I Was Solving the Wrong Problem: What a Business Card Taught Me About Discernment

I was under time pressure, and this was meant to be quick and easy. After all, I’ve been making business cards for more than 40 years.

Years ago, I realized that by sharing my story honestly, whether on stage or in writing, others might relate to my struggles and find their own shift in perspective.

This week I found myself struggling with a business card. I’ve created a variety of different cards over the past 20 years since stepping into being a wise woman, a soul mentor, an “elder” with something to say. I expected this to be simple, an hour at most.

I started out with the intention of creating a business card that was simple but welcoming. It needed to be more creative than just my name and contact details. I wanted it to carry the energy of Joan of Angels, with the presence and feel of the divine.

Before I write or paint, I take the time to pull an oracle card and tune in to what my soul wants to create. I become a paintbrush or a pen for the divine.

But there was a problem. I had a 3rd-dimensional time constraint and had to design it easily and quickly. Looking back, I should have known better. Anything that needs to be created at a high vibrational resonance should not be attempted in the heat of the moment, and certainly not as a “rush job.”

Still, I was determined to get the job done quickly, and I hoped it would be easy. Until I was unable to upload the template to Vistaprint. I had so much text in the graphic that it wouldn’t fit in the template. I started frantically editing, trying to squeeze everything into the box. 

I kept making changes—making things bigger, smaller, adding backgrounds, and rearranging the layout—but nothing worked.

Four hours later, I was frustrated and exhausted. I had squeezed in everything I could, and my patience was running thin.

I felt like I was forcing a round peg into a square hole, not realizing it would never fit.

I stared at the card on my screen, trying to figure out how to align it for Vistaprint. The more I tried, the worse it got. 

I was set on getting it printed before the day ended.

Then my friend noticed I wasn’t myself and sat down to talk. I shared my frustration as we looked at the computer together, thinking about how hard it was to fit everything I wanted to say on a tiny 2 x 3.5-inch card.

We sat quietly, staring at the image. How could something so small cause so much trouble?

Then it hit me. I was focused on the wrong problem. The graphics were the right size, but there was just too much text.

I realized I needed to start over. The more I looked at the design, the more I saw it wasn’t right. I had focused so much on size that I missed that the text didn’t match what I wanted to say.

The text and the card didn’t match my intention. Suddenly, I was glad I hadn’t printed it yet.

This first card didn’t feel right. I needed to focus on what really mattered, without extra words. The card had to reflect me truly.

The Problem Beneath the Problem

For four hours, I focused on the symptoms rather than the real issue. I never questioned my first idea because I loved the design. I kept changing everything except the design itself. I thought it had to stay.

That’s when I saw that this is a problem many women face. We keep trying harder, working longer, or forcing ourselves into places we don’t fit, just because we don’t question our first assumptions. Think about times when you have agreed to take on extra projects at work even when your plate was already full, simply because you didn’t want to let anyone down or appear incapable. Or the times you’ve stayed in a group or role that didn’t feel true to you, telling yourself it would get better if you just tried harder. We’ve all had moments where we’ve squeezed ourselves into uncomfortable shapes, to meet expectations we never stopped to question.

The answer didn’t appear until I stopped, stepped back, and re-evaluated. My friend’s presence gave me the ability to tune into the bigger picture, rely on my discernment rather than my emotions, and distance myself to reevaluate and shift my perception. Her visit interrupted my spinning.

Life moves so fast now. We want answers right away and quick fixes, always searching for new tools or tricks, but we rarely stop to ask, “Am I solving the right problem?”

Sometimes, the answer isn’t a quick fix. It may be taking a break, and asking better questions. 

A simple practice to use when you feel stuck or frustrated is to pause and take three slow, steady breaths. 

Then gently ask yourself, “What if the problem I am trying to solve is not really the one that matters most right now?” Write down any thoughts or feelings that appear. Even a short pause and an honest question can help you see your challenge in a whole new way.

A business card’s job is simple: to remind you that we’ve met and leave a good impression. The perfect card should interest you enough to explore my work. But this card tried to say everything about me, listing all my credentials and services on a tiny card.

Looking at the crowded card on my screen made me uncomfortable, as if I was trying to fit all of myself into a tiny space so you would know who I am.

I was confusing leaving something out with diminishing myself.

Maybe that impossible business card was teaching me about shrinking myself. The truth is, you don’t become more authentic by making yourself smaller. You become authentic by letting go of anything that isn’t essential—text, people, places, or things.

Now I’m asking a new question. Instead of wondering how to make things fit or how to adapt myself to make it work, I’m asking what or who truly belongs here. One question forces you to fit in; the other helps you find the real meaning.

That’s what discernment is: not just solving problems better but becoming wiser about which problems to solve. 

I thought I was designing a business card.

But really, life was changing the way I see problems.

Sometimes the angels don’t solve our problems.

Sometimes they create enough space for us to finally see them correctly.

TAKE ACTION: If you are ready to stop fitting your soul into the life you have built and begin remembering who you truly are, explore Joan of Angels’ work as a Soul Vision Mentor. Schedule a complimentary Soul Vision Discovery Call to step back, gain clarity, and create an action plan aligned with the life your soul is calling you to live.