidences with care.

Growth seasons often leave people emotionally exposed. Sometimes we are trying to heal while still functioning. Sometimes we are grieving privately while leading publicly. Sometimes we are experimenting, rebuilding, failing, learning, and finding our footing again. In seasons like these, emotionally safe relationships matter deeply. We need people who can hold our vulnerability without weaponizing it. We need sanctuaries where our secrets are safe.

  • And finally, we need people capable of offering loving critique.

The truth is, none of us becomes our best selves alone, especially when we feel vulnerable. That’s why wise counsel matters. Accountability matters. Reflection matters. (Listen on Youtube)

However, critique must be healthy; it needs to strengthen people rather than shrink them. It must provide insight without attacking our dignity and robbing us of our humanity.  It must promote growth without creating shame. It must be comments rooted in love and NOT commentary rooted in projection.

An inconvenient truth is that as we grow, heal, pivot, expand, or evolve, our circles sometimes must change to ensure we have those 4 types of people in our lives.

Not because we think we are better than anyone else, but because becoming, healing, and growing require environments that nourish honesty, courage, healing, accountability, and peace.

My friend, what I know for sure is that many of us are carrying things quietly while still trying to show up for our families, our work, our healing, our faith, and our future.

❤️And….we are showing up and doing the DARN thing, whatever the thing is for us.

That’s why I celebrate you, and I pray you celebrate yourself.

You are making progress, you are not giving up, and you are still trusting.

You are DARING TO SOAR HIGHER and that takes tremendous courage.

So,  if you know someone navigating transition, healing, reinvention, or uncertainty right now, I hope you will share this with them.

👉 I hope you also listen to the episode on Deciding To Soar: Living Life Your Own Way, where I share more about this experience. Click here.

Also, you can join us in the Reclamation Circle, where we continue these conversations about healing, identity, leadership, purpose, and becoming. Email me at SharRon@SharRonJamison.com

I pray you have a wonderful week, knowing that you are making progress and you are running your race at your own pace!

A Blessing For YOU:

May you have the wisdom to recognize who is safe for your spirit.
May you have the courage to distance yourself from voices that diminish your becoming.
May you be surrounded by people who can celebrate your healing without competing with it.
May you find champions who help you build what God placed inside of you.
And may you never shrink your light just to make insecure people comfortable.

Blessings,

SharRon

Watch the Video on FB here.

*** If you are not receiving my newsletter, please click here. It’s free, and I would love for you to join our community.

Women Over 50: You Are NOT Starting Over — You Are Starting With Experience and Hard-Earned Wisdom

Written by SharRon Jamison on . Posted in Blog, Soar Higher Blog. No Comments on Women Over 50: You Are NOT Starting Over — You Are Starting With Experience and Hard-Earned Wisdom

We live in a culture obsessed with youth, trends, and constant innovation.

And unfortunately, many people are quietly absorbing the message that newer is better, younger is more valuable, and our experience somehow matters less than innovation and technology.

But after decades of leadership, ministry, coaching, and navigating corporate spaces, I have come to believe something very different:

Wisdom still matters.

Discernment still matters.

Emotional intelligence still matters.

The ability to lead people through uncertainty still matters.

And the ability to rebuild after disappointment still matters too.

That is why I want to remind anyone standing at the edge of a new beginning — especially women over 50, 60, and 70, as well as people navigating reinvention, healing, recovery, or transition — of one important truth:

You are not starting from scratch.
You are starting from wisdom.

You are starting from wisdom because you already carry invisible assets.

What are invisible assets?

Invisible assets are the strengths developed through living life courageously and honestly.

Resilience.
Insight.
Discernment.
Adaptability.
Leadership capacity.
Emotional intelligence.
Creativity.
And the ability to navigate uncertainty without collapsing under pressure.

These strengths are often developed quietly through surviving difficult seasons, rebuilding after disappointment, navigating uncertainty, and continuing to evolve through life’s transitions.

And yet, many people overlook those strengths because they do not always appear on resumes, performance reviews, or social media feeds.

Recently, I explored this idea more deeply on the podcast Deciding to Soar: Living Life Your Own Way, where I discussed five powerful assets many people already possess as they begin a new chapter.

