trust – Ruthann M. Wilson

Rebuilding Confidence: Steady Practices for Wisdom and Strength

Like stones balanced one by one, confidence is rebuilt through steady practices and the wisdom we carry forward.

When change arrives suddenly or asks more of us than expected, confidence can wobble before it steadies again.

Transitions in our lives and work can shake our confidence, especially when they ask us to stretch, release, or reimagine what comes next. Yet they also invite us to rebuild with the wisdom we’ve gained and the lessons we’ve carried forward.

Confidence is a steady trust in yourself: in your abilities, your choices, and the decisions you make. It is fluid. It grows through reflection, practice, and affirmation, becoming stronger each time you act with trust and intention.

When confidence is shaken, it doesn’t return all at once. It’s steadied slowly, through practices that keep you grounded, through visibility, and through acknowledging the contributions you have already made. And each time we rebuild, we do so with greater wisdom, carrying forward the lessons that shape us into someone stronger and more resilient.

Confidence is not about certainty. It’s about continuing to choose and act with trust and intention.

When confidence is shaken or feels diminished, pause and ask: Which practices help me feel steady, where do I want to be more visible, and which contributions do I need to acknowledge, honor, or celebrate as I rebuild with the wisdom I’ve gained.

Confidence is built in small, steady practices that remind us of our worth. Here are three ways to begin:

Morning Pause: Each morning, name one true personal quality you will bring into the day and let it remind you of your worth.
Micro-action: Choose one small act each day that expresses your gifts.
Reflection: At the end of each day, note where your presence made a difference.

If you’re moving through a season of completion or transition, you may find resonance in a recent reflection on Finishing Strong and honoring what you’ve carried to this point.

Thank you for pausing here. If my writing offered grounding or sparked a shift in you, I would be honored to hear what stayed with you.

You’re welcome to follow the blog to receive notifications of new posts, subscribe to the mailing list to receive new posts and updates directly to your inbox, or connect with me on social media, whatever feels most supportive.

Warmly,
Ruthann

Leading from Within: Why Personal Leadership Comes First

Inner clarity ripples outward.

What comes to mind when you hear the phrase leading from within? I invite you to pause, take a deep breath, and reflect on what that phrase stirs in you. Whether you’re guiding a family, a team, a community, or a congregation, authentic leadership begins within. It is shaped by inner clarity, rooted in vision, and attuned to what feels most true for you.

Guiding ourselves is a lifelong practice, shaped by reflection, realignment, and the courage to return to what feels true. This inner work is what shapes and builds integrity. Integrity is not a fixed state. It is a return to wholeness, a noticing of misalignment, and a gentle guiding back to congruence.

Personal leadership is the practice of living in alignment with your values, your rhythm, and your truth. Your values act as an inner compass, guiding what you embrace, what you release, and how you show up each day. Your rhythm is the pace and pattern that honors your energy, your seasons, and the flow of feeling. And your truth is what feels real and congruent. It is inner knowing that lives beyond performance and outside of the need for approval.

This kind of knowing becomes the foundation for making decisions that align with your values and support your growth. It nurtures relationships that feel safe and rhythms that sustain rather than drain your energy. When we lead ourselves with clarity, its impact begins to ripple outward. Outward leadership becomes more trustworthy, attuned, and sustainable so others may lead with clarity too.

This kind of leadership feels especially important right now. Many of us are rethinking how we live, work, and lead. Many of us are also feeling the pace and the pressure to perform, and finding reason to pause and reassess.

In a time when everything seems to be moving faster and trust feels fragile, inner clarity becomes a source of steadiness. It helps us shape lives that feel true and relationships that feel safe. It allows us to lead in ways that energize and inspire others.

Inner clarity shapes how we show up, how we speak, move, and reset. When we honor our personal rhythm, we show up with more presence and ease. When we speak from a place of alignment, our words carry weight and the potential to shape trust and what comes next. When we pause, reflect, and reset, we return to ourselves, able to lead from a place that feels steady, true, and sustaining. How we live becomes how we lead. And how we lead authentically begins with clarity within.

Reflections on Personal Leadership, shared in support of your leadership journey.

Personal vision begins within
Personal vision is inner clarity about what matters and what is yours to bring to life. Leadership guided by inner clarity offers steadiness, not because every step is mapped, but because the direction is true.

Values are your compass
Values are the principles and priorities that shape how you live, work, and lead. Values guide not only what you say yes to, but also what you release. When your values are clear, decisions become less about seeking approval and more about honoring what is true. Leadership begins when you choose alignment instead of approval.

Emotional clarity is foundational
Emotional clarity begins with noticing what feels true, what feels stirred, what feels off. This kind of clarity allows you to respond rather than react. It helps you lead with steadiness and create space for others to show up fully, because you have made space for yourself first.

