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Spiritual Discernment: Tiffany Cianci Collaboration Decision

Date: September 14, 2025
Type: Personal Reflection / Strategic Decision
Context: Following up on Austin meeting with Tiffany Cianci regarding potential collaboration

Background​

After meeting Tiffany Cianci at Travis Oliphant's Austin residence and having extensive discussions about her anti-private equity activism and consumer choice app development, I needed to discern my level of involvement in her mission.

Discernment Process​

  • Spent time in prayer about the opportunity
  • Met with spiritual mentors for guidance
  • Received counsel from Peter Han about saying no gracefully to people of influence
  • Reflected on my calling and current season of life

Key Insights from Mentor Conversation​

Peter Han's Advice (paraphrased):

  • It's important to discern what God wants you to focus on, not just what people want from you
  • Need to say no to 90% of good opportunities to focus on your specific calling
  • When declining involvement with influential people, don't say "no" directly
  • Use language like "I'm not able to at this time" to keep relationships intact
  • This allows the other person to think there might be future opportunities without creating obligation

Decision Rationale​

  1. Faith Focus: Feeling called to dedicate life more explicitly to faith-oriented work
  2. Season Recognition: Political activism was part of a previous season, not current calling
  3. Energy Allocation: See political space as potential deception and not good use of energy
  4. Spiritual Test: This opportunity feels like a test of conviction about new direction
  5. Discernment Practice: Learning to distinguish between good opportunities and God's specific calling

Personal Reflection​

"I think there are some people whose calling is that, but I think part of how I've why I even considered it was because it was part of my life before, of how I wanted to change the world. But that was from a very different life. And I almost feel like it's just like a test of like my conviction."

This decision represents growth in spiritual maturity - being able to recognize the difference between:

  • Good work that needs doing
  • Work that I'm specifically called to do
  • The importance of saying no to maintain focus

Action Items​

  1. Email Tiffany: Send polite, respectful email explaining faith direction and limited capacity
  2. Honor Commitment: Still connect her with mentor who enjoys political activism
  3. Maintain Relationship: Keep door open for friendship without professional obligation
  4. Continue Discernment: Apply this same process to future opportunities

Email Approach​

Key elements for communication:

  • Acknowledge the importance of her work
  • Explain faith-oriented calling without judgment
  • Use "not able to at this time" language
  • Honor existing commitments (mentor introduction)
  • Express gratitude for the connection

Spiritual Lesson​

Learning to differentiate between:

  • What the world needs (Tiffany's work is genuinely important)
  • What I'm capable of (I have relevant skills)
  • What I'm called to do (faith-focused work in this season)

This represents maturity in understanding that not every good opportunity is God's opportunity for me personally.