"Life is lived forward, but understood backwards."
Soren Kirkegaard

Consulting can be a lonely business, even when you are working with fabulous clients and their teams. And it can be financially challenging when, inexplicably, work flow slows down. As I took stock of my situation last year, I realized that beyond the obvious need for added income, there was a desire to connect and become a part of a system that would bring me the teamwork and alliances for which I was deeply yearning.

The juiciest part of being a contributing member of a team is when the team is inspired and in full-steam-ahead mode. Eleven months ago, I joined a team of professional out-patient healthcare providers of various disciplines. At the time of my entry, there were long-standing members leaving, a new primary care system being instituted, and naturally, new members—myself and one other woman—being brought on board. We were anything but inspired, much less full-steam-ahead! As I look back at this almost a year later, I have to laugh at myself—thank God for my ability to still do that. I forgot about the break-in period with all things new that reduces us to a humbler being as we face the opportunity to grow and ultimately make a choice.

When we see ourselves clearly, whether we work solo or within any size team, we have the most to offer. For me, the combination of running my consulting and coaching business and being part of a team in a large health care system has added value and multiplied my sense of satisfaction exponentially. To keep an eye on what we want and then manifest it requires tenacious attention to the ever-changing needs of the self. I ask myself how much this has to do with our complicated, contradictory world. Is it me that is changing so relentlessly? As I approach another layer of change this fall, becoming part of a learning center for leadership, I know I am facing new challenges, new unknowns, and launching new connections. It is my quiet voice that whispers, 'There is no better choice than the new—it is where all solutions lie.'

Lindsay Wagner