Don’t Miss Life Chasing the Moment | A Soul Inspired Lesson on Purpose

A new month often brings pressure to start over, reset everything, and prove that progress is happening. In this episode of Mosaic Sparks, Lesley uses the story of Joe from Disney and Pixar’s Soul to open a deeper conversation about purpose, presence, leadership, and the quiet moments that shape our lives.

Joe’s journey reminds us that ambition can move us forward, yet our daily lives still deserve attention while we pursue the dream. This episode speaks to the person who has been focused on the next milestone, the next open door, the next achievement, or the next sign that life is finally moving in the right direction.

Instead of rushing into June with the pressure to become someone new overnight, this conversation invites listeners to slow down, notice what already carries meaning, and reconnect with the life they are building right now. Through a motivational and reflective lens, Lesley explores how focus, gratitude, and intentional living can help us lead ourselves with more clarity and courage.

This episode is for dreamers, leaders, authors, speakers, creatives, professionals, and women who are building something meaningful while learning to stay present in the process. If you have been chasing the big moment and need a reminder that your life already carries purpose, this episode will speak to you.

Tune in for a powerful reminder to stay focused, honor the small things, and continue to Unbox Your Brilliance™ with courage, clarity, and intention.

Transcript

0:01

What part of your life have you been treating like a waiting room? Because you're still waiting for one big moment to prove that you are finally where you are supposed to be. So welcome back, sparklers. Welcome back to Mosaic Sparks with me, Leslie George. And today I want to begin with that question. And that question may sit with you longer than this episode. Because that question matters because many people are living in between who they are and who they believe they will become after that opportunity arrives, after those big doors. What about after that big check clears, that book launch? What about you being introduced to that person or being on that big stage? So we often move through life with our eyes locked on that big moment, while the ordinary moments quietly carry the meaning, the lesson, the blessing, and the proof that our lives already matter. So today we are talking about Joe Gardner from the movie Soul. So Joe's a man with a dream, a gift, and a deep hunger to experience the moment he believes will finally make his life feel complete. He wants a stage, he wants the music, he wants the chance, the opportunity that tells him all the waiting, working, hoping, and disappointment had a purpose. Many of us understand that feeling. As we step into this new month, because the beginning of a new month always brings pressure. You start here people saying, Ooh, new month, new goals. And what are you doing differently this month? Well, I want to share with you that the calendar changes, and suddenly everybody feels pushed to reinvent themselves, announce something, start a something, prove and show the world that they are moving. I do understand that growth, goals, vision, action, and even a plan, all of that matters. And discipline matters, but still, every new month does not require you to become a brand new person just for public consumption. Sometimes a new month is an invitation to return to your focus. Honor what is already in motion. Pay attention to the life that you are living and stop overlooking the small things that are keeping you grounded. So Joe Gardner reminds us that a dream can be beautiful, meaningful, and worthy of pursuit while life is still asking us to be present on the way there. So that's where we're going to begin today. So we're talking about focus, purpose, leadership, talking about the pressure to achieve. And most of all, we are talking about the danger of missing your life while chasing the moment you think will finally validate your life. So I want you to lean in. Because this episode is for the person who has been working hard. You've been dreaming big and quietly wondering why the finish line keeps moving. This episode is for you who keeps telling yourself that you will enjoy life after the goal is complete. What about you will enjoy life after retirement? You will enjoy life after the children graduate from whether it's high school or college. You can put in that you will enjoy life after. You put in whatever that after that you've been saying for so long. As I mentioned before, this this episode is for you, the leader who pours into everyone else and forgets to ask, Am I present in my own life? The episode is really for the builder, the speaker, the author, the mother, the professional, the coach, and the visionary who keeps moving forward, but needs to remember that meaning is not reserved for the milestone. And the message is simple: do not miss your life chasing the moment. So when we meet Joe Gardner, we meet a man who absolutely loves music. Music is not a casual interest for him. Music lives in him, it moves through his body, his thoughts, and his sense of identity. Jazz gives him language, expression. Jazz gives him a way to feel alive. He teaches music, and while teaching is meaningful, there is still a part of him that longs for that big stage. The stage with all the lights and the and the crowd of people shouting his name. He wants to perform, he wants to