Exactly Where You Need to Be

October 31, 2024

Have you ever had one of those moments where it feels like the universe, fate, or something larger was protecting you? I had one of those moments a few weeks ago—a moment that could have ended very differently had things not lined up the way they did.

I knew I needed new tires. It was one of those things I kept putting off, promising myself I’d take care of it soon. That morning, I was preparing to head to day two of a conference in downtown Nashville. But before leaving, I decided to drop off some donations for our neighborhood food drive. I could have easily waited until my book club meeting that evening, but something nudged me to drop them off first thing.

As I pulled up to my neighbor’s house, my husband called. A check I had sent two weeks ago had just been returned due to a bad address, and coincidentally, the mailman had just delivered the mail. I told him I’d stop by to grab it on my way to Nashville since I’d be near the check’s destination later that day. That small detour brought me back to my husband, where he immediately noticed something alarming—my front right tire was falling apart. If I had driven to Nashville, I could have easily had a blowout on the freeway. In that moment, my plans shifted: my husband gave me his car, and I drove to the event safe and sound.

This experience left me reflecting on how life has a way of positioning us exactly where we need to be. Sometimes, it’s in the smallest, most mundane decisions that life’s biggest interventions occur. Had I ignored that nudge to drop off the food, or had the mail been delivered even an hour later, or had I included the correct address on the envelope, I might have found myself stranded—or worse—on the freeway with a dangerous tire blowout.

This moment also holds a lesson in leadership. As leaders, we often want to control outcomes, to manage every detail and anticipate every issue. But sometimes, things happen that are beyond our control, and that’s when it’s crucial to trust the process. There are times when all the planning and strategy in the world won’t account for those moments when we’re exactly where we need to be—even if we don’t know it at the time.

Today wasn’t my day for a car wreck. It was my day to pause, listen to the small nudges, and trust that I was being guided in the right direction. In leadership and in life, sometimes the most important thing we can do is recognize that we are being led to exactly where we need to be, even if it doesn’t seem obvious in the moment.

So, the next time you feel a small nudge or an unexpected detour, consider that it might just be life stepping in to protect or guide you toward something better. Trust in those moments, and remember that sometimes, you are exactly where you’re meant to be.