Latest / The Confident Entrepreneur With Jennifer Ann Johnson / My Word of the Year With Jennifer Ann Johnson
Transcript
- 0:38Jennifer Johnson: As we head into 2026, I've been reflecting on my word of the year.
- 0:43Jennifer Johnson: That's been a practice that has become central to how I approach each new season of life.
- 0:49Jennifer Johnson: And looking back at 2024, it was about growth.
- 0:53Jennifer Johnson: I was hungry and pushing boundaries and expanding in every direction that I could.
- 0:57Jennifer Johnson: Then in 2025 came impact, talking all about the growth and channeling it into something meaningful and something that would make a difference beyond just my own success.
- 1:10Jennifer Johnson: And now as I stand on the threshold of 2026, I found myself in a different place completely.
- 1:16Jennifer Johnson: The word that keeps coming back to me, and the one that felt challenging and necessary was trust.
- 1:21Jennifer Johnson: Now, not trust in my abilities because I've spent years building confidence in what I can do.
- 1:27Jennifer Johnson: And not trust in my strategies because I have systems and frameworks that work.
- 1:32Jennifer Johnson: But trust in something bigger than all of that.
- 1:35Jennifer Johnson: For me, it's trust in God.
- 1:38Jennifer Johnson: It's trust in the process and trust that I'm being led exactly where I need to be, even when I can't see the full picture.
- 1:46Jennifer Johnson: So today I want to talk about what it means to surrender control while still showing up fully and completely, and what it looks like to trust the process while still doing the work and why, for those of us who are used to making things happen, learning to trust might be the most important skill we will ever develop.
- 2:08Jennifer Johnson: And if you're anything like me, you've probably built your success in the belief that you can control outcomes through effort and strategy and sheer determination for that matter.
- 2:18Jennifer Johnson: And to be fair, that approach has probably served you well.
- 2:20Jennifer Johnson: It served me well.
- 2:22Jennifer Johnson: It's gotten you where you are today.
- 2:24Jennifer Johnson: But there comes a point in every journey where you realize that the very thing that got you this far isn't going to be the thing that's going to keep you moving forward or further as you develop.
- 2:37Jennifer Johnson: And I hit this wall about six months ago.
- 2:42Jennifer Johnson: Everything I was working toward seemed to be moving, but it was moving slowly.
- 2:46Jennifer Johnson: Doors were opening, but not the ones that I was expecting them to.
- 2:50Jennifer Johnson: Opportunities were presenting themselves, but they looked different from what I had planned in my head.
- 2:55Jennifer Johnson: I found myself constantly trying to force outcomes and to push harder to control more of the variables.
- 3:02Jennifer Johnson: And the harder I pushed, the more resistance I seemed to encounter.
- 3:06Jennifer Johnson: And that's when I realized I was operating from a fear of that was disguised as ambition.
- 3:13Jennifer Johnson: I was so focused on controlling the how and the when that I was missing the what and the why that were trying to emerge, that were trying to reveal themselves to me.
- 3:25Jennifer Johnson: I was holding the steering wheel so tight that I couldn't feel the direction that the road was naturally trying to turn me on.
- 3:33Jennifer Johnson: The truth is, is we control far less than we think we actually do.
- 3:37Jennifer Johnson: And we can control our effort and our attitude and our responses and our preparation.
- 3:44Jennifer Johnson: But truth be told, we can't control the timing.
- 3:46Jennifer Johnson: We can't control what other people's decisions are.
- 3:49Jennifer Johnson: We can't control market conditions and the unexpected opportunities or the divine appointments that show up in ways in our lives that we never have experienced before.
- 4:03Jennifer Johnson: It's not about becoming passive or giving up responsibility.
- 4:06Jennifer Johnson: It's about recognizing that there's a difference between controlling the outcomes and stewarding opportunities.
- 4:13Jennifer Johnson: One leads to anxiety and burnout, and the other leads to peace and sustainable progress.
- 4:20Jennifer Johnson: Before I talk about trust, let me share with you what the previous two years have taught me because I think it's important in the context for you to understand why trust feels like the natural next step for me.
- 4:34Jennifer Johnson: And I've had years of growth that were intoxicating.
- 4:36Jennifer Johnson: Everything was about me, more skills, more connections, more projects, more revenue, more reach.