do the play. He wants his gift to be recognized in the way that he has imagined for years. Now, that desire is not strange. That desire is in all of us. Every person listening to this episode has something inside them that wants to be expressed. You may not call it jazz. It may not be a book, a business, a ministry, a podcast, a new career, a deeper relationship, or even a dream that you have not said out loud because saying it would make it too real. There is something powerful about having a dream. A dream can pull you forward when life feels heavy. It can give you that type of discipline. A dream can make you try again after disappointments. It can create energy in places where you thought you were empty. The issue begins when the dream becomes the place where we store all of our worth, all of our identity. And that's what happened to Joe. He begins to believe that the stage will prove his life has meaning. He places so much emotional weight on one opportunity that the rest of his life starts to feel like background noise. The classroom, the students, the daily routine, the small interactions, and the ordinary moments become things he moves through while waiting for the rest for the real life to begin. That hit close because many people are doing the same thing. You know, I'll give you an example for myself. So I grew up as a dark-skinned West Indian American young lady. And while growing up, we have something that you call colorism. And while growing up, I was always teased or mocked that I was too dark. So for me, the dream that I chased at that time was for me to get lighter. So I would have get bleaching creams and just all kinds of things so that I could be lighter. But guess what? So I thought the getting lighter was that stage I thought I would be accepted for being lighter. But no, when I got lighter, now I was being teased for something else. So the stage came, but the stage was not what I thought it was. And so for you, it may not be something as major as being a performer and being on stage or being a speaker and having thousands of people in a coliseum or or at a at this huge venue. It may be a dream that you have in your heart or something that you want to accomplish that others may think it's small. But no matter what it is, it's still something that's in your heart. But don't make that be part of your worth. Because for me, I thought that my worth would be me being lighter. So whatever it is for you may be something else. But don't let that be part of your worth. Because we're living as if as if the presence, the present is only preparation for the future. We're showing up physically while our hearts are already living in that next achievement. We're eating dinner while thinking about the next deadline. We're sitting with the family while worrying about that next move, and we're having conversations while mentally riding tomorrow's to-do list. And we're walking through life with our bodies in one place and our attention somewhere else. And this is how people start missing the life that they prayed for. They're waiting to enjoy the house until it's decorated the way that they want. They're waiting to enjoy the business until it makes the number they imagine. They're waiting to celebrate the book until it sells a certain amount. And they're waiting to feel that confident until their body changes. And they're waiting to rest until everything is finished. So the problem is that life does not wait for everything to be perfect because it starts offering meaning. Life offers meaning in imperfect rooms, unfinished plans, halfway moments and quiet mornings, very tough, hard conversations, small wins and ordinary days. Life keeps speaking while we're looking ahead. And life keeps teaching while we're working on opening up that next door. So Joe's story asks us to look at our own life and ask, where have I placed too much power on one moment? Trust me, that question can reveal a lot. You think maybe it could be that promotion that you've been waiting for? Or what about have you placed too much power on the next launch if you were a business owner? Or too much power on being invited into certain rooms? Too much power on developing that relationship? What about placing too much power on the numbers? Or like me, your parents. Ooh, your title, your income, or someone else's approval. When we place too much power on one future moment, we start treating today like it is in the way. We rush through the present. We dismiss small blessings and we stop noticing the evidence of growth and we forget that every meaningful life is built inside ordinary days. Leadership requires the ability to see what others may overlook. And that includes seeing the value of the season that you are presently in. A focus leader does not despise the current season because the next season may look more attractive. A focus leader asks, What is this season teaching me? And what is this moment building in me? What is my current responsibility? And what can I honor right now? Where do I need to be more present? And that type of leadership is quiet, it's mature, and it's deeply powerful. Joe so wanted the stage, and many leaders understand the desire to be visible, and that can feel like confirmation. But when you've been working for years, when you've been overlooked, and when you've been faithful behind the scenes, and when you've been serving without applause, visibility can feel like that type of justice. And there is nothing wrong with wanting your work to be seen, your