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Hello, fearless one.

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I just want you to know today that even when the choices you made didn't turn out

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the way you expected, God promises that they will work out for your good.

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Hi, I'm Nerissa Golden.

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I'm a mother, author,

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strategist,

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and entrepreneur with one goal of encouraging you to discover your fearless identity

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in Christ.

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I get a kick out of helping my friends and clients unlock the value in their gifts in business.

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And for the next few minutes, I want to encourage you to do the same.

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Let's go.

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Have you ever felt paralyzed by too much advice?

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You open LinkedIn,

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you watch YouTube videos,

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you doom scroll on Instagram, you read business books and listen to podcasts.

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Everywhere you turn, there are voices, each with their own opinions.

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One expert tells you to invest, another says hold on to your money.

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One says AI will replace your business, another says AI is just another tool.

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Scale, don't scale.

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Hire, don't hire.

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Niche down, diversify.

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The marketplace has never been louder.

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The challenge isn't a lack of information.

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It's deciding which voice deserves your attention.

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When there are so many competing opinions,

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it's easy to convince yourself that the safest option is to wait.

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Wait until you know more.

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Wait until the market settles.

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Wait until the economy improves.

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Wait until you feel more confident.

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But here's the problem.

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We don't learn while standing still.

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We learn by movement.

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One of my favorite promises in scripture is found in Romans 8, 28.

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And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God,

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to those who are called according to his purpose.

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Notice what Paul doesn't say.

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He doesn't say everything that happens is good.

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Failure certainly isn't good, rejection isn't good, redundancy isn't good, loss isn't good.

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But God has an extraordinary ability to redeem experiences that we never would have chosen.

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He doesn't waste them.

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He works through them.

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I like to say he is extravagantly economical.

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One of my favorite examples is found in 2 Kings.

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Their situation looked impossible.

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They concluded that if they stayed where they were they would die.

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If they attempted to go back into their city they would definitely die

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as they had no food there.

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And if they walked towards the enemy camp there was a high probability they would be killed.

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But they also had a bit of hope that maybe they would be fed as well.

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Since they figured death was imminent either by starvation or the enemy they decided

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to make a move.

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What they didn't know was that God would use the sound of four weak, hungry,

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diseased men to convince an entire army that a great force was coming against them.

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The enemy fled.

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The city was saved.

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The miracle wasn't revealed while they were sitting.

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It was revealed while they were walking.

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Hey, folks!

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I think there's a lesson here for every entrepreneur.

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We spend so much time trying to make the perfect decision,

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the perfect strategy,

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the perfect product, the perfect launch, the perfect investment.

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Meanwhile, nothing moves.

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Business doesn't reward perfection.

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It rewards learning.

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One of the most valuable concepts in modern business is A-B testing.

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You create two versions.

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You change one variable.

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Then you watch what happens.

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One headline performs better.

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One price converts more customers.

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One email gets opened more often.

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Every test gives you information.

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And here's the important part.

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A failed test isn't failure.

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It's data.

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You've eliminated one possibility.

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You're closer to the answer than you were yesterday.

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We need to see life the same way.

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Every conversation teaches you something.

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Every client teaches you something.

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Every launch teaches you something.

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Every disappointment teaches you something.

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Even when the outcome isn't what you wanted,

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you've gained information you couldn't have discovered any other way.

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Too many people see only two possible outcomes, success or failure.

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God often sees something different, transformation.

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Every experience is shaping your wisdom,

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your judgment, your discernment, your resilience, your capacity to lead.

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Think about the pandemic.

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No strategic plan anticipated it.

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Businesses around the world had to abandon carefully researched strategies almost overnight.

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Some businesses disappeared, others adapted.

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Many discovered entirely new ways of serving customers.

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Remote working, digital consulting, online education, global collaborations, AI accelerating.

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What looked like disruption became innovation,

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not because the pandemic was good, it wasn't, but because people kept moving.

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Movement revealed opportunities that standing still never could.

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This is why I believe courage isn't about always making the right decision.

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It's about making the next fateful decision.

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Too often we ask God to reveal the entire journey before we take the first step.

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But throughout scripture, God usually only reveals the next step, then the next, then the next.

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Faith grows through movement.

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Wisdom grows through experience.

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Discernment grows through testing.

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And confidence grows because you've seen God's faithfulness before.

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We say hindsight is 20-20.

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We can connect the dots only after we have distance from the experience and

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that can take years at times.

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That unexpected job prepared us for another opportunity.

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That difficult client taught us boundaries.

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That failed business taught us systems.

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That rejection redirected us towards something better.

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What once looked random now makes sense.

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Steve Jobs famously said that you cannot connect the dots looking forward.

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You can only connect them looking backwards.

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As believers, we have an added confidence.

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We don't simply believe the dots eventually connect.

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We believe there is a God who has been present through every one of them.

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That changes everything.

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It gives us permission to move, to experiment, to adapt, to learn, to pivot.

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Not because we're certain of every outcome,

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but because we're confident in the one who walks with us.

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He has promised that he will never leave us or forsake us.

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You cannot surprise God.

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You also cannot disappoint him.

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He knows you better than you know yourself.

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All he asks is that you surrender your plans to him and allow him to guide you.

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Well, how do I even know that I've heard God's voice?

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How do I know that it's not just my idea?

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Great questions.

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I love to tell my children that God speaks English just like you do.

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So he won't speak to you in Italian when he knows you only speak English.

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He knows how to get you to hear him.

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What you need to do is trust that he is always with you,

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that God always wants the best for you,

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and that your very steps are ordered by him,

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and that you know how to hear the voice of God.

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So when you feel led to go left and there are no hindrances, you move left.

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When you feel a hesitation in your gut, pause and assess.

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What do I need to know about this direction I am planning to take?

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Get all the info you can about the direction and put in place

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the corrective measures which gave you pause.

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Speak to a trusted friend or mentor to get their feedback.

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You do not have to trust in your own wisdom or experience.

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Get the counsel of others.

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So today, if you're waiting for certainty before taking action, this is your reminder.

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Start with the belief that God is with you and he wants you to win.

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Take the next fateful step that is visible before you.

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Run the experiment.

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Launch the idea.

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Have the conversation.

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Test the assumption.

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Gather the data.

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Because even when the result isn't what you hoped for, it is still working for your good.

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Remember, you are already blessed because your identity is secure in Christ.

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As you take faithful action, you become fruitful, developing wisdom through experience.

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You multiply as your learning creates greater value for others.

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And you exercise dominion by stewarding every lesson,

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every setback, and every opportunity with courage.

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Nothing is wasted in God's hands, not even the detours.

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You are absolutely his favorite.

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Live Fearless.

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Thank you for listening to Fearless One with Nerissa Golden.

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If this episode has inspired you to take action or encourage you

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to pursue your own fearless journey,

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please leave me a comment wherever you are listening.

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Be sure to subscribe to be notified of future episodes and share it with someone you know.