Occasionally I like to share glimpses of what takes place in my Founder's Odyssey program, because a lot can be learned by watching other students use the principles to work through their challenges.

As I share the following interaction, pay attention to the subtle indicators that show this student is truly ready for a shift.

Not just in what she says, but in what she thinks and does. 

She started out feeling overwhelmed and discouraged about past decisions and current struggles, so she wrote:

Leslie,  I’m hoping you can help me with a couple things. Please forgive my word vomit, I’m ready to change what I need to, so I can move forward.

Just over two years ago, we purchased a used vehicle. I felt like I followed sparks to get it, so a year later, when the motor went out, I was confused and frustrated, especially when the warranty I had purchased refused to pay out.

Here we are over a year later. A new motor is $8500. Through an attorney I was able to get some money, but we ended up using it to build a much needed bedroom in our basement for our missionary coming home. I’m grateful for that.

That vehicle is still sitting, as we try to decide what to do with it. We still owe a fair amount of money on the loan, so we continue to pay on it. I would love to have another working vehicle, but I’m just not sure how to proceed.

If I’m being honest, I have no desire to have that vehicle anymore, especially after finding out this make specifically has a big history of problems. I would love a different vehicle. I would love some insights if possible. It’s hanging over me and I’m tired of it.

The second situation is in regards to our dogs. I am not a dog person. I agreed to the dogs almost eight years ago for my children and husband. They have become in great part my unwilling responsibility, which definitely affects my view I’m sure.

They are big dogs. They are good dogs and very smart, which has been part of the problem. No matter my efforts to make a good space for them, they break or jump out of any enclosure I make. I have tried every solution I come up with.

We live on a busy road and in an area which doesn’t allow for dogs to roam. Currently, they are in my garage, which is far from ideal. I have attempted multiple times to rehome them. As I said, they are good dogs and I feel that there is a good home for them somewhere else.

I have pictured it and prayed for it but it still eludes me.

I have grown so much over the last couple years through all my struggles and I’m thankful for the person I’ve become. I’m hoping you can help me make the necessary tweaks to my thinking so I can leave these problems in the past and move forward confidently.

Thank you for your time and guidance! S.B.

My response (edited for clarity):

Thanks for your message. No apology needed...

One thought keeps coming to mind. In our work we often talk about the promise that every adversity contains the seed of an equal or greater benefit. But that doesn’t mean the benefit always shows up as a profit on the original decision. Sometimes the benefit is clarity, strength, or insight that we gain because of what happened—something we learn that equips us to move forward with the next opportunity or challenge.

I think you already know this, but this reminds me of what was going on right before the 2008 real estate crash, when Trevan and I made those really poor investments and spent years trying to make them work, when they simply weren’t going to. Eventually we had to accept that the financial outcome wasn’t going to redeem those decisions. But the lessons we gained from it ended up becoming some of the most valuable material we’ve ever shared. 

One of my most attended webinars to that point became “Lessons Learned Since Writing The Jackrabbit Factor." I think there were 900 people who wanted to hear me talk openly about our failures and disappointments and the miracles we experienced in the middle of them.

Another was when I talked about “When a Mentor Fails You,” sharing how we spent $100,000 on coaching that ended in deep disappointment, and how the lessons from that experience eventually helped us generate far more than we had invested. 

In both cases, the benefit didn’t come from our original decisions working out. It came from what we learned as we gained experience applying the principles we really had no other choice but to practice—just to get us through, and then what we were able to do with that learning. It was out of that fiasco that Portal to Genius was born.

I know you know this—but just a reminder: Failure is just feedback.

Like when my daughter drowned in our pool. I had failed to keep her safe. But in that moment there was no time to sit and analyze the failure. I started CPR, yelled to my other daughter to call 911, and kept trying different things, even though I kept making mistakes, doing it wrong. We'll be talking more about that experience in an upcoming session. The only thing that mattered was that I kept responding to the feedback in front of me with another forward attempt, until she started breathing again.

That experience burned into my mind that our failures are simply information, and we can do a whole lot more harm by ruminating about them.

So, as you look at these two situations - the vehicle and the dogs - you might ask a different question than, “How do I fix this?”