🎧 Click here to listen: Women Over 50: You Are NOT Starting Over — You Are Starting From Experience and Hard-Earned Wisdom

I call them the 5 E’s:

  • Experience.
  • Expertise.
  • Enjoyment.
  • Equipping.
  • Education.

1. EXPERIENCE — What You Have Lived Through

Experience is far bigger than employment history.

Experience includes difficult conversations, seasons of rebuilding, moments of uncertainty, and every time someone had to keep moving forward while carrying grief, exhaustion, responsibility, or fear.

Experience develops perspective.

And perspective allows people to lead with greater wisdom, steadiness, empathy, and discernment.

2. EXPERTISE — What You Naturally Do Well

Many people dismiss strengths that come naturally.

People often assume:
“Everybody can do this.”

But not everybody can.

Not everyone knows how to calm a room, build trust, navigate conflict wisely, encourage people effectively, or help others feel valued and seen.

Expertise is not arrogance.
Expertise is awareness.

3. ENJOYMENT — What Brings You Alive

Many people were raised to prioritize responsibility over fulfillment and productivity over alignment.

Entire generations learned how to survive while remaining disconnected from joy.

But enjoyment matters.

Joy provides information.
What energizes us often reveals where purpose, curiosity, alignment, and gifting intersect.

People who ignore enjoyment frequently drift toward burnout, resentment, or emotional exhaustion.

4. EQUIPPING — What Life Has Prepared You For

Every difficult season develops capacity.

Every setback.
Every betrayal.
Every recovery.
Every transition.
Every moment, someone had to continue moving forward despite uncertainty.

Some experiences build resilience.
Some build discernment.
Some build courage.
Some build adaptability.
Some build emotional steadiness.

The goal is not to romanticize suffering.
The goal is to recognize capacity.

5. EDUCATION — What You Know Deeply

Education extends far beyond degrees and certifications.

Some of life’s greatest lessons emerge through caregiving, leadership, rebuilding, recovery, observation, spiritual growth, collaboration, and community.

In fact, most people have spent decades teaching, mentoring, organizing, guiding, and leading without fully acknowledging the depth of their knowledge.

So, one of the most important things people can do in midlife is stop minimizing the wisdom they have to build something new.

———————–

I will leave you with this: midlife is often the season where people have already developed exactly what they need to build the life they desire.

So before dismissing yourself, pause long enough to take inventory of the 5 E’s.

And when you do, I believe you will discover you already possess exactly what you need for your next chapter, your new season, or your fresh beginning.

Not because life was easy.
But because life has been preparing you.

And perhaps one of the greatest forms of wisdom is finally learning how to recognize the value you already carry.

 

My blessing for you this week is this:

May you honor the wisdom you earned in seasons no one applauded.
May you stop dismissing gifts that came naturally.
May you trust that what you carry still has value.
And may you continue building forward with courage, clarity, wisdom, and self-respect.

Because the best is still yet to come.

Blessings,

SharRon

🎧 Listen to the podcast and subscribe here: Deciding To Soar: Living Life Your Own Way!

📩 Join the newsletter community for deeper reflections, leadership conversations, and encouragement for navigating reinvention, healing, purpose, and becoming.

✨ And if you are looking for community, consider joining the Reclamation Circle, where brave souls gather to navigate this season of life with honesty, courage, wisdom, and support.

P.S. If this message encouraged you, share it with someone beginning a new chapter and remind them that they are not starting from scratch either.

You Are Not Done Until You Are Dead: You Are NOT TOO Old To Begin Again!

Written by SharRon Jamison on . Posted in Blog, Soar Higher Blog. No Comments on You Are Not Done Until You Are Dead: You Are NOT TOO Old To Begin Again!

“You’re Not Done Until You’re Dead.”

There’s something my elders used to say.

They didn’t say it to pressure me.

They said it to remind me that life is always asking something of us: to grow, to evolve, to heal, to contribute, and to honor our purpose.

Why?

Our purpose does not disappear with time.

Purpose also does not stop because we have gray hair, grandchildren, or weariness.

