Personal Growth Archives - Healthy Happy Life Secrets

Spring as a Metaphor for Growth

Spring season is a metaphor for personal growth.

spring in action in the mountains. — Hi, I’m Brandy… and I’m springing into action climbing mountains. 😎

And this is just a shorty post to help inspire your spring… especially since IT IS the first week of spring.

…So it’s time to spring into motion and get moving in the best possible way in your life! 🌱 Yes?

repotted — Repotting seeds to a larger seedling pot is a metaphor for growth.

The word “spring” means to rise, act suddenly, leap, and move.

But the spring season is what we like (no… LOVE) best.

And if your previous seasons (aka winters) have been long, it’s now time to leap into action, even if they’re baby steps in the right direction…

Maybe that’s spring cleaning for the soul, finding a new activity, building a new habit… or finding balance that I know does exist with boundaries you create in life.

Move purposefully like each day is your last so you can keep rising and thriving…

The birds and trees will keep going and growing around you whether you do or not. So get out of STUCK…

NOW IS YOUR TIME. ⌛️

And as I was once reminded at jobs I didn’t love (and was feeling stuck at)… you will not get this time back, my friend.

I use those miserable feelings as intentions to keep going and help me soul search.

...You can too.

And if you’re like me, who was in now what? mode for so long…

Stop that.

Make each day and each hour count… so that you have no regrets tomorrow.

Draw a line in the sand.

And let the Universe act suddenly to meet you in favor in this higher place.

But nothing happens, if you don’t take a step out!

Dare to do something different.

And if you’re still transitioning… NEWSFLASH: transition is LIFE on earth.

Nothing will stay the same so that you can grow and get a better life than the one you had!

…And you can find a grounding activity like spending morning minutes with your plants to help you along.

You can keep it simple.

Like, indoor house plants at the sill grow with very little baby steps and effort.

They grow healthy when we (the caretakers) spend time tending to and appreciating them. 🌱

This is actually a form of apartment therapy for me. 😊

…And maybe for you too!… or you have a full blown outdoor garden scene.

…Or a prized tree, peony or rose bush that blooms every year in your yard that peeps, birds, and bees admire.

If so, I admire you. 🥰

…Especially if you grow herbs, tomatoes, and anything edible. 😋

What’s most amazing… is that no matter if you have a Martha Stewart worthy garden or an indoor plant in a temporary cup (like me), it can start so easily from a small seed… that’s the root and route in life.

Start small (baby steps) and that becomes your better season. And your better seasons become your optimal life.

“Remember the little seed in the plastic cup? The roots go down and the plant goes up, and nobody really knows how or why, but we are all like that.”

-All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten

Someone gifted me with this wise Robert Fulghum book for my high school graduation and I never forgot the words. That’s how powerful words are.

And I never forgot about plants… despite all my brown thumb decades and seasons where nothing would grow.

But now that’s all better different today… and 11 days later, this sunflower pot is thriving as nature intended. 🪴

sunflower seeds 11 days later — These guys were born on 3/21/25 just in time for spring. 🌱

I’m convinced it’s not the quality of seeds (luck), but the love (energy) you put into your plant tending activity.

…Plus dirt, sun, and water love from the Universe. 🌞

And actually… planting is a lot like baking where you prepare, wait, and then enjoy.

The all-purpose potting soil is the growing environment like the flour that makes a bread rise in the oven.

That’s when you’re actively waiting…

You’re doing life full of energy and waiting for the other parts to manifest.

…And that’s a good reminder I can leave you with today.

Keep coming back for healthy and happy tips. 🎉

…And inspiring weekly healthy good recipes. If you always wanted to learn to bake calm or would like to build confidence, these are all simple, non-intimidating, AND healthy-ish bake recipes where you’ll learn good habits in the process. If I can bake with an apartment oven in with a small space kitchen, you have no excuse! 😊

Recuperate Yourself To Life

Recuperate is something we’ve all done in life whether it’s from a difficult season, illness, or exhaustion.

…Recently I felt the effects of a move where I had to take a break to recuperate.

…And why you may have missed me during my short break.

Well, I’m glad I’m back.

And I feel good NOW.

But before and during my move, I was exhausted as moves are exhausting.

It felt like a hangover everyday!

Every muscle in my body was at work packing, planning, or moving something from one corner to another.

…Oh, and I have a tendency to love a basket, pair of socks, or a mug as much as my television or comfy pillows.

So, making decisions for moving my things took a lot of care, planning, and effort… that was well worth it when I found a place for them in my new home.

