The Power of Trying: A Two-Year Reflection

This episode is a pause, a reflection, and a celebration.

As the year comes to a close, I’m taking a brief pause from the Relationship Series to acknowledge where we are before moving forward. This episode marks two years since I released the very first episode of the Pure Possibilities Podcast - now at episode 115 with over 5,000 listens from people around the world.

Two years ago, I believed stories about myself - that my voice didn’t matter and that no one would care what I had to say. Those stories felt real… but they weren’t true.

In this episode, I reflect on why the decision to try matters more than the outcome, how growth begins with willingness and curiosity (not confidence), and why waiting to feel “ready” keeps so many of us stuck. I also share a closing card pull and an invitation to question the stories that keep you small as we move into the new year.

✨ Reflection Questions

1. Where in my life am I feeling that nudge to try something, even if it scares me?
2. What might be possible for me if I stopped waiting to feel ready?

✨ Key Takeaways

• The decision to try is more important than the outcome.
• Growth begins with willingness and curiosity.
• Readiness is often a self-imposed story - we are never truly “ready.”
• Taking aligned steps leads to forward movement and clarity.
• Self-reflection helps us understand what we truly desire.
• Embracing uncertainty can open the door to unexpected joy.
• Listening to your intuition is essential for personal growth.
• Community support can deepen the journey of self-discovery.
• It’s okay to not know where your path will lead.
• Focus on how you want to feel, not just what you want to achieve.

Thank you for being here, for listening, and for being part of this journey. Next week, we’ll move into a conversation that continues to be a cornerstone of my own transformation: How do you want to feel in 2026?

Chapters

• 0:00 Year-End Pause And Milestone
• 3:28 From Invisibility To Pressing Record
• 6:18 Willingness Before Confidence
• 9:28 Reflection Without Resolutions
• 12:28 Skills Gained By Starting