My elders wanted us to remember that, as long as we are on this earth, our divine purpose can always be cultivated, expressed, or reclaimed, because it never goes away.

And lately, their wisdom has continued to challenge me and shape how I live and navigate my own life.

So much so that a couple of weeks ago, I recorded a podcast and led a workshop about owning your strengths, about knowing what gifts you carry, and understanding how important it is not to shrink or abandon yourself during seasons of transition.

I was excited about both experiences. The conversations were honest, healing, and well-received. Women shared openly. People felt seen, nourished, and encouraged.

But afterward, a few women, especially women over 50, quietly shared something deeper with me.

They said things like:

“I think I’m too old to start over.”
“I don’t know if I can begin again.”
“I feel like I missed my time.”

And if I’m honest, I understood exactly what they meant.

Because there have been moments, especially in midlife, when many of us begin questioning our relevance instead of recognizing our refinement.

And as a woman in her 60s, I know this feeling with deep clarity and deep certainty.

I also know something else.

Women in their 50s, 60s, and 70s can still be seasoned, still vibrant, still sexy, and still becoming.

Not becoming who the world expects us to be.

Becoming who we feel called to be. (Link to the podcast)

More honest.
More aligned.
More courageous.
More ourselves.

But before we can fully embrace that truth, I think we have to ask ourselves an important question: Why do so many women believe that getting older means they are finished?

I believe part of the answer is cultural.

We live in a world that constantly celebrates what is new, fast, trendy, and visible. We are surrounded by messages that glorify youth while quietly dismissing depth. In that kind of environment, something subtle but powerful begins to happen.

Experience gets overlooked. Wisdom gets questioned. Depth gets minimized.

And if we are not careful, we begin to internalize those messages. We start questioning ourselves. Our relevance. Our timing. Our ability to grow, evolve, contribute, or begin again.

Sometimes, some women even stop seeing themselves as expanding and start seeing themselves as expiring.

But what I know now, both personally and professionally, is this: What you carry did not expire. It evolved.

Your gifts evolved.
Your perspective evolved.
Your understanding evolved.

Time did not erase you.

It refined you.

And this is what I know for sure about the midlife moment. ( I share more in the podcast.)

1. Technology Does Not Supersede Truth

Yes, the world is changing rapidly. Technology is evolving. Artificial intelligence is becoming integrated into nearly every aspect of our lives and work. Entire industries are transforming before our eyes.

But technology cannot replace wisdom.

It cannot replace discernment. It cannot replace emotional intelligence. It cannot replace lived experience. It cannot replace the kind of insight that only comes from surviving disappointment, rebuilding after loss, navigating uncertainty, loving deeply, leading imperfectly, and learning through time.

That matters.

Especially now.

Because while tools may evolve, human beings still need wisdom. They still need grounded people who know how to navigate complexity, relationships, transitions, grief, uncertainty, and change.

And what that means for you is simple:

You are not obsolete because the world has changed.

You may simply need to learn how to apply your wisdom in a new way.

That is very different.

2. Traditions Are Not Always the Truth

Many of us inherited beliefs about aging that were never designed to empower us.

We were taught that getting older meant slowing down, stepping aside, becoming less visible, less desirable, and less valuable.

But traditions are not always the truth.

Sometimes traditions are simply inherited limitations r cultural scripts that no one questioned long enough to challenge.

Thankfully, many women are courageously beginning to challenge them.

Because the truth is:

You can still create.
You can still lead.
You can still learn.
You can still pivot.
You can still evolve.

You are not required to sit on the sidelines of your own life simply because you have reached a certain age.

In fact, many women become more powerful with age because they stop living for approval and start living from alignment.

And what that means for you is this:

You do not have to spend the rest of your life “performing” and accepting limitations just because the culture feels more comfortable when women shrink.

You can still become a change-maker instead of a bystander in your own story.

3. Time Uncovers Truth

One of the greatest gifts of aging is clarity.

Time has a way of uncovering what truly matters. It reveals what aligns and what doesn’t. It reveals what drains us and what nourishes us. It reveals which dreams were truly ours and which ones we inherited from expectation, survival, fear, or performance.

Time also teaches us something else:

We do not just grow older.

