We’ve all been there.
That precipice before a big decision. Do we move? Do I go back to school? Do we have another baby? Do I go back to work? Do I stay home?
Or even small decisions, with big implications. Do I call them back? Do I say what’s on my mind or keep quiet about it? Is it selfish to pursue that hobby? Is it okay to ask for help?
As Malcolm Gladwell wrote in his bestseller, Blink,
“The key to good decision making is not knowledge. It is understanding. We are swimming in the former. We are desperately lacking in the latter.”
That understanding, that knowing, what is the right choice, is at the heart of discernment. If you’re Catholic, you’ve heard this word a lot. You’ve heard about people discerning their vocation, their path forward in life. You’ve probably heard about St. Ignatius and the ‘motions of the soul.’ You know this is an elaborate, delicate, and lifelong process.
But even if you’re not a person of faith, you know that tension, that collision of wills, of gut feelings and logical reasons, and the heady, emotional turmoil that can bring about.
What is the right thing to do?
That question and that process is the focus of the conversation I had with
, a writer, speaker, life consultant, (and occasional professor of theology) living in Oxfordshire. After realizing how many of her students had trouble with discernment, she founded Clarity Life Consulting to help individuals learn to discern well, discover their priorities, and make better plans to move forward with purpose and peace. She writes regularly about discernment and decision making on her Substack, Cultivating Clarity.I wanted to speak with Kerri because she is a kindred spirit. Having been largely raised by au pairs from across the pond and having spent many summer travels in London as a teenager before studying abroad at Oxford, I have always felt a longing for Europe, and the United Kingdom in particular. It’s a place I have felt at home, a place I have loved and a place filled with people I love. Kerri has written eloquently on her own move abroad and the cultural challenges she faces. We discuss all this (and of course the joy of pub culture!).
We also talk about the tension between motherhood and creativity, and how to create a life that is truly right for you. Kerri has featured the unique and creative ways people are living, working, and parenting in her excellent Out of the Box Interview Series. And perhaps most importantly we discuss finding the still small voice when making a decision and the difference between gut feelings and emotion.
I’m so excited for you all to tune into this conversation and soak in some of Kerri’s wisdom! I would love to hear any thoughts in the comments!
Thanks again to Kerri for taking the time to chat and I am absolutely going to grab a pint with her at one of my favorite Oxford pubs the next time I make it back. Cheers x
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Discernment, Creativity in Mothering, and the Still Small Voice