gifts to open doors, you wanting your voice to reach people. The deeper work is learning to pursue the opportunity without letting it become the only place where you feel valuable. That is the part that requires emotional maturity. Now, you can be ambitious, but still be present. And a person can be driven at the same time, be very grateful. You can have goals and still notice the beauty in the journey. And a person can build with intensity and still take time out to breathe. You know, one of the phrases that you we know of is take time to smell the roses. So you can be building, but at the same time, enjoy the journey. So this is important as we embark on a new month because as we are in the year, and when we come on in a new month, we can feel that type of pressure. As people start looking at the goals that they wrote in January, and they begin measuring themselves harshly. And they ask, Well, what have I done? And then what have I missed? What did I delay? And and why did I lose my momentum? Reflecan can be useful, but shame is a terrible, terrible coach. Any type of mid-year reflection should help you regain focus, not make you disrespect the progress that you made quietly. You may even have completed every goal, but you may have grown in ways a checklist can't fully measure. You may have survived something that tried to drain you. You've made a decision that protected your peace. You may have spoken up in a room where the old version of you would have stayed silent. You may have started something small that is still taking root. You may have let go of something that was costing you too much. Or transition. And those things definitely count. So don't let the calendar bully you into believing that progress only counts when it is loud enough for other people to notice. Joe reminds us that life has meaning in quiet places. One of the most powerful lessons from Soul is the way ordinary moments become sacred when someone finally pays attention. A simple walk can become a moment of awareness. Small conversation can become a turning point. What about a good slice of pizza can become a memory? During the times when the leaves are changing, a leaf falling can become a reminder. A song can open something inside of you, and that quiet moment can tell the truth louder than a packed room. And that's not small, that is life trying to get your attention. Many people are so busy chasing extraordinary moments that they lose the opportunity to honor the ordinary ones. Then they wonder why they feel disconnected, and then why success feels flat. And then the things that they prayed for does not satisfy them the way that they expected. Because sometimes the issue is not necessarily the goal. The issue is that we have forgotten how to be presence. Presence gives meaning room to breathe. And presence teaches you to notice what you what your pace has been ignoring. Presence allows gratitude to become real instead of performative. And presence helps you reconnect with your body, your thoughts, your relationships that matter, your peace, your creativity, and most of all your voice. Presence also makes you feel, makes you a better leader. A present leader listens with more care, sees people beyond their productivity, understands timing, notices when the team is tired, knows when to push and when to pause. And this is where Joe's lesson expands beyond personal growth and moves into leadership. When a leader places all value on the big performance, the people around them can start feeling like tools for the outcome. When a leader honors the progress, the people around them feel seen inside the journey. Now, don't get me wrong, that matters in business, in family, in ministry, and in community. It matters in every space where people are building something that requires effort, patience, and vision. So if you are leading people, ask yourself whether your focus is helping people come alive or causing them to feel invisible until the goal is complete. If you're leading yourself, ask whether your ambition is strengthening you or making you unavailable to your own life. Joe's story is a mirror. It asks us to examine the pace we keep, the pressure we carry, and the meaning we assign to success. Yeah, the stage is exciting, the applause can feel great, the opportunity is amazing, the dream deserves effort, but the work deserves discipline and the gift deserves room. But your life also deserves your attention. Your body deserves your attention. The joy, the relationships, your peace, and ordinary days deserve your attention as well. A life built around the next big moment will eventually feel exhausting because the soul needs more than achievement. The soul needs connection, meaning, laughter, rest, beauty, gratitude, and presence. That is why the small things matter so much. The small things help you remember who you are when no one is clapping. They keep you, they help you remember what matters after the room clears out. They help you remember that purpose is something you live, not only something you perform, they help you remember that the life that you are building should be a place you can actively, actually live in. That line right there, we need to sit on that for a second. Because the life you're building should be a place you can actually live in. Some people are building lives they can't enjoy because every piece of the plan is fueled by pressure. They're building businesses that drain them, platforms that make them anxious, schedules that leave them empty, and goals