We grow wiser.

And wisdom changes how you move through the world.

It deepens your perspective.
It strengthens your resilience.
It sharpens your discernment.
It softens your ego.
It clarifies your values.

So let me say this clearly: Growth is not based on age. Growth is based on desire.

If you still desire to grow, evolve, create, heal, learn, contribute, or begin again, then you still have the capacity to do so.

And what that means for you is this: You are not too late.

You are simply being invited to grow differently than before.

4. Truth Is Transferred

Every generation carries wisdom that another generation needs.

Younger generations have perspectives, innovation, and insights that matter deeply. They understand concepts  many of us did not have access to at their age.

And older generations also carry something equally valuable: perspective, endurance, context, resilience, emotional wisdom, and lived understanding.

When generations respect each other rather than compete, wisdom flows.

And that matters because none of us are meant to navigate life believing that one generation holds all the answers.

Real growth happens when experience and a new perspective meet with humility, creativity, and respect.

And what that means for you is this: Your age is not a disqualification.

Your lived experience is part of your contribution.

As I have reflected on all of this over the last few weeks, I keep returning to one question:

Perhaps the question is not: “Am I too late?”

Perhaps the better question is: Where can what I carry live now?

Where can your strengths be expressed more honestly?
Where can your wisdom be used more intentionally?
Where can your voice be heard more authentically?
Where can your experience create something meaningful?

Because fulfillment is not found in pretending to be younger.

Fulfillment is found in becoming more fully yourself. In becoming more honest about who you are and what you need.

The biggest blessing is to remember this: you are not starting from scratch.

You are building from experience, wisdom, resilience, insight, courage, and strength that have already been tested and refined.

So if you are in a season where things feel uncertain, unrecognizable, in-between, or unclear, I want to encourage you not to give up on yourself.

Not now. Not ever.

Not after everything you’ve survived.
Not after everything you’ve learned.
Not after everything you still carry.

You still have something to offer.

You still have something to build.

You still have something to become.

And perhaps this season is not asking you to disappear. Perhaps it is asking you to reclaim yourself in ways that honor the truth of who you are.

👉🏾 If this message resonated with you, I invite you to subscribe to my YouTube channel. Over the coming weeks, I’ll be sharing more conversations about the power of the midlife moment, the importance of reclamation, and what it means to use your strengths to create a life that honors your soul instead of abandoning it.

👉🏾 If you know a woman who needs this message, forward this article to her. She may never say she needed it, but something in you will know.

👉🏾 And if you are in a season where you are ready to stop carrying everything alone and want to explore what reclamation could look like in your own life, you can send me an email at SharRon@SharRonJamison.com with the word RECLAIMING. I would love to share more with you about the Reclaiming Circle and the deeper conversations we are creating there.

👉🏾 And while you are here, I invite you to subscribe to my newsletter as well. Click here to join. The blog allows me to share ideas, but the newsletter gives me space to have more intimate conversations about healing, leadership, reinvention, purpose, grief, growth, and becoming.

One door or all four.

Come as you are.

My Blessing for You This Week:

May you trust what you carry.
May you honor the wisdom you’ve gained with time.
May you remember that your growth is still unfolding.
May you have the courage to use your strengths fully and unapologetically.
And may you never confuse aging with ending.

Because you are not done.

You are still becoming.

Blessings,

SharRon

The Day I Stopped Pretending I Was Fine

Written by SharRon Jamison on . Posted in Blog, Soar Higher Blog. No Comments on The Day I Stopped Pretending I Was Fine

There is a kind of tired that has nothing to do with sleep.

My elders called it being “bone weary.” And I always thought I understood what they meant.

I did not. Not really. Not until I came home from church one Sunday, walked through the door, and something in me just… gave way.

I took off my clothes, sat down on the edge of my bed, and cried.

Silently.

The kind of tears that have been waiting for a quiet moment when no one is watching.

And when they finally slowed, I told myself the truth.

I was not okay.

Not depressed — I want to name that distinction clearly because it matters. I know what depression feels like. Depression is not a stranger to me. I have navigated its particular kind of darkness before.

This was something different.