- 4:42Jennifer Johnson: I said yes to almost everything because I wanted to expand in every direction.
- 4:46Jennifer Johnson: And it worked to a point.
- 4:48Jennifer Johnson: I learned things that I never would have learned otherwise.
- 4:51Jennifer Johnson: And I met people who changed my perspective and I discovered capabilities that I didn't know I had.
- 4:56Jennifer Johnson: But growth without direction is chaos with good intentions.
- 5:01Jennifer Johnson: By the end of that year, I was exhausted and I was scattered.
- 5:05Jennifer Johnson: I had grown, but I hadn't grown with purpose.
- 5:09Jennifer Johnson: That's what led me into 2025, which was the year of impact for me.
- 5:14Jennifer Johnson: I took all of that expansion and asked, how do I focus this?
- 5:18Jennifer Johnson: How do I channel this growth into something that matters?
- 5:21Jennifer Johnson: Impact became about saying no to good opportunities so I could say yes to great ones.
- 5:26Jennifer Johnson: It was about depth instead of breadth.
- 5:29Jennifer Johnson: It was about making a difference instead of just making progress.
- 5:34Jennifer Johnson: And this year was powerful.
- 5:36Jennifer Johnson: I saw the results of focused efforts.
- 5:38Jennifer Johnson: I watched and concentrated my energy and created outcomes that scattered energy, never could.
- 5:44Jennifer Johnson: I learned the difference between being busy and being effective.
- 5:50Jennifer Johnson: And that was important to me.
- 5:53Jennifer Johnson: I wanted to be effective.
- 5:55Jennifer Johnson: But here's what I didn't expect.
- 5:57Jennifer Johnson: The more impact I created, the more I realized how little of it was actually up to me.
- 6:03Jennifer Johnson: The ideas that resonated most weren't the ones that I forced, they were the ones that just flowed.
- 6:08Jennifer Johnson: The opportunities that created the biggest impact weren't the ones that I chased.
- 6:13Jennifer Johnson: They were the ones that found me naturally.
- 6:16Jennifer Johnson: The connections that mattered weren't the ones I strategically pursued, but they're the ones also that happened naturally.
- 6:25Jennifer Johnson: I started to see a pattern.
- 6:27Jennifer Johnson: The outcomes that felt most aligned and most powerful and most meaningful were the ones that were I had done my part and then allowed something bigger to let it do its part.
- 6:38Jennifer Johnson: Trust, I'm learning, isn't just one thing.
- 6:41Jennifer Johnson: It's different layers, it's different applications and different challenges.
- 6:45Jennifer Johnson: And I'm going to break down to you the three dimensions of trust that I'm really focusing on this year.
- 6:53Jennifer Johnson: The first one is trust in God's plan.
- 6:56Jennifer Johnson: I believe in God, and it is, you can apply this no matter who you believe in.
- 9:27Jennifer Johnson: But it's the foundation of everything else.
- 9:29Jennifer Johnson: For me, this means believing that there's a divine intelligence intelligence that's at work in my life, that sees further than I can see and knows things that I don't know and is orchestrating outcomes that are better than anything that I could have possibly planned myself.
- 9:45Jennifer Johnson: It doesn't mean that I become passive or I stop setting my goals.
- 9:48Jennifer Johnson: It means that I have plans and I prepare for what I think is coming while still staying open to what might actually be coming.
- 9:56Jennifer Johnson: I work towards my vision while remaining available to that vision.
- 10:02Jennifer Johnson: I've started praying differently.
- 10:03Jennifer Johnson: Instead of asking God to best bless my plans, I'm asking him to align my plans with his.
- 10:09Jennifer Johnson: Instead of asking for specific outcomes, I'm asking for wisdom to recognize the opportunities that he's placing in front of me.
- 10:17Jennifer Johnson: And instead of asking for things to happen faster, I'm asking for patience to wait for his timing.
- 10:24Jennifer Johnson: This kind of trust is daily work.
- 10:27Jennifer Johnson: Every morning I have to choose to believe that I'm being led, even when I know the path isn't clear.
- 10:33Jennifer Johnson: Every evening I have to choose to rest in the knowledge that tomorrow's challenges will become with or will come with tomorrow's grace.
