Having recently come back from the Turning Point conference in Atlanta we’re brimming with experience and perspective. Perhaps the biggest ah-ha was realizing that the hardest part of any endeavor is the points of transition. As many of you know, we have a few different business ventures. From those businesses we brought 3 key members of our team that we wanted to intentionally develop through Turning Point and we had a really unique opportunity to observe them in the midst of growth.

We want you to imagine being on top of a 10 inch wide pole 40 feet in the air. You’re attached to a rope and harnessed in so logically you know you’re not in danger. Climbing up the pole, easy. Standing on top of the pole, Easy. Transitioning from climbing to standing? Extremely difficult. There is nothing to grab onto, the pole is swaying under your nervous body and the ground is staring at you from a height that seems to have somehow grown exponentially.

So what did we learn while climbing and while cheering on our three team members? A ton. Below we’re sharing what we learned from each of the ladies we brought with us.

Megan has been with us for almost 4 years and runs several aspects of our marketing and production businesses. As we watched her climb to the top there was a moment right at the top where her fear kicks in. Megan tried to step up and failed to get her foot on top of the pole 3 times. Then we watched her face change. Her signature smile appeared and you could see the confidence wash over her. She shouted to the scout: “You got me? Cause I’m going for it one way or another.” She looked up in certainty and stood up with strength. She later told us that in this moment she said to herself “I would rather fail attempting to step up than never have a chance of standing atop the pole.”

Megan showed us to commit to trying even though you might fail Shila here! When I looked over at Rachel about to go up and see the look. It’s the look I sometimes see in my kids faces before they are about to go in front of their new class for a presentation. She’s terrified. So I walk over put my hands on her shoulders, look her in the eye and remind her of the truth that she has conquered way bigger things than this. She nodded, squared her shoulders and climbed to the top. At that point of transition, Rachel was having trouble and she asked: is it okay if I step to launch and jump? You know what she was doing? Planning her escape hatch. It would have been okay to jump from any point of the pole but instead of taking that out, she tuned in to the coaching from those of us below and she made it to the top. There she stood tall and jumped on her own terms, from the place where she intended to jump. Rachel showed us to resist the temptation to take the escape hatch Katie has often let nerves get the best of her and because of that she likes to go first and get things done. So on this day she challenged herself to be the last one to climb and stand upon the pole. As she climbed we cheered and clapped but then something interesting happened. An organic peaceful silence fell over the group as Katie ascended the last few rungs. Then came the point of transition. She explored how to navigate the transition and after a few different attempts there it was. And with determination and confidence, Katie rose atop a steady pole and the whole group was washed with pure reverence. Spirit flooded through our space and we all felt the presence of God. Katie showed us that when your PQ (Physical) IQ (Intelligence) and EQ (Emotions) align your SQ (Spirit) shows up.

Points of transitions can hold the most resistance and tension but they also hold the most lessons and growth. We all learned and grew that day as we made the point of transition from climbing to standing. This is reflected in all aspects of our lives from going to staying at home with your kids to working, from student to a full-time employee, from someone who isn’t used to working out to someone who has promised themselves to run two miles every morning, etc. We have learned a great deal from watching others overcome obstacles and when we face the obstacles together we are stronger and we are better.