Something quieter. Something that had been settling into my bones for months, even as I kept showing up, producing, encouraging, and performing fine.

This was spiritual depletion.  I discuss this topic in this week’s episode of Deciding To Soar: Living Life Your Own Way. Click here to listen.)

Now, I want to pause here — because when I first put those two words together, something in me resisted.

My religious upbringing made me feel guilty even placing those words side by side. As if admitting that my spirit was depleted meant I had somehow failed God. As if I should have been able to pray through it, serve through it, praise through it,  worship through it, and work through it.

But here is what I now know: Naming “spiritual depletion” was not a crisis of faith. It was a courageous act of faith.

Why?

Because spiritual depletion is not the same as burnout.

Burnout is about doing too much….for too many… for too long….without any support, joy, or purpose.

Spiritual depletion is what happens when a woman has been giving from her deepest self — her spirit, her core, her truest identity — for so long, to too many, and in so many directions, that she loses access to herself.

Of course, she is still succeeding according to how society defines success.

She is still functioning.

She is still showing up.

She is still looking good and well-dressed.

She is still leading her team, achieving milestones, and effectively executing strategies.

Yes, she is still building her business, seeing patients, advising her clients, teaching her students, and raising her children.

 But something essential is gone. And she knows it, even though she cannot name it.

It looks like:

  • Going to church out of  obligation instead of spiritual renewal
  • Work becoming mechanical — parts of you present, other parts quietly withdrawn
  • Being physically present but emotionally distant
  • Code-switching, shifting from feeling like a survival strategy into something that feels like slow self-erasure
  • A bone-deep weariness that sleep does not touch
  • Relationships with people who need you but never feed you — emotionally, intellectually, or spiritually
  • A quiet desire to stop. Not to disappear. Just to finally, finally rest, even though you can’t clearly articulate what type of rest and respite you crave or need. 

That Sunday after church, I realized I had run out of places to hide.

Not from other people.

From myself.

And so I had to do the one thing I had been avoiding.

I had to come back to myself.

As uncomfortable as that was — and it was deeply uncomfortable — it was also sacred.

Because that moment marked the beginning of one of the most honest seasons of my life.

If you are reading this and something in you just exhaled…

If something whispered, that sounds like me…

If you have been calling it burnout, or stress, or just being tired — because spiritual depletion felt too big, too tender, too much to admit…

I want you to know: what you are feeling is real.

You are not weak.

You are not ungrateful.

You are not failing.

You are not less accomplished.

You are depleted. And there is a difference.

Here is where I would invite you to begin. Just three things. I call them the 3 N’s.

Name it. Tell yourself the truth without softening it. Without comparing it. Just name where you actually are — honestly, without apology.

Notice it. Look compassionately at where your energy is actually going. Not to fix it overnight. Just to see it clearly. Clarity creates space even before anything changes.

Nourish it. Each day, allow yourself to admit one true thing. Not positive. Not polished. Just real….For example, I am tired. I miss who I used to be. I am still here, and that is enough. Those small truths begin to reconnect you to yourself in ways that performance never could.

What I know for sure: You cannot outrun your own depletion. Eventually, the depletion will sit you down. The only question is whether you sit down on your own terms, or whether life does it for you.

For me, it was a little bit of both that eventually forced me to sit down on the edge of that bed.

And it was the most sacred thing that had happened to me in years.

 I want to leave you with this….

This week, please remember — you matter.

What you are feeling matters.

What you are carrying matters.

And the most holy action you can take right now is to take care of yourself.

Not tomorrow. Not after you finish everything on your list. Not after everyone else is okay.

Now.

So name it. Notice it. Nourish it.

It is time to SOAR.

This Week’s Blessing:

May you have the courage to tell yourself the truth — even when the truth is tender.

May you honor what your spirit has been trying to say.

May you Name what you are carrying, Notice where your energy is going, and Nourish yourself back to wholeness — one true thing at a time.

And may you trust that even here, in this honest and sacred space, you are still becoming.

Blessings,

SharRon 💛

I explore this more on this week’s episode of Deciding to Soar. Listen on Apple Podcasts, YouTube, and wherever you get your podcasts.

