Stage 1: The Call

The Whisper You Can't Ignore

For years, I felt it.

That restless stirring deep inside that says "There's more." More to who I am. More to what I was meant to be. More to the life I'm supposed to live.

But I didn't listen. Not at first.

I kept my head down. Played the roles I was supposed to play—mom, wife, daughter. I shaped myself around everyone else's needs, expectations, and opinions until I couldn't remember what my own voice even sounded like.

The pressure built slowly. Day after day, year after year, swallowing words before they left my mouth. Breaking off pieces of myself to keep the peace. Living quiet—not the peaceful kind of quiet, but the suffocating kind.

And then one day, the whisper became a roar.

That's The Call.

What Is The Call?

The Call is the moment life invites you to grow beyond who you've been.

It's not always dramatic. Sometimes it's just a feeling—a persistent knowing that you can't keep living the way you're living. That something has to change. That you deserve more than what you've been accepting.

The Call shows up differently for everyone:

• A restlessness you can't shake

• A dream that keeps returning

• A moment of clarity that stops you in your tracks

• A deep dissatisfaction with the status quo

• A quiet (or loud) voice inside saying "It's time"

For me, it was years of pressure. Years of wanting to speak up but staying silent. Years of feeling invisible in my own life.

Signs You're Hearing The Call

You might be in The Call stage if:

• You feel restless even when life looks "fine" on the outside

• You keep thinking about change but haven't acted on it yet

• You're dissatisfied with how you've been living, even if you can't explain why

• You feel pressure building inside you—like something has to give

• You catch yourself saying "There has to be more than this"

• You're drawn to stories of people who transformed their lives

• You feel God (or the universe) nudging you toward something new

The Call doesn't demand perfection. It just asks you to listen.

Why The Call Feels Scary

Answering The Call means change. And change is terrifying.

When I first heard The Call, I ignored it. I talked myself out of it. I told myself:

• "It's not that bad."

• "I'm being dramatic."

• "What if I make things worse?"

• "Who am I to want more?"

I was afraid of what answering would cost me. Afraid of the conflict. Afraid of what people would think. Afraid I wasn't strong enough to follow through.

But here's the truth: The cost of NOT answering is always higher.

Staying silent cost me my voice. Staying small cost me my sense of self. Ignoring The Call didn't make it go away—it just made me shrink.

How to Answer The Call

You don't have to have it all figured out. You don't have to be fearless. You just have to take one step.

For me, that step was writing an email.

I couldn't keep living voiceless. I couldn't keep bending to keep the peace. So I did something terrifying: I spoke up. I said the things I'd been holding back for years.

I hit send.

And the world didn't end... but it didn't go the way I hoped, either.

That's the thing about answering The Call—it doesn't promise easy. It promises growth.

Here's how you can start:

1. Acknowledge it - Stop pretending you don't hear it

2. Name what needs to change - Get specific about what's calling you

3. Take one brave action - Send the email, have the conversation, make the choice

4. Trust the process - You don't need to see the whole path, just the next step

What Happens After You Answer

Here's what I won't sugarcoat: When you answer The Call, Resistance shows up.

The moment I sent that email, everything got harder before it got better. We didn't speak for a year. At first, the silence felt like failure. Like proof that speaking up had been a mistake.

But that year? That painful, uncomfortable space? That's where my real journey began.

Answering The Call doesn't fix everything instantly. It opens the door to transformation.

And transformation requires you to walk through fire first.

Journal Entries from This Stage

Want to read more about my experience with The Call? Check out these journal entries:

• Vol. 0, Issue #001 — "When the Silence Spoke" (The email = answering The Call)

• Vol. 0, Issue #002 — "The Fire That Started It All" (The spark/pressure building)

Toolkit Resources to Support This Stage

• Courage Toolkit - Finding the bravery to answer

• Faith Toolkit - Trusting the unseen path ahead

• Hope Toolkit - Holding onto possibility when it's scary

What Comes Next: Stage 2 - The Resistance

Once you answer The Call, don't be surprised when Resistance arrives. It will try to talk you out of your transformation. It will make you doubt yourself. It will whisper that you made a mistake.

But Resistance only shows up when you're onto something real.

Explore Stage 2: The Resistance →