Alignment Moves on Its Own Time
Stay ready so you don’t have to get ready.
I started teaching at the collegiate level in 2018, and in true big Pisces energy, I let confidence carry me places my résumé wasn’t even packed for yet. By my second year, I applied to teach at an Ivy League institution. The dean — very politely — told me to cool my jets… then went ahead and added me on LinkedIn. I took the L, kept it cute, and kept it moving.
Fast-forward to this year: I pursued a new leadership role that required a full presentation during the interview process. I usually don’t agree to that kind of extensive pre-hire “free labor,” but something in my spirit prompted me to do it anyway. I built the deck. I delivered the pitch. I did not get the job.
Still, something told me not to hide the work. So I shared the pitch publicly — not for applause, but for accountability. I wanted folks to know exactly where those ideas came from. And I didn’t expect anything from it…but the universe had already moved six steps ahead.
A month after being rejected for the job, the same Ivy League dean reached out. She wants to discuss teaching a course next spring — on the exact topic I presented for that interview. A full circle moment I couldn’t have scripted if I tried. But here’s the twist: I couldn’t move on to the next round of the interview process for a lecturer role because I didn’t have my old student evaluations. I lost access to them when I left my previous university, and they only kept final scores — not the qualitative feedback that reflected my teaching impact.
And that’s when the lesson landed:
Opportunities don’t wait for you to scramble. Doors don’t hold themselves open while you gather your documents. Staying ready isn't about being perfect; it’s about preparation aligning with action.
Staying Ready Is a Mindset
When people say “stay ready,” it might sound like cliché hustle-culture talk. But there’s a deeper, wiser meaning behind it — especially for us. Staying ready isn’t about overworking or constantly being on edge. It’s about nurturing your gifts. It’s about respecting your journey. It’s about tracking your impact, even when no one’s asking for proof. It’s trusting that your life will lead you back to things you didn’t realize you needed to save. The universe will guide you on a path, but will you prepare for it?
That’s on you.
The Season You Want vs. the Season You’re Assigned
That Ivy League “no” back in 2018 wasn’t a rejection…it was a timestamp. A receipt. A reminder that I asked for something that wasn’t aligned yet.
And the “yet” is important.
We often mistake delay for denial because we’ve had to hustle our way into many rooms. But sometimes, the door stays shut because the room isn’t ready for you — not because you’re not ready for it. Staying prepared means respecting the timeline even when you don’t understand it. That version of me wanted the opportunity, but this version of me is actually more equipped to take it on.
The deck, the ideas, the strategy — they were seeds for something I didn’t see coming. The universe will use every piece of work you create. Nothing is wasted. And because I shared the work “publicly,” the right eyes found it. Not the ones I was chasing… the ones that were meant to find me.
This is the heart of alignment.
What you build in one chapter often becomes the currency for the next. The opportunity that’s yours won’t need you to beg for it. But it will require you to be prepared for it.
But here’s the part we don’t talk about enough: Sometimes you miss out on an opportunity not because you weren’t qualified, but because you weren’t organized. When the university asked for my old qualitative evaluations, I didn’t have them. Not because I didn’t do well, but because I didn’t keep my evidence safe - I was careless.
For us, this is deeper than paperwork. It’s about:
Documenting your brilliance
Archiving your impact
Keeping proof of your excellence
Owning your narrative
Because in a world that constantly underestimates us, receipts are more than records — they’re protection. Staying ready means keeping the kind of documentation you will need, long before you know why you’ll need it.
If you had asked me months ago why I didn’t get that leadership role (especially after 6 rounds), I couldn’t tell you. But now? It makes perfect sense.
It wasn’t my room.
Had I been overly attached to the outcome, I would’ve missed the bigger purpose. We don’t need to chase every role, audition for every room, or overextend ourselves just to feel worthy. The true power lies in readiness — spiritually, emotionally, and practically.
Staying ready is a gentle discipline — a way of honoring your future self before you meet her. Because when alignment calls, you don’t have time to get your documents together, redo your portfolio, or recreate old work. You step into the moment with ease because you’ve kept yourself prepared. And sometimes, the universe sends the opportunity back around years later — not to test you, but to show you that you were meant for it all along…or not.