Boundaries protect your energy and enable integrity
Boundaries clarify your role and create the conditions for sustainable leadership. Clear boundaries allow you to lead from a place of wholeness. When you honor your own rhythm, you lead in a way that feels true and steady.

Presence is powerful
People feel when you’re fully engaged: not distracted, not performing, simply present. Whether it’s in a meeting or a conversation, your attention communicates more than words. It shows that you’re listening. It shows that you care. Build trust by consistently offering others the gift of your full attention.

Leadership inventory offered as a way to reflect, realign, and return to what feels true.

What values are guiding me right now?
Are they clear, or do they need revisiting?
Where am I honoring my rhythm, and where am I overriding it?
What shifts might support more ease?
What feels congruent in how I’m showing up?
What feels off or performative?
Where might a boundary support my energy or integrity?
What would it look like to honor that boundary?
How does my presence feel to others?
Am I leading with attention, or distraction?

Move through the questions at your own pace. Let them deepen your inner clarity, and help guide how you lead from within.

Lead with clarity. Make space for others to do the same.

Thank you for pausing here. If my writing has offered meaningful insight or sparked a shift in how you see, feel, or move through the world, I would be honored to hear what stayed with you.

All the best,
Ruthann

Career Clarity through Values: Charting Your Path Forward

Clarity is powerful, and it begins within. This post was inspired by a question: can my book, Be True to You: A Practical Guide to Pursuing an Authentic Path, support career development? The answer points us back to values, the foundation of both life and career clarity.

Thank you for taking the time to watch this video. If you know someone who might gain from the message, please share by clicking on a share button below.

Learn more and purchase a copy of Be True to You: A Practical Guide to Pursuing an Authentic Path through Amazon.com.

All the best,

Ruthann

In-Progress, LLC | Walk your path with intention, at your own pace

Unlocking Your Intuition: 4 Essential Techniques

Your intuition is a rich source of information that is always available to you. There are many ways to tap into your intuition. Here are a few:

Questions: Ask your wise self a question and listen [deeply] for an answer. You may receive an answer immediately or it may take a few days or even weeks. Be patient and trust the process. Link to Harnessing the Power of Questions for Personal Growth.

Silence: Give yourself the gift of silence on a daily basis so that you can cultivate peace and calm to hear your inner guidance. Link to The Power of Silence.

Keep a journal: Put your thoughts on paper without filtering what you are writing. Review and reflect on what you have captured in your journal on a regular basis. Link to Journal Practice: Tips and Benefits.

Take action: Taking action on inner guidance opens the door for you to receive more.

Thank you for taking the time to read this post. I hope you found it helpful. If you know someone who might benefit, please share it by clicking on a share button below.

All the best,

Ruthann

Daily Acts of Faith: Empower Your Journey

I believe life is a personal journey of faith and process of empowerment.

Simply stated, faith is our ability to move forward with positive expectancy. What is positive expectancy? It’s belief and trust in a favorable outcome.

Faith enables us to dream big, set goals, and trust the process of bringing our dreams to life. It also enables us to stay open to more than one outcome. If things don’t go as planned, trust (a key component of faith) enables us to ask “What did I learn?”, “How did I grow?” and use the lessons learned to keep moving forward in faith that you are being guided to your highest good.

Staying focused on your goals and staying open to more than one outcome is not easy. It requires trust in the process and guidance from within. I believe we cultivate and strengthen our connection to inner guidance through a daily practice of silence. I invite you to read my post Give yourself the gift of silence if you would like to learn more.

So, what are daily acts of faith? They are actions that you take on a daily basis to stretch and grow out of your “comfort” zone. Acts of faith are rooted in a vision of a desired future state.

Suggestion to get started:

Think about one area of your life where you feel stuck or discouraged.
Envision a desired future state and write it down or find an image that captures what you envision. Give yourself permission to dream BIG.
Create a powerful affirmation that aligns with your future state and work with it on a daily basis. I invite you to watch my video on The Power of Affirmations (Video) if you would like to learn more.
Each day, for the next 30 days, commit (in writing) to taking three actions to move toward your desired future state.
Hold yourself accountable by reviewing your commitments and actions at the end of each day.
Create time and space to listen to inner guidance.
Assess your progress using this process in 30 days.

Thank you for taking the time to read this post. If you know someone who might benefit, please share it by clicking on a share button below.

All the best,

Ruthann

Embrace Possibility: 3 Transformative Mindset Shifts

Let’s shift & move forward.

Instead of saying ‘My dream is impossible,’ affirm: ‘All things are divinely possible.’ There is more to life than what you can see. Learn to trust the process and stay open to possibility.

In this video, I share 3 transformative practices to help you embrace possibility.

Ask yourself powerful questions. They shape how you think, influence how you feel, and motivate action.
Quiet reflection. Create space to listen inwardly and notice what emerges.
Daily spiritual practice. Anchor your day with rituals that remind you of what is possible.

Exercise: Choose one of these practices today and notice how it shifts your perspective.

