It may be when we no longer know what to do, we have come to our real work, and that when we no longer know which way to go, we have begun our real journey. – Wendell Berry

I came across this quote recently and it caused me to take pause. I had to read and re-read it to really let it sink in. ‘When we no longer know what to do, we have come to our real work’. What a powerful message. How many times have I come to this point in my life. The point where I didn’t know what to do. And yes, that was when the real work began, that is if I was willing and wanting to advance to the next chapter of my life. Sometimes it is really challenging but I have always found the results to be worthy of my efforts.

In every case when ‘the real work began’one thing that made it easier and in fact maybe even ‘pleasurable’ was finding another person to assist me in the ‘work’. Sometimes it was a friend, a co-worker, a trusted ally. At other times it was a hired professional, a coach or a boss. The list of people to whom I am grateful for support in this arena is lengthy.

As you ponder the times in your life when ‘you no longer know what to do’, it wouldn’t surprise me if your experience was similar. Now that my life has taken me on the journey of being a mediator, I realize it is I who gets to fill the role of being a partner with assisting others in coming to the ‘real work’. This is one of the great aspects of this work, knowing that I am able to support others through the journey of life when one ‘knows not what to do’. there is great satisfaction for both mediator and client as we go through the work and when together we begin the ‘real journey’