- 10:43Jennifer Johnson: The second dimension is trusting the process itself, the messy, nonlinear, sometimes frustrating journey of becoming who you're meant to be.
- 10:52Jennifer Johnson: This means accepting that growth happens in seasons, that breakthroughs often come after breakdowns, and that timely timelines rarely match what your expectations are.
- 11:02Jennifer Johnson: I used to think that if I was doing everything right, progress would be smooth and predictable.
- 11:07Jennifer Johnson: And what I've learned is that the most meaningful progress often feels chaotic and in the moment.
- 11:12Jennifer Johnson: You're learning skills that you didn't know you needed.
- 11:15Jennifer Johnson: You're being prepared for opportunities that you can't see, and you're developing characters in ways that only make sense in retrospect.
- 11:23Jennifer Johnson: Trusting the process means embracing.
- 11:34Jennifer Johnson: Trust in the process means embracing the in-between seasons, those times when you've left what was familiar but haven't yet arrived at what's next.
- 11:43Jennifer Johnson: It means finding peace in the preparation periods when feeling like nothing is happening, but everything is actually being arranged.
- 11:54Jennifer Johnson: It means that believing that even setbacks are part of the setup, and that even the detours are leading you somewhere important, and that even delays are developing something in you that you need for what's actually coming.
- 12:07Jennifer Johnson: And the third dimension is trusting that you have a unique assignment, something that only you can do, and in the way that only you can do it, and for the people that you can reach.
- 12:18Jennifer Johnson: This is perhaps the hardest kind of trust because it requires you to believe in your own calling even when others don't understand it.
- 12:25Jennifer Johnson: And let me tell you, I have spent too much time looking at what other people are doing and wondering if I should be doing that instead.
- 12:31Jennifer Johnson: But too much time second guessing my path because it doesn't look like someone else's, and too much time trying to fit into the molds that worked for other people instead of trusting the unique way that I'm being led, those are doing a disservice for me.
- 12:47Jennifer Johnson: Trusting your assignment means believing that your background and your experiences and your perspective and even your struggles have uniquely prepared you for something specific.
- 12:57Jennifer Johnson: It means resisting the urge to copy someone else and someone else's blueprint and instead trusting that the blueprint is being written for you.
- 13:08Jennifer Johnson: It doesn't mean that you don't learn from other people or that you ignore the wisdom that's that they're giving to you.
- 13:15Jennifer Johnson: It means that you filter everything through questions.
- 13:18Jennifer Johnson: How does this apply to my unique calling?
- 13:20Jennifer Johnson: Or how can I replicate rather than asking yourself how you can replicate somebody else's path.
- 13:29Jennifer Johnson: So how do you actually live this out?
- 13:32Jennifer Johnson: How do you build trust as a daily practice rather than just a nice concept?
- 13:36Jennifer Johnson: So I'm going to share a few practices that have been transforming how I approach my everyday.
- 13:41Jennifer Johnson: The first is I start each day literally by giving the day back to God.
- 13:46Jennifer Johnson: Before I check my phone or make coffee or do any of my to-do lists, I take five minutes to acknowledge this day as a gift.
- 13:54Jennifer Johnson: And I actually pray.
- 13:58Jennifer Johnson: And I do a devotion every single morning because that's what I can hold on to for the day.
- 14:03Jennifer Johnson: And it's a simple practice that sets the tone for everything that I'm going to do for that day.
- 14:10Jennifer Johnson: Another practice that you can get into that I have worked on and tried and used is weekly reviews and perspectives.
- 14:18Jennifer Johnson: Every week I spend spend time reviewing not just what I've accomplished, but what I've learned.
- 14:23Jennifer Johnson: And I ask questions like, where do I see God's hand at work this week?
- 14:28Jennifer Johnson: And what doors opened that I didn't expect?
- 14:31Jennifer Johnson: And what negative situations turned out to have hidden benefits?
- 14:35Jennifer Johnson: Because, oh my gosh, have I had those this last year?
- 14:38Jennifer Johnson: And where did I force outcomes and what happened when I did?
- 14:41Jennifer Johnson: This practice helps me recognize patterns and it helps me pay more attention to the things that are working in the background in my life.
- 14:51Jennifer Johnson: And it helps me trust more.
- 14:52Jennifer Johnson: Now, don't get me wrong, I still make plans and I still set goals and I still work strategically towards outcomes, but I've learned to hold these plans with open hands.