that require them to ignore every single signal their body is sending. Achievement without presence can become a beautiful room with no chairs to sit down in. So instead of asking, what new thing am I going to start this month? Ask what meaningful thing have I been overlooking? How can I prove that I am, instead of asking, how can I prove that I'm growing, ask where do I need to be more present. And then the other question is instead of asking, how do I rush into the next version of myself, ask how do I honor the version of me that kept going long enough to reach this month? Those questions create a different kind of motivation. They create the type of motivation that's rooted in truth, awareness, and created and rooted in peace. They create growth that does not require you to shame yourself into movement. That is the kind of growth that we need more of. Because shame may get you moving for a moment, but it can't build a healthy life. Pressure may make you perform, but it can't create lasting fulfillment. Comparison may make you speed up, but it can't teach you where you were supposed to, where you're supposed to go. Purpose needs focus, focus needs presence, presence needs attention, and attention needs honesty. Honesty asks the question we keep avoiding. So let me ask you this. What are you chasing right now? And what is it costing you? Are you chasing a moment so hard that you have stopped enjoying the people who love you? Are you chasing success so hard that rest feels irresponsible? And the last one is are you chasing validation so hard that your own voice feels unfamiliar? Those are the kind of questions that you that you can change how you move through the next month. You don't have to answer it out loud. You do have to answer it honestly at some point. Joe's journey shows us that meaning can be missed when we believe it only lives on the other side of an achievement. He had to learn to see the beauty of life beyond the single moment he had been chasing. He had to learn that his gift mattered, his dreams and his everyday life carried meaning itself. That is a message for us. Yes, your dreams matter, your goals, leadership, your voice, ambition, all of that matters. And your ordinary life matters too. The walks, the meals, the laughs, the small wins, all of that matters. So this is where brag connects deeply to this episode. When you live through the brag lens, you are taking responsibility for what has been placed inside of you. That includes your voice, your gifts, your courage, your brilliance, and your impact. Taking responsibility for your gift also means taking responsibility for how you carry it. You do not honor your gift by letting pressure consume you. You don't honor your brilliance by abandoning your peace. And you don't honor your voice by waiting for a stage to believe it has value. You honor it by showing up with intention, by staying connected to truth, by moving in purpose, and by allowing your life to be lived while the dreams is unfolding. Joe adds another layer to this conversation. As you unbox your brilliance, remember to stay present for the life that brilliance is meant to bless. Your brilliance should not make you disappear. Your brilliance should help you become more fully aware. So this month, I want you to move differently. Move with focus, gratitude, with emotional honesty, with leadership, and move with enough courage to pursue the dream and enough wisdom to notice the life around you. Start the month by choosing one area that deserves your attention. Choose one thing that needs your consistency. Choose one part of your life that's been asking you to slow down and notice it. And choose one small daily practice that helps you connect to that meaning. So I want you to write these down and take notice of how you mature, how you nurture those. So at the end of the week, read the list back to yourself. Let it remind you that you're not waiting for your life to begin, you are living it now. And you are becoming now, you are learning now. The big moment may still come, and when it does, I hope that you're ready for it. But I hope you walk through the door with confidence. I hope you play your music, speak your truth, launch the book, lead the room, build the vision and receive the opportunity with both hands. And I also hope you arrive with your joy in tack. Joe reminds us that the dream is worth pursuing and life is worth noticing. He reminds us that the moment we've been waiting for may be powerful, yet the meaning we need may already be speaking through the moments that we keep rushing past. So this is your month to stay focused, stay present, and keep moving with purpose. So if this episode connected with you, I want you to share with someone who's been feeling the pressure to start over, to prove themselves or chase the next big thing without pausing to honor where they are right now. Send it to a friend who needs to remember that their life has meaning before the milestone. Send it to a leader who's caring a lot of, who's caring a lot and needs permission to notice the small moments again. So thank you for spending time with me on this episode of Mosaic Sparks with me, Leslie George. And as we move through the week, take this with you. The moment you are chasing may open a door, but the moments that you are living are teaching you how to walk through it whole. Until next time, keep showing up. Keep using your voice, keep honoring your gifts, and keep choosing the courage to unbox your brilliance. Bye for now.