…Which btw,I know this move challenge and the need to recuperate feeling VERY well, as I’ve moved every couple of years and sometimes sooner.

I’m happy about that choice, so I can experience more and new places in this life.

And I wouldn’t be in my new happy place if I didn’t make those other moves.

That’s how you and I are similar.

Oh, and let’s be real, I know I won’t be doing this physical moving in my 70s and 80s… most of us won’t.

So losing a couple weeks while able is worth the time and effort.

The biggest tradeoff for me was giving up routines like blogging.

I had no creative ideas coming in and out as everything was focused on successfully moving.

…And that gave me a creative mind break.

So I’m glad I took that time off from my weekly posts. And I’m even more glad I came back (and hopefully you are too!). 😊

I mean, we’re not machines…

We’re not meant to keep doing something just because our ego pride tells us we have to be 100% all the time in whatever that pursuit is… or else we’re not good enough.

Who says?

Breaking self-imposed strongholds holding us back and keeping us stuck is satisfying, and telling the Imposter to take a hike is so gratifying!

And breaking have-to-do patterns is healthy!

If nothing else from the 2020 pandemic, that’s a lesson we all can embrace.

Amen? 😊

And taking recuperating breaks through life transitions is part of our life’s journey and daily joys.

Breaks allow us to let go and breathe in new energy and inspiration, grow, and discover what matters most to us!

In those ways, growth and discovery can be the best definition of success.

…Amen to that!

And that’s EXACTLY what the doctor ordered for me in my move!

…Plus indulging in a little coffee o’clock latte day break in my new town helped.

When I felt so completely out of it from exhaustion being on go-go-go physical moving action for over a week, I was nursed back to life through daily joys.

Because I was completely wiped out.

My discombobulation (…a word I almost never use 😎) happened mostly because of an unexpected last-minute broken elevator that changed my move plans.

Suddenly I found myself taking 52 steps for each up flight and 52 steps down flight (…but who’s counting anyway!? 😜). Plus all the stairs I was leaving behind.

Feeling the pain meant I was alive and determined!

…Oh, and my poor movers had to endure that for a day too.

They didn’t have the emotional mental toll I had. It’s not the same when you’re doing it for others and emotionally detached.

…But it can be physically as taxing as it was for me.

…All in all, I raked up thousands of moving steps that was probably more steps than I’ve taken in all the mountain hikes I’ve accrued… where 300 steps plus the mile up was the comme d’habitude (usual way).

I have my daily Apple points as my witness. ⌚️

The points overflowed… and I not only met the goal, I think I ran an extra marathon. 🎯

That kind of abundance can only be a blessing from above.

Because I now have more gratitude for what my body-mind can do. 💪

And that was training ground for spring mountain hikes.

…Btw, I’m wondering why isn’t there a race sport for climbing steps? ⛰️

The Summit CBS reality competition show (…did you see it?) comes closest to the physical challenge I felt.

But anyway and thankfully… physical was the deepest challenge felt as there were no weather hindering events, other than rescheduling from a storm… and there were no social obstacles to climb besides skipping social media.

I gave up most my routines besides work and my yoga mat (more on that below).

Because during the move and finding time to recuperate, I was lucky if I slept a few hours without interrupted sleep.

The mind-body knows when life is interrupted.

Calming the mind-body is how to get those routines and good feelings back.

And using routines to relax is how to recuperate faster.

RELAXING THE MIND-BODy

Unrest is often at the heart of why you can’t sleep… It’s NOT the lack of sleep hours, but the turmoil of change and stress happening inside your body.

So the sooner you can get to the routines, that helps the Vata (aka wind or change) in each of us and grounds the mind-body.

The body likes routine or predictability.

But the mind like a challenge to never be bored.

So during transitions like a move, let them duke it out 😊… as YOU the person grows and is healthier on the other side! 🫵

…Where sometimes you can’t see when the finger is pointing back atcha until you’re calm again.

And that’s what I went through to restore after the move and when the unpacking was finally over.

After I calmed my mind, I could use that to help recuperate my body where I still felt daily worn aches.

RECUPERATING THE BODY

And rolling out the yoga mat from Day One was a NO-BRAINER.

Every day my back, arms, and legs burned.

…And where it hurt the most was my hamstrings.

Fave poses: Sitting Forward Bend, Plow Pose, Bridge Pose.

I was also ravishingly hungry (that’s par for the course as a Vata body).

And during this transition time, I was burning so many move calories every day.

…I couldn’t eat enough.

And I delighted in childhood foods like ramen noodles. And mixed it with plant-based adult foods like pea shoots and kohlrabi.