Instead, ask, “How can I use the principles today, to deal with today? What if I write about what I'm facing now, and document what I learn, for the purpose and intent of helping others who are, or will find themselves in a similar situation?"

Coaching yourself with what you already know is one of the best ways to capture those powerful insights so they won't be for nothing. "What is this experience trying to teach me?" 

A couple other principles come to mind—one is "choosing it", so the emotional charge no longer has a home in you. And, "how could I one day teach someone else in my shoes how to use the principles to find the hidden benefit?”

Sometimes that mental shift alone opens the door to solutions we couldn’t see before.

Both of your situations feel like open loops, things that never quite reached completion. When something stays unresolved like that, it can sit in the background of our minds and drain energy.

So sometimes the real goal isn’t about finding the perfect solution. It’s bringing the situation to a point of completion just so you can release it. It's finding acceptance, or making an "executive decision" moment where you do something within your control, so you can move on and create something new from nothing, rather than trying to create something new with a lot of bricks in your backpack.

With the vehicle, try letting go of the need for the original decision to “turn out right.” Many times we genuinely do follow a spark—and then unexpected outcomes show up later. That doesn’t mean the spark was wrong. Often the experience itself serves a purpose.

The question now isn’t how to redeem the purchase, but simply: what would bring closure to this part of our story? It might mean repairing it, selling it as-is, trading it, or even deciding to walk away from trying to make it super financially tidy. In God's economy, no experience is ever wasted, so start thanking Him for the experience, and for the equal or greater benefit you will, somehow, someday glean from it.

You might ask, “If this situation were already resolved peacefully, what would I have done with the vehicle?" Think about the first calm answer that comes, before your mind starts arguing with it.

The dog situation feels similar. You agreed to something for the sake of your family that you're not really feeling now, and you’ve been carrying the responsibility for a long time. I can relate! So I might be the wrong person to ask about this, because I did end up rehoming our family dog because I was at a real breaking point and needed to deal with my mental health around it. I think the family still feels a little sad with me for doing it, but now that they're older, I believe they understand what a dire situation that was for him, and for me, and he ended up going to a rescue where he could romp around with a whole bunch of other basset hounds like himself, and the kids were able to see how much happier he was there.

One question you could ask: "If I trusted that both of these situations were already resolving right now in the best way possible, what would be the most natural next step for me?" 

Just the next step.

If it helps, remember the Vacuum law. Sometimes we have to make space before the life we're building can begin to take shape. That could be space by rehoming the dogs, or space by letting go of your resentment about them. Either way, you're going to feel great by making space for better conditions.  

I’m rooting for you. :)

Leslie

Her reply:

Thank you so much for your response and coaching! I just really needed a different perspective. I love that I can refer back to this message and use all the strategies you’ve pointed out.

Also, thank you for the vote of confidence. I see the Lord working in me more than ever and I’m getting better at recognizing the lessons and blessings. Rare Faith and the principles you teach are one of my greatest blessings.

I know there is no way that I would be where I am now, if not for you and your gift. Thank you kindly for sharing yourself and your work. With heartfelt gratitude, S.B.

__________

Did you notice the subtle clues that indicated this student is ready for a shift?

She described her situation with calm clarity. She reached out with a specific request. She framed it as looking for insight, with a willingness to move forward. And when she received my imperfect, unpolished thoughts, she met them with humility and gratitude.

You can often tell when someone is ready to move—not because their problem is small, but because their posture has changed. Instead of defending the story or explaining why change is impossible, they become curious. They’re willing to look at the situation from a new angle, even if they aren’t sure yet what they’ll do with that perspective.

And that posture alone can open doors.

We can all practice receiving input that way. Even when we don’t end up taking the advice, simply considering it with an open mind loosens the grip of the problem and creates room for insight.

Sometimes the shift doesn’t come from the perfect strategy or the exact right answer. Sometimes it begins the moment we become willing to see differently.

If you’re facing something that feels like an open loop in your life right now, maybe the next step isn’t solving it all at once.

Maybe it’s simply adopting the same posture this student showed: calm honesty, a willingness to learn, and openness to new perspective.

That alone can be enough to start the shift.

____________

My next Founder's Odyssey group starts soon—I would love for you to join me.

Learn more here.