Wow, what a week.
I’m intentionally slowing down today, letting everything from the last few days settle. And one moment keeps resurfacing, mostly because it was both the funniest and the most expensive thing that happened.
My son got hold of my phone and ordered trucks on Amazon.
Big trucks.
Very real trucks.
Very real money.
When my wife asked him why he bought them, without hesitation he said,
“I didn’t buy the truck. Santa got it for me.”
I laughed.
And then I paused.
Because in that one sentence, there was something deeper going on.
He needed distance from the decision.
A little imagination.
A buffer between intention and action.
And honestly, adults do this too, just in quieter, more sophisticated ways.
We often want to make the move, send the email, have the conversation, start the thing, but we hesitate. So sometimes we borrow courage. We create an alter ego. A version of ourselves that’s braver, bolder, less self-conscious.
When I need to do something hard, I call mine Lorenzo.
Lorenzo sends the email.
Lorenzo hits publish.
Lorenzo doesn’t overthink every possible outcome.
It’s still me, just me without the fear in the driver’s seat.
We tell ourselves we’re waiting for clarity, but often we’re really waiting for permission. And sometimes the permission we need doesn’t come from people or timing, it comes from giving ourselves a little imaginative space to act.
I’m not suggesting recklessness.
I am suggesting movement.
And just like parenting my son in that moment, it’s a balance. There are boundaries. There are consequences. But there’s also grace. Conversation. Room to grow.
So as I head into next week, I’m asking myself:
What’s one thing I’ve been avoiding because it feels uncomfortable?
And who do I need to be to take the next step?
Maybe for you, Santa sends the email.
Maybe Lorenzo does.
Maybe it’s just a quieter, braver version of you.
Either way, growth usually starts the moment we stop waiting.
– Joel