And join me for more conversations — subscribe to A True Word, my weekly letter. Join here.

I Know What I Carry: Why Owning Your Strengths Changes Everything

Written by SharRon Jamison on . Posted in Blog. No Comments on I Know What I Carry: Why Owning Your Strengths Changes Everything

There is a shift happening.

It is not loud. It is not dramatic. But it is real.

I hear it in conversations. I see it in my clients. And if I am honest, I have felt it in my own life. It shows up as a quiet unease—a growing awareness that something is no longer working the way it once did in our jobs, our families, and even in our relationships.

More and more people are recognizing the same pattern:

  • They feel underappreciated and overused
  • They are carrying more responsibility than ever, yet feel less seen and less supported
  • They are contributing at high levels, yet only parts of them are being recognized or utilized
  • They are showing up, adjusting, and accommodating, yet something still feels incomplete or unfulfilled

When you constantly feel this way, it creates a tension—a subtle but persistent reminder that you are giving more than the environment or the relationships around you can fully receive or honor. And if we are honest, it begins to chip away at your spirit. It doesn’t feel good, and it was never meant to.

None of us were meant to beg to be seen, hustle to feel heard, or sell our souls to be successful.

So if you have been feeling this way, pause.

Acknowledge it.
Do not judge it.
Do not dismiss it.

Because that awareness is not weakness; it is information. It is a signal that something within you is ready for greater alignment, greater honesty, and greater ownership.

That is why I created this conversation around “I Know What I Carry.” Click here to listen. Because understanding your strengths is not just helpful—it is transformational. It gives you six powerful forms of awareness that remind you just how capable, how extraordinary, and how equipped you truly are.

Let’s walk through them.

Accuracy: Owning your strengths is not arrogance; it is truth.

Accuracy gives you clarity. It allows you to tell the truth about what you do well without minimizing it or waiting for external validation. When you are clear, your decisions become more grounded, more intentional, and more aligned.

Alignment: Your strengths deserve the right environment.

Alignment gives you direction. It helps you stop scattering your energy across spaces that can only partially receive you and instead place your gifts where they can be fully expressed. Alignment reduces exhaustion and increases impact.

Assurance: Your strength creates internal stability.

Assurance is deeper than confidence. It is not dependent on applause or recognition. It is an internal knowing that steadies you, allowing you to stand in your value even when others do not see it immediately.

Authority: You don’t have to wait to be chosen.

Authority shifts you from waiting to deciding. It reminds you that while others may control access to platforms or positions, they do not control your purpose. You have the right to move, build, and act from what you know you carry.

Agency: Your strengths give you options.

Agency expands your choices. It allows you to decide where your gifts go, how they are used, and what you will no longer tolerate. This is where freedom begins.

Anchoring: Your strengths steady you in uncertain times.

Life will shift. Roles will change. Expectations will evolve. But when you are grounded in your strengths, you are not easily moved. You have something internal to return to—something that stabilizes you no matter what is happening around you.

When you understand and own all of this, everything changes.

You begin to see that you are not stuck.
You are not limited.
You are not required to remain in spaces that diminish you.

You can make a change.
You can make a decision.
You can create something different.

You are not here to exist in fragments. You are here to live, lead, and serve in fullness. And when you remember and activate your strengths, you begin to move differently. You begin to see possibilities where you once saw limitations.

So let me remind you clearly:

You are equipped.
You have everything you need encoded in your DNA.
You lack nothing.
You have what it takes to make the changes in your life that keep you sane, safe, successful, and satisfied.

This Week’s Blessing:

May you stop negotiating what God already named.
May you stand in what you carry without apology.
May you trust your strength—not as arrogance, but as alignment.
May you move with assurance when the world is uncertain.
May you sit in authority without waiting to be chosen.
And may you build a life that reflects not just what you can do… but who you were called to be.

Because you don’t need more permission.

You need more clarity.

And clarity begins the moment you say—

I know what I carry.

I shared more about this in this week’s podcast episode, and I hope it meets you wherever you are. I invite you to listen to the episode here on Apple Podcasts, YouTube, and other platforms.

Also, be sure to join my newsletter for more conversations. Join here.

Blessings!

SharRon