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All the best,

Ruthann

Tapping into Your Heart’s Wisdom: Your Inner Compass to Truth, Values, and Guidance

Are you aware that you have a built-in guidance system? Your heart is your spiritual core, center of truth, inner compass, and guide to living your highest potential. You invoke the wisdom of your heart when you ask yourself questions like “What is true for me?”, “What do I value most in life?”, “What is best for my life?”. Your heart intuitively knows the answer.

We are all gifted with intuition; however, we are not always tuned into it or open to receive it. Your intuition is a rich source of information that is always available to you. There are many ways to tap into your intuition. Here are a few:

Questions: Ask your wise self a question and listen for an answer. You may receive an answer immediately or it may take a few days or even weeks. Be patient and trust the process.
Silence: Give yourself the gift of silence on a daily basis so that you can hear your inner guidance.
Keep a journal: Put your thoughts on paper without filtering what you are writing. Review and reflect on what you have captured in your journal on a regular basis.
Take action: Taking action on guidance opens the door for you to receive more.

A new way of living begins when you choose to live from the heart and guidance within. I’ve included a link to my Living from the Inside Out video for your reference.

Thank you for pausing here. If my writing has offered meaningful insight or sparked a shift in you, I would be honored to hear what stayed with you.

All the best,

Ruthann

Expect the Best: Change Your Mindset for Success

Expectations are powerful. They can help us move forward or they can hold us back. If you are feeling stuck, ask yourself “What am I expecting?” and see what comes up. This simple, but powerful question will bring awareness to the beliefs and/or fears that are holding you back. Once you have awareness of what is holding you back, you can work on changing your mindset.

We change our minds by replacing limiting thoughts and beliefs with empowering thoughts and beliefs that enable us to create what we desire. It’s a journey and a process. Chapter 4, “Be Willing to Let Go”, in Be True to You: A Practical Guide to Pursuing an Authentic Path is designed to help you change and refocus your mind.

We all experience times in our lives when we are held back by limiting beliefs and/or fear. Embrace these times as opportunities to change, grow, and deepen your trust in the process of life. When we trust the process, we dream big, set goals, work toward our goals, and expect the best for our lives. If things don’t go as planned, trust enables us to ask “What did I learn?”, “How did I grow?” and use our lessons learned to keep moving forward.

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Be True to You: A Practical Guide to Pursuing an Authentic Path is available at Amazon.com

All the best,

Ruthann

In-Progress, LLC | Walk your path with intention, at your own pace

Renew Your Faith: Steps to Personal Growth

I believe life is a personal journey of faith and process of empowerment.

Simply stated, faith is our ability to look forward with positive expectancy. It is not something we find outside of ourselves, it is an inner resource that we awaken to and renew through our thoughts, words, and actions.

Faith empowers us to create our future—individually and collectively. It is deeply personal and influenced by many things—thoughts, beliefs, trust, and experiences.

Renewing your faith is an intentional and ongoing process. There is no right or wrong way to do it. I’ve made a few suggestions based on my own experience and what has helped me along the way.

Reset your mind—release/let go of thoughts and beliefs that limit you and replace them with thoughts and beliefs that enrich, expand, and empower you to create the kind of life and world that you desire.
Trust life as a process—the nature of life is change and transition for the purpose of growth and evolution. Every ending is a new beginning if you are willing to trust the process.
Stay open to possibility—there is more to life than what you can see. Create time and space in your day to prayerfully ask “What is possible for my life?”.
Choose your words wisely—words carry power and energy and shape your life.
Keep moving forward—if things don’t go as you planned, ask “What did I learn?”, “How did I grow?”. Use your lessons learned to help you keep moving forward. If you feel stuck, ask “What is the best thing I can do right now to move forward?” and then do it. 🙂

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All the best,
Ruthann

Be Prepared to Receive: Trust, Prayer, and the Practice of Asking

“Ask for what you want and be prepared to get it.”

—Maya Angelou

I love this quote by Maya Angelou. It is a great reminder that we should not only ask for what we want but believe so strongly that it will happen that we prepare to receive it. The degree to which we prepare for something to happen is indicative of our belief and trust that it will actually happen.

Making requests/asking for things is a part of our everyday lives. We ask for information, directions, meetings, assistance, etc., on a regular basis without much thought or risk. There are times, however, when we need or want something that is beyond what we can see or control. It is during these times that we often go to a deeper place of asking/requesting through prayer. When we pray and prepare to receive, we create conditions for what might seem like magic to happen in our lives.

This week, I invite you to think about the requests/prayers that you have for your life. Are you clear in what you are asking? Do you trust that what you are asking will actually happen? Are you preparing/taking action in anticipation of it happening? Are you open to more than one outcome?

Ask for what you want and be prepared for it or something better to happen.

All the best,

Ruthann

In-Progress, LLC | Walk your path with intention, at your own pace