How Less Really Does Become More - ORIGINALLY SOUTHERN

In this interview find out how Sarah Jacobson, of Do The Right Work, shifted her life and found out how less really does become more.

I have the privilege of introducing you to Sarah Jacobson from Do The Right Work for our blog series Bold Moves for Women. Sarah and I first connected as students of the same online academy. Later, we re-connected as we discovered we had similar heart-felt messages for women in the online space. The more I learned about Sarah, the more I realized that she should be part of our Bold Moves series. Learn how Sarah discovered that less really does become more when we choose to do the right work.

Sarah’s bold move began to take shape when she started feeling the tug to be more present for her family. She had been pouring her energy and expertise into her education career of nearly 20 years when she felt a shift in her spirit and realized God was calling her to something more. She would soon see how less really does become more in life when you focus on the right work.

Connect with Sarah: http://dotherightwork.com/get-access/

How is more possible?

How could God be asking “more” of a woman who was working her way up the education ladder? She was going from teacher to instructional coach and assistant principal and on track for the principalship at her school. How could God expect more from a mom of pre-teen and teen boys that spent most free time at the soccer fields? What more could possibly fit into the life of a wife, mom, teacher, administrator, mentor, colleague and probably a half-dozen other roles?

Was there more? Could she even fit “more” into her busy lifestyle?

Well, yes. Turns out the answer is yes.

The “more” she was following God into was more family time, more yesses to her boys, more space for seeking, listening and being still. More time for the lively board game nights at home or the fast-paced soccer evenings on the go.

More space for weekend trips, and spontaneous projects.

And more opportunities to use her unique coaching and mentoring skills to impact women in lasting and profound ways. In other words, more of what lights Sarah’s heart up and allows her to curate a life she loves every.single.day.

So, after 20 years of teaching, coaching, and serving in her school district she handed in her keys. There was no applause, no cake, no notes of appreciation. She just quietly walked away into the proverbial sunset knowing she was on the verge of finding her “more”.

Plot Twist

This all sounds very much like a movie plot.

“girl works hard, climbs the ladder, becomes a successful leader, feels something is missing in her life, strikes out to find the meaningful life work she yearned for, finds her reward and lives happily ever after”. Everyone wins. The End.

Well, not so fast.

Take an independent, driven woman who has planned her whole career out since she was young. Put her smack dab in the middle of a brand-new, uncertain career path and see what happens. She’s used to having the structure in place. She excelled in leading others on a team. Sarah was moving forward and checking off the tasks along the way. But this was definitely a huge plot twist (A.K.A bold move) for her. And the question remained of how she would handle this transition.

The Messy Middle

Don’t get me wrong, Sarah is still crushing her goals. But her new dream of building her own online coaching business requires something new from her. She had to let go of the certainty of a set salary, a set schedule, and a set work routine with all the resources there for her and start creating her own everything. She has developed her own work systems, schedule, and coaching practices. The fact that she makes her own decisions to the tune of eleventy million a day has also required her to seek help from others. But even in the midst of all of this, she saw that less really does become more. Less concern for following someone else’s plan for her and more energy spent on developing her own plan.

She has had to learn to rely on others for support and encouragement to help her stay on track.

Sarah said, “I wish I could say that everything was perfectly smooth and peaceful, but it was actually a bumpy ride for the next 12 months. I was leaving behind my identity, my work, my financial contribution to our family, friends, and a career path I had been on since I was very young. It was a tough transition”.

Her motivation for designing a pace of life that fits her family’s goals was one thing that kept her focused on building her business. She explained “while I loved being an administrator, my first love is teaching and serving others. I wanted to create a way to make income by combining all of this–being available for my family, a slower pace of life, plus using my love of teaching.” Another example of less is more. Less energy spent away from home and more time for family pursuits.

Less is more means time for family hikes!

It’s a Family Matter: The Motivation for Less is More

Throughout this bold transition that Sarah and her husband made for their family, there were obviously some rough days. This journey has taught her some lessons and she has some advice to share with other bold movers.

Sarah’s Words of Wisdom

Give yourself permission to take some time to pray and process what God is directing you to do. Immediate action is not always necessary. Allow yourself space and time to pray and listen.
Next, take the action step. Don’t stay in the processing phase too long. There is a pivotal point to make that first bold move and set the new phase into motion. Don’t delay.
Share your needs and accept help from others. It was humbling for Sarah to release some of her independent nature and move into a deeper relationship of relying on God’s compassion and desire to help her. God often does this through the people around you. Pro tip: You need supportive people in your life.
Consider hiring a coach to help you with the mindset issues that come up. You will experience imposter syndrome, doubt, and anxiety while working alone on something new. This decision can help you work consistently and not give up when the going gets rough. Most people wish they had hired a coach sooner rather than later!
Write down the values that you prioritized to get where you are now. You need to know your “why” to keep you grounded. Read them often to remind you of why you are doing this new work.

Sarah shared her family values that led them to this bold move:

slowing down and listening to God’s voice
the importance of family
being generous with our time, resources, and money
having fun

Making Family Decisions

Their family uses a few questions to help them make decisions:

What is God inviting us into right now?
How can we be generous?
What’s best for our family/marriage/kids right now?
Is this causing us to hurry or live urgently, or is it causing us to slow down, create more room in our lives?
How do we live in right now that leads us where we are wanting to go in the future?

The shift to finding more required letting go of the things that were counterproductive to their family goals.

Building Impact with her Business

After exploring ideas, Sarah landed on something she already knew a lot about. Helping others start their own online coaching business. “This allows me to use my skills as a teacher, organizer, and encourager to help others in a unique way. I love helping people take an idea–or even just a piece of an idea–and turn it into something tangible. In this case, it’s a business that can really change their lives and other people’s lives. I love that by helping one person, my work is multiplied through their work to touch dozens–or hundreds–of other lives. This can literally change their lives by providing income that transforms their current situation and using their unique skills while honoring God.”

Now that’s really taking the “less is more” approach! Imagine what kind of impact you can have when you take the bold steps required for you to use your highest-level skills in the most satisfying way!

This is what Sarah had to say about her next bold moves:

“My desire in the short term is to replace my old salary and double it with my new business. It’s not about the money–but what that income represents. First, it represents the sheer number of people I would be helping when I make that income and that really excites me! It also represents the ability to allow my husband to quit his current job and step into some roles that aren’t possible for him now. And, it represents a financial freedom that would allow our family to be generous in a way that isn’t possible today.”

Hopefully, you are as inspired as I am by Sarah’s story. I am inspired to continue working in my areas of strengths and discover how I can use the things I love doing to serve others.

You may be encouraged to read more about being more content .