Transcript

Shannon: 0:59

Welcome back. You are listening to the Pure Possibilities podcast, and I'm your host, Shannon, and today's episode is going to be a little bit different. As we wrap up the year, we're taking a brief pause from the relationship series, not because it's complete, because goodness gracious, everything is a relationship, and we have so much more to talk about, but because it felt important to slow down and acknowledge where we are before moving forward. The space between what's been and what's coming really matters. This week also marks something incredibly meaningful to me. On December 31st, 2023, 123, 123, I released the very first episode of this podcast. And today, this is episode 115 with over 5,000 listens and people tuning in from all over the world. And I want to talk about this, not out of a place of ego, but from a place of honesty. Two years ago, I was a woman who felt invisible. I believed that my voice didn't really matter. I believed that no one would care what I had to say. And looking back, I can see so clearly those were just stories. They were stories that I was telling myself. They felt very real. They felt convincing, but they weren't actually true. And I'm also sharing that because I want to ask you what story are you telling yourself right now that might not actually be true? What belief have you been carrying about yourself, your worth, your ability, your voice, your future that feels so real to you? But it may simply just be a story that you've never questioned, you've never gotten curious about it. Because if I had let those stories stop me, this podcast would not exist. If I didn't have the 20 seconds of insane courage to press record, nothing would have shifted. And I wouldn't be sitting here today having this conversation with you. And one thing that I have learned through all of this is that trying does not guarantee success, but it does guarantee movement. And if you never try, nothing changes. So many of us wait to feel ready. We wait to feel confident. We wait until we know how things are going to turn out. But growth doesn't start with confidence. It starts with a willingness, with curiosity. And the confidence comes after you take the aligned step. That quiet inner knowing that says, I can't keep staying exactly where I am. And I don't know where you want to go. Only you know that when you're honest with yourself. It doesn't mean you have to blow up your life. It doesn't mean you have to have all the answers. It doesn't mean that you have to know exactly how things are going to turn out. It means trusting yourself and listening to those nudges, being honest enough to take a step. And for me, that step was starting this podcast. For you, it might be something completely different. But what I do know is that staying where you are is also a choice. And it's not a it's not something that we like to admit to ourselves. But that choice of staying where you are is often the harder one in the long run. So as we come to the end of this year, I want to invite you to reflect. Not with pressure, not with resolutions, not with a long list of things you should change, because I don't like to shoot on you, but being honest with yourself. Where in your life are you feeling that nudge, that pull? And that intuition is quiet and loving and kind and peaceful. But what's pulling you forward? What are you being asked to do? What step are you being asked to take? Maybe it's something you've been thinking about for a while. Maybe it's something that completely terrifies you. Maybe it's something you keep telling yourself that you'll do someday. And maybe the only thing standing in your way isn't the lack of your ability to do it. It's that you're waiting to feel ready. And I can tell you from experience, you don't ever feel ready. You don't. And that waiting to feel ready is a story. It's another story that we tell ourselves. It's the willingness, the willingness is what actually creates the momentum. And when you're not honest with yourself about what you actually want, then you are going to end up being exactly in the same spot next year at this time. And that's not what I want for you. I want you to live your most beautiful, magical, magnificent life. And sometimes that means doing something that's a little bit scary. And I know for me, when it comes to the podcast, taking that step, although I'm not exactly where I want to be with everything in my life and in my business, I have continued to take steps forward. And I learned how to edit. I learned how to create a trailer with music. And then that carried over into recording meditations and being able to edit those. And I have all of these skills and abilities that I had no idea I was even capable of. And so sometimes you take a step and maybe it doesn't necessarily turn, you know, it's information, right? It's information. You learn either that's something that I want to do or it's something I don't want to do. I could have decided, yeah, this totally isn't for me. That happens to a lot of people. Or it can open up something that you had no idea that you were even capable of. And so please don't stay exactly where you're at. Really take this in because, you know, at the end of the year, we're always thinking about how did our year go? Where are we at? Where do we want to be? Like all of those thoughts. We have all of those thoughts that come up at the end of the year. You're going into the new year. What do you want? What do you desire? And do you want to be exactly in the same spot next year as you are right now? And again, I'm not saying you have to overhaul your life or quit your job or you know, leave your relationship or do whatever, but what's one thing that like that's important to you, that matters, that is something you're even curious about, even just trying. It's just the trying that that matters and honoring yourself by making your wants, needs, and desires just as important as it is for everyone else. What do you want? So as we close this episode, I want to offer you a couple of reflection questions to ponder as we move into the new year. We're just gonna notice, we're not gonna fix anything, we're not gonna change anything in this moment. If it feels safe and comfortable, go ahead and take a breath with me. Take a deep breath in and release the first question. Where in my life am I feeling that nudge to try something, even if it scares me? You don't have to act on it just yet. Just notice what comes up. The second question: what might be possible for me if I stopped waiting to feel ready? You don't need all the answers, you don't need to decide anything today. But just notice what comes up for you. Before we close out the episode and the year, I want to pull a card from the Magic of What If Card Deck Volume 2, and we're gonna see what the final message is for the year for us. Okay, are you ready? Here we go. What if I take radical personal responsibility for my life? What if I take radical personal responsibility for my life? That's where the shifts happen, my friend. When you're honest with yourself and you take personal responsibility for the experience in your life that you're creating. Again, we don't like to admit that we are responsible for our current lived experience. However, we are. And maybe things are happening outside of you that you feel like you don't have any control over, but what you do have control over is you, how you respond, how you regulate, the decisions that you make and the choices that you make to make a shift when something isn't feeling right for you. And I want to remind you that this is your life, and yes, your decisions may impact other people. However, the people that love us deeply will support you and want you to be happy with whatever your next step is. We don't have to know our whole path, we don't have to be fearless, you don't have to be ready. But can I trust myself enough to take one step, one aligned step? That's what this past year has reminded me of that our growth doesn't require certainty, it requires us to trust. And trusting yourself is often one of the bravest things you'll ever do. And as we move into the new year, my hope for you is that you question the stories that keep you small and keep you exactly where you are. A belief is just a thought that you keep telling yourself and give yourself permission to try and that you trust, even just a little bit, that movement forward will create clarity for you. You don't need to know how it's going to turn out to let yourself begin. I'm so grateful for the conversations we've had this year, for the guests that have been on the show, and thank you for allowing this moment and this year to be exactly what it is. Thank you for being here. Thank you so much for listening and being a part of the podcast and helping it become as successful as it has been. And I've got members in our community that I connect with every single week. And if you want to join the community, it's on Facebook. It's completely free. I go in there live every week and do a QA. I asked them if they wanted me to continue that in 2026, and it was a resounding yes. So I'll continue that. The link to join is in the show description. And it's fun. I love doing this. I don't know where it's gonna go. I have some ideas actually. Some things are gonna be shifting for me in 2026, and so as I shift and evolve, so does my work. And so I think there's gonna be, I know that there's gonna be some exciting things coming in 2026. I hope you have had the most amazing year and a wonderful holiday season. And next week, you know what's coming. How do you want to feel in 2026? Because I don't believe in New Year's resolutions. So it's all about how do we want to feel? We get to decide how we want to feel every single day in moments throughout every single day. So I will be back next week with how do you wanna feel in 2026. I hope you have a beautiful end to your year, and I'm excited to see what's next in 2026. Hope you have a beautiful, beautiful day and an amazing week. Much love.