trusting your gut: lauren leighton

The definition of gut. Answer numero uno is an obvious one: the stomach or belly. 

Number two (and the informal definition according to the world wide web) is personal courage and determination; toughness of character. 

What is a perfect marriage of the two? The action of following your gut. Combining that uncomfortable, yet valid, feeling your tummy tells you is scary, but right with those innate brain waves encouraging you to act accordingly. As I make tough decisions in my 20-something stage of life, my mother always asks, "What does your gut tell you?" I love and hate that question because it usually (more like mostly) reveals the answer. 

One specific time where I turned to my mother for advice was when I found myself extremely unhappy in New York City. I know. Most of you are probably reading this and thinking, "Unhappy in New York? Isn't that supposed to be like one of the coolest places to live and work?" Well yes, yes it is a cool place to live, just not for this girl. I found it to be the loneliest place on earth. Even though there are 8.337 million people in Manhattan, I constantly craved human interaction, big hugs, a warm touch. I had a super sweet gig at Oprah Magazine assisting the publisher (still miss her a lot), but that island just wasn't for me. 

I knew I had to make a change. I loved my job, but it wasn't enough to keep me locked up in a concrete cage, constantly confined by brick walls and stilettos. I had to make a change, therefore I followed my gut (thanks mom!) and packed up my 500 square foot studio apartment, one sweet pug and essentially two years of city life to move to Denver, Colorado. 

Why Denver you ask? I have always loved this place and it is where my brother, his wife and two babies live. There is nothing sweeter than family in my mind (and waking up to dry, crisp air and the Rocky Mountains as life's screensaver). Was I scared to pick up my life and move across the country? Absolutely. Did that stop me? No. I knew there was no way I could possibly be unhappier than I was, so why not just follow my gut to happiness?

I love it here in Colorado. I have made some incredible friends and can't believe I lived in such a personal slump for a full two years, but at the same time I am eternally grateful for those two years because they taught me a lot about myself. I will always have my New York to thank for helping me grow up (pretty fast!).

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Read more of Lauren's posts on her blog, Borrowed Light. 

trusting your gut: robyn coale

I had it all planned out. 

Living in New York City, completing my dietetic internship at NYU and getting my masters in Clinical Nutrition. I had worked hard in college and thought I had a pretty competitive application.

But a good resume and transcripts don’t impress God. And it surely doesn’t change His plans. 

I applied to six schools. And on match day, I opened up my letter to read ‘Congratulations, you’ve been accepted to the University of Virginia Health System dietetic internship.”

I sat there in Starbucks in complete and utter shock. Everyone around me continued on sipping their coffee, typing away on their Macbooks while my world came crashing down.

My eyes welled with tears. Leaving my computer unattended, I ran outside to call my mom. I needed someone to hear my disappointment. My heart ached.

It was a bit dramatic, but I was crushed. Everything I had been hoping for and planning on was wiped away in the click of a mouse. After lots of tears and talking to my brothers and mom I tried to pull it together. After all, I had actually gotten an internship- something only 50% of applicants could say. 

That day I told my mom I didn’t want to go, I didn’t want to move to Charlottesville. That wasn’t what I had planned and I struggled to rearrange all the pieces of the puzzle.

But over the next month something in my heart changed and I felt a pull. I called the internship director at UVA to accept the internship and began planning my move to the east coast.

And I went. With my Honda Civic full of everything I owned, I drove to Charlottesville not knowing a single soul. Excited yet terrified. Unsure yet hopeful. Anxious yet assured.

Inside my head, I was hot mess. But something inside my heart felt settled. 

This was a new season, and I was ready to embrace it. Whatever that meant.

Thankfully, I am an extrovert. But moving to a new city without knowing anyone forces you to move out of your comfort zone. Say yes to things you wouldn’t normally say yes to. Do things you wouldn’t normally too. To get a bit uncomfortable. Two months after moving, at an attempt to meet anyone and everyone, I ventured downtown to a movie screening for Forks Over Knives that was followed by a panel discussion. 

And on that panel was a brilliant doctor. I was passionate about nutrition [like, I like food a lot- especially vegetables] and I couldn’t believe there was a doctor out there that shared that same passion. So that day I asked him if I could work for him.  

And a week later he called with a job offer. 

A job I thought didn’t actually exist, but here I was 700 miles from home in a place I thought I’d never be. But I was so thankful I was. 

The past two years in Charlottesville have been a fierce yet beautiful transformation. Feeling completely lost and lonely, not knowing where you’re supposed to be or what the next step is.  At one moment feeling on top of the world, but the next feeling like your life is a tropical storm. But little by little, I’ve seen the reasons behind the journey out here. I’ve been blessed with such rich community, and amazing job, and sweet, sweet friends. The ones you’ll have in your wedding. The ones you call for favors that seem absurd yet totally okay to ask for. The ones you feel so grateful to soak up and do life with. And ever so slowly I’ve planted my feet and this place has become home.

Sometimes it takes being stripped of everything you know to trust in the plan for your life. To lean into something bigger than yourself and take a step out in faith. 

But it all began with the pull in my heart to move. To say yes. And go all gas, no brake.

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Read more of Robyn's posts on her blog, The Real Life RD.

trusting your gut: ashley guzman

After driving for two days from Indiana, I stepped out of the car in Denver and felt like I took my first deep breath in years. Between the bright, high sky and mountain views, I was sold. I was on my way to student teach on the Navajo Reservation in New Mexico, but Colorado had already stolen my heart. Every free weekend during that semester of student teaching, I longed to drive the two hours north into Durango--to see the mountain vistas, enjoy the beauty of the changing seasons, and just soak in the feel of a true mountain town. 

Upon returning home after my semester finished, I wasn't sure what to do next. I didn't have a job. I had missed my family terribly. I longed for my own adventure, but was also tempted to follow my older sister to Virginia just to be close. What if I went my own way and I was lonely? What if I couldn't find a job or a husband? Once I looked past my fears, however, I allowed myself to feel the deep pull back to Colorado. 

With great excitement and trepidation, I went. My mom and I packed my car with everything I had, including my dog. Once we pulled out of my parents' driveway, I felt certain that I would find the job and adventure that I had been seeking. We were heading west. 

But, let's be honest...moving to a new city is hard. Trying to make new friends can be scary and messy. Mistakes are made and hard lessons are learned. Believe me, I had my fair share. Along with the adventurous western spirit, there seems to be an unspoken rule out here that plans are always tentative and that you never fully commit until something happens. I struggled to find a sense of belonging. I longed to be with people I loved and who understood me. But, I also saw the enormous blessings of following my gut, which really is following the gentle tug of the Holy Spirit. God honors that. As time went on, I did find those new, deep connections and even renewed some old ones. I came to appreciate how Denver is different from the midwest and to find my place here. Here became my home. 

Regardless of how clear a call is or how willingly we follow, it's never easy. Even years later, I miss my parents and siblings ALL THE TIME. I sometimes get a little whiny in the spring when everyone else is warming up and we're still getting snowed on. But, then I look at the faces of my sweet boys and my loving husband and I know it was a good plan. It still is.

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Read more of Ashley's posts on her blog, Stepping Through the Wardrobe

hi, from africa!

Well, hello! I have a minute of service today and just wanted to say hi really quickly. I'm overloaded with thoughts and am stunned by the things I'm seeing. I'm also completely in love with this sweet pie I met, Happy. She was happy. And beautiful. I can't wait to share more. Happy week to you! Xo.