So…What Now?
SisterFriend Reflections: Don’t rush the answer.
“There are years that ask questions and years that answer.”
—Zora Neal Hurston
After all the growth, all the letting go, all the “I’m changing” language…there can still come a day when you sit with yourself and think: So…what now? And that question can feel strange and scary, because it’s not always coming from a bad place. Sometimes it comes because you really have changed. You’ve made room. You’ve gotten clarity. You are not moving in the same way you used to.
But you still don’t know what comes next. And that can be unsettling, especially if you’re used to being the one who figures things out. Especially if you’ve spent years taking care of business, being in control, and caring for people. To be in a season where you are listening more than deciding. Pausing more than planning. That can feel unfamiliar. I know that feeling.
There is a quiet that comes after change. And in that quiet, questions can get loud. Not because you’re doing something wrong. But because your life is asking something new of you. Don’t rush the answer.
I am learning that not every question needs an immediate answer. Some answers come after you’ve had time to sit with yourself. After you’ve rested. After you’ve stopped trying to force something to happen. After you’ve been honest about what has changed in your life.
Sometimes the next step is no action at all when you close your eyes. When you finally get still. When you listen to the voice within. When you let yourself take stock of what this season has already taught you. It happens. And what comes may not be a complete plan. You may have fragments of a plan. It may be one word. One truth. One nudge. One small next step. So if all you have right now is a fundamental question and a willing heart, let that be enough for today.
“So…what now?” is not a sign that you failed. It is a sign that you are paying attention. That you are no longer living on autopilot. That you are trying to live your life on purpose. And that matters.
Purpose Meets Strategy (Take 10 Minutes)
Write the “what now?” question that keeps coming up. (Work, relationships, purpose, rest, next steps—whatever is real).
Close your eyes and take stock. What has changed? What have I learned? What have I gotten clarity on?
Create a listening window. Set aside 10 quiet minutes this week with no phone, no talking, no planning—just noticing.
Sit with what surfaced—and choose one gentle next move. Ask yourself, what am I being invited to notice, release, or trust? Then choose one small action that honors what you heard.
May you trust what is unfolding, even before you can name it. May you be gentle with yourself in the questions.