This is Part 2 in the Project Management as Spiritual Practice series. If you haven’t read Part 1, start here to read about small steps and sacred planning.
Indigenous traditions offer us a powerful way of seeing growth: not as constant striving, but as something deeply rooted in natural rhythms and conditions. This perspective brings a sense of faith in a power greater than our own, a sense of connection to the systems that foster life, and a sense of stewardship that’s woven into who we are.
For example, a seed is not meant to lay on a countertop – it’s meant to be planted to a certain depth. Seeds are encoded to grow and produce nourishment, as long as the conditions for growth are cared for.
If you have a faith practice and use prayer and meditative awareness to build your sense of discernment, ask for insight as to which seed you are meant to plant. What are you meant to take off the counter and plant in fertile soil? Have you found a place with the right conditions for your vision to take root?
If there’s something you long to experience, start by tending to the conditions inside yourself. We cannot just envision a change – we must act.
Confidence experts tell us that we have to begin before we feel ready. Once I began to take direct action to shift the trajectory of my life, I was able to find and more closely recognize the relationships that support my growth. From there I began to realize that the quality of my life was a combination of my sense of trust in myself and in God, and the resources I was aware of.
When Trust Feels Challenging
Not everyone starts at the same place. Our circumstances – economic, geopolitical, environmental, educational, and familial – shape what we have the capacity and awareness to reach for. This is why building internal awareness is not only a personal choice, it’s essential for our shared future. Recognizing the interconnectedness of our lives helps us respond to the world in more natural, harmonious ways.
In times of chaos and information overload, one of the most powerful things we can do is trust ourselves – to find moments when we can slow down, tune into what our bodies are telling us, and believe that our needs, our instincts, and how we spend our time matters.
Self-trust is a muscle that strengthens every time we allow our inner knowing to guide our next step. It often doesn’t speak loudly, but it gets clearer with practice and support from others. An emerging sense of confidence tells us it’s okay to change our minds and take action even when we’re uncertain. Trusting ourselves doesn’t mean we’ll always get it right. Rather, it means we’ll keep coming back to what’s true. From there, we can properly care for ourselves and for the world we aim to shape.
If you’re someone who immerses yourself in service to others, and you’re sensitive to the needs of those in your life, it can become overwhelming to stay engaged. When we become accustomed to supporting others it can make it feel like tending to our own needs may require us to retreat from the world. Yet from what I’ve found over time, self-compassion has expanded my capacity to engage with my work from a more clean, clear perspective.
Moving Toward Joy
Taking action in the midst of opposition comes with many challenges. Taking time to reflect allows us to figure out what best suits us in each moment, and then learn new ways to prioritize our particular needs.
As I begin to transition into new terrain personally and professionally, I am learning that joy is my north star. With this in mind, consider the following prompts to support you in planting more seeds of joy in your life:
- What’s the most affirming experience I’ve had recently?
- What context made it feel so meaningful?
- What elements of that experience can I recreate now?
You can write these down and journal about what stands out to you. Sometimes the most invigorating moments come only in hindsight – after we take a risk and realize that something beautiful came from it. These moments might be rare, but that’s exactly what makes them worth noticing.
The Community Element
Progress is hard to sustain in isolation. The more we support each other, the more space we create for collective healing and momentum.
In project management, we talk about building strong collaborations and resilient team dynamics. In spiritual practice, we speak of community and fellowship. Both recognize this fundamental truth: sustainable change happens in relationships, not in isolation.
Whether you’re managing a complex initiative at work or navigating a personal transformation, the same principle applies. You need people who understand where you’re going, who can offer perspective when you lose sight of the bigger picture, and who will celebrate the small wins along the way.
If any of this resonates with you, you’re not alone.
In partnership with two heart-centered leaders I met through a transformative learning experience, we’re co-creating a community of practice called the Nurtured Roots Guild, where we explore building the foundation of our visionary lives together.
Learn more about the Nurtured Roots Guild: lindalanoue.com/community
Building trust gives us the courage to act before we feel ready. But action still requires direction. Next, we’ll explore how to tune into your frequency —learning to recognize the signals that tell you when you’re aligned with what wants to emerge.
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