In my travels, I found my grocery stores (Aldi, Lidl, Whole Foods, and Harris Teeter to name a few).

And I found a walk-to farmers market.

…I mean, I couldn’t lose all the exercise I had just gained. 😊

…So I did a little of this and a little of that to get back to normal.

That was my way to recuperate and ease into my new post-move life.

And every time I had an idea for what to hang on my new home walls or rearrange into another drawer, I was putting my mind at ease and unleashing new ideas.

I was stirring up my creative juices again.

…And making fresh smoothies was part of that mix.

And of course, routine baking my way back to feeling like a human again.

There’s nothing like sweets that tell you you’re home! 🏠

Overwhelmed? Spiritual Ways to Respond

Overwhelmed is an understatement especially during the holidays when year-end deadlines are looming and new year goals emerge. It’s important to stay healthy like this budding avocado tree…

It’s also best to stay focused and look at life not as seriously.

...Seriously, 😳 I say this through the lens of my experiences where I went through many seasons where I couldn’t see the forest through the trees.

My work life was overwhelming.

…Then that all disappeared… poof!, like that… it was gone. That happened for many seasons so I caught on and started over in different work industries, jobs, and relationships.

It feels good to have comical relief and laugh it out with new beginnings and pivots.

Personally, I know the universe is laughing along.

…and maybe that’s how you feel?

In 2020, all of our lives changed when the world shut down and daily offices closed.

Each of us had our choices as to how to respond.

For me in my microcosm, I took that as a spiritual sign.

The situation only confirmed further to me that everything in this life is going to keep changing, along with the good, bad, and ugly.

…That’s how this life is meant to be so our planet can survive and thrive.

Embracing that we’re in a spiritual experience and journey can help us see this better.

Because none of us are handed manuals to our lives… that look very different than our co-workers or neighbors living next to us… and even more different than our friends and families we know intimately.

And that’s how I came to grips that this life is about gathering experiences.

…It’s not a spectator sport like the famous baseball player, Jackie Robinson, said.

Life is like a sport that’s constantly in play and you never know what will happen until it happens.

The good and bad plays are the experiences that make us grow and gain new perspectives.

Good experiences make us want to go back, and bad ones…well, they add burden weight if we allow them to.

…But they also makes us head in another (often opposite) direction to grow even more and get past, if we’re open to seeing it that way.

…And feeling overwhelmed is one weight indicator that can make us want to choose a better or another path.

When I worked in the corporate world for two decades for multiple industries, stress was a frequent common daily response.

You got used to it (even though the body never does).

Stress is the body’s way of coping for unnatural circumstances (that stress is processed in the mind-body).

And longterm chronic stress is not the good life habit we want or need to live.

…So when I left the corporate world, it took years for a new life and breakthroughs (rebirth) to break out and sink in. Because I was still the same person.

It was like I traded in a familiar used car for a different and new set of wheels (life). Then I was like those transformer toy cars (…maybe you’re old enough to remember?)…

…Flipped around, they could change styles in a heartbeat, as they were built with two styles… and you could choose which one you were experiencing at any moment.

Almost like two personalities or people…

I could use my old corporate skills that came in handy (minus the stress headaches in the job 😉)… and bring creative energy to my newfound work with a different daily design.

My new life was anti-aging compared to the old one. It came with normal 6-8 sleeping hours without an alarm clock.

I didn’t feel like a robot going through the motions of the week. 🤖 And I didn’t feel like a panicky human with constant heart palpitations lurking around every corner.

I could enjoyably stay up late to watch shows and not pay for it the next day.

…And when I lost all my computer data that can happen often with this new digital age, I didn’t freak out like I would’ve before in the corporate days.

I didn’t even worry one iota.

Instead I looked at it as a way to save me from the hassle of having to delete and make micro decisions on files that would be outdated soon enough.

My new assistant was technology working! 😁

So I went from one paper-filled world when I was working with foodie event contracts to paperless and data less.

And less data clutter is a metaphor for re-routing me.

But that was just the beginning……

When I reported to myself in this newly defined role of working for myself for the first time, I no longer felt overwhelmed.

I sometimes worked 8 hours a day, but those hours felt productive.

I didn’t watch the clock in excitement for the work day to end.

I also found time to do yoga. All you need is a mat and a few minutes. 🧘🏻‍♀️

And I worked on what inspired me as leading me to the path that I was meant to go, that’s purpose and spiritual.

…I could also ran errands on my time. Those mini-escapes let me have more quiet time…

…Quiet time allows for the inner self and spirit to get a word in edgewise.