- 15:01Jennifer Johnson: I make detailed plans and then I let them go.
- 15:05Jennifer Johnson: I let them into the universe and let them be as they may.
- 15:09Jennifer Johnson: This has actually helped me become more effective and not less effective.
- 15:13Jennifer Johnson: When you're attached to specific outcomes, you're more available to unexpected things that come into your life.
- 15:19Jennifer Johnson: And when you're trying not to control everything, you can respond more quickly to changing circumstances.
- 15:25Jennifer Johnson: When you're not invested in being right about your predictions, you can pivot easily when new things emerge.
- 15:32Jennifer Johnson: And then I've also started thinking of gratitude as a form of trust.
- 15:36Jennifer Johnson: When I'm grateful for what's happening now, I'm expressing that I know that this is out of my hands.
- 15:42Jennifer Johnson: And I'm grateful for what's happened in the past.
- 15:44Jennifer Johnson: And I'm acknowledging that even though it's difficult for me to not control it, I need to be in the grace to know that what's coming is for me.
- 15:54Jennifer Johnson: It shifts my focus from what I'm trying to make happen to what's already happening.
- 15:58Jennifer Johnson: And it helps me recognize abundance instead of scarcity and progress instead of problems.
- 16:05Jennifer Johnson: And it really helps set that tone.
- 16:08Jennifer Johnson: Let me be honest, choosing trust as your word for the year doesn't make life easier.
- 16:12Jennifer Johnson: If anything, it makes you more aware of all the ways that you typically try to control outcomes.
- 16:17Jennifer Johnson: And it highlights every area where you're operating from fear instead of faith.
- 16:23Jennifer Johnson: There have been moments this year where trust felt that, you know, it just was not present.
- 16:30Jennifer Johnson: When it seems like something should be more strategic or more forceful or more controlling, would get better results.
- 16:37Jennifer Johnson: But then when I step back and I trust the process, everything seemed to fall into place.
- 16:44Jennifer Johnson: The test of trust isn't where you never struggle with it.
- 16:47Jennifer Johnson: The test is whether you keep coming back to it, whether you keep choosing it, whether you keep practicing it, even if it's hard.
- 16:54Jennifer Johnson: So as I think about what's to come after a year of trust, I'm not sure what next year's word will be.
- 17:01Jennifer Johnson: Maybe it'll be another year of trust, going deeper into what it means to live surrendered.
- 17:05Jennifer Johnson: Maybe it'll be something entirely new that grows out of this foundation.
- 17:09Jennifer Johnson: What I do know is that trust has changed me in ways that will influence every future season.
- 17:14Jennifer Johnson: It's given me a different relationship with uncertainty and with timing and with outcome.
- 17:19Jennifer Johnson: If you're in a season where you're trying to make things happen through sheer force of will, I want to encourage you to consider what it might look like to trust instead.
- 17:29Jennifer Johnson: Not passive trust that sits back and waits for things to happen, but active trust that shows up fully while holding your outcomes lightly.
- 17:36Jennifer Johnson: Now, your word of the year doesn't have to be trust, but I encourage you to find a word that calls you, it calls you forward and that challenges you to grow in specific directions and gives you framework for making decisions throughout the year.
- 17:49Jennifer Johnson: And whatever you choose, remember that it's not about perfection, it's about direction.
- 17:55Jennifer Johnson: It's about not getting it all right all the time.
- 17:58Jennifer Johnson: It's about having a North Star that guides you back to the center when you drift off course.
- 18:03Jennifer Johnson: For me, trust is that North Star.
- 18:06Jennifer Johnson: It reminds me daily that I'm not the author of this story, but I'm the character in it.
- 18:10Jennifer Johnson: That it's my job is not to control the plot, but to play my part.
- 18:15Jennifer Johnson: The best outcomes come from not grasping tightly to my plans, but from holding them loosely and staying open to something.
- 18:22Jennifer Johnson: So as we head into this new year, whatever your word is that's calling you, whatever the growth is that you're feeling drawn towards, I encourage you to step into it with courage.
- 18:31Jennifer Johnson: Trust the process, trust the timing, and trust that you're exactly where you need to be, becoming exactly who you need to become for exactly what's coming next.