I could find what my season is about on any day… I didn’t have to wait 6-months later for reality to kick in and feel like I was in a never-ending rat race job I didn’t like… or was missing out on something like a life opportunity..

…That btw is where every job I held in the past eventually landed.

In this new life, I could navigate and adjust daily what my next life step was and is.

There was a peace and calm in knowing that it would work out or else I would be doing something else I was meant to be doing.

But didn’t come without some stress like learning to trust that the Universe would provide.

Some stress is good because it keeps us motivated.

If you don’t have a bear on your back, you tend to get comfortable.

But when you’re backed into a corner, you tend to put pressure on yourself to make things happen quicker.

And I’ve come to grips that stress means you’re working, coming up with solutions, and contributing to our world of chaos.

Those gray hairs come from stress turned platinum. 😁

…And those platinum hairs are purposefully chic because you still care what you look like in the mirror and how others see you daily. 🪞

You’re also showing up for your part, so your stress is not in vain.

…And you’re on your journey to finding that sweet spot of your purpose and what you are meant for.

That’s spiritual and beyond outward talent that’s important.

…But talent is ever changing and your spiritual essence is not. Talent can die at any time. Spirit moves and changes with you until the end.

You’re not likely to be overwhelmed by your spirit that is quietly whispering and subtle.

You and I don’t have to be seniors to know that… and between the two of us, you and I have seen so many examples of those we know who didn’t find their changing purposes guided by their spirit in life.

…Over time the shiny and new transformers became dull and listless.

Their engines aren’t revved up because they’ve given up on change in themselves.

But that won’t happen to you as long as you don’t give up on growing… you’re bound to succeed in your desires.

But if you feel you need a tune-up, maybe instead of doing the same things you’ve done, consider taking a moment to do something radically different for your day to escape the regular rhythm flow.

The world and your work will still run with your pause.

Like: escape and read a book you would never consider before, with hopes to learn something new about yourself. 📚

Self-discovery is underrated because it’s invisible in the air, but we can inspire our wonder and stimulate our curiosity.

I find that reading books about other’s lives and memoirs helps me to stay grounded and learn things about my own life… and not take life so seriously!

We’re on a spiritual journey in life and when we know that, we aren’t as overwhelmed with what’s going on around us.

And enjoy the daily ride for all its parts. 🏎️

And if reading isn’t calling you: you could start writing a personal essay journal-style if you don’t want to feel overwhelmed.

Dare yourself.

Let out your thoughts and emotions. You can always crumple it up and delete it later.

Let the intention be that you learn more about your inner self.

And maybe discover your creativity.

Creativity is an escape and a sign that you’re out of overwhelmed feelings.

It’s a spiritual gift.

And you could find your calling that way.

That’s what happened to me… I wrote over a hundred 100 personal essays and put them out in the world.

And I never stopped…

…But I could’ve easily missed the writing calling.

And I almost did… had I chosen to stay in the corporate working world.

Because then and there I would be worrying what I would say and put out in the world.

That would create more stress and overwhelm than worth sharing.

But in my chosen new way o life, I creatively write and post during my previously forbidden corporate work hours.

And those are my carved out, glorious sacred work hours…

The world freezes around me and my blood pressure lowers in this cool, calm healthy environment. ☃️

Hopefully this inspires you to escape and find a way to emerge from any overwhelmed seasons… and find your spiritual schtick.

Thanksgiving Quote For Happiness

Thanksgiving is a universal reminder time of thanks. One way that often takes a back seat is to love ourselves.

That way, we have more room to give love and pass on the abundance to family, neighbors, and others on our journey path.

Loving ourselves means forgiving ourselves and others, like God forgave us. We want to feel grateful.

If you’re stuck, maybe ask: what am I hung up on that I don’t have?

Because we have so much more to be grateful for than what we don’t have.

Our brains easily fool us into focusing on the wrong and negative things.

And part of what we don’t have that we think we want right now is going to be what gives us a better future.

Because life is rigged in our favor in our belief and faith.

This isn’t something we’re born with knowing, but over time and experience you grow wiser and the knowing inside you becomes more clear.

Daily thought choices determine our future view of ourselves, our lives, success, and happiness.

Thanksgiving quote:

“Every time you are tempted to react in the same old way, ask if you want to be a prisoner of the past or a pioneer of the future.” – Deepak Chopra

Even though none of us know the future outcomes no matter what age we are.

But the answers are inside us waiting for the ripe-ready reveal time to birth.

That’s a spiritual way to look at it and how I see it from my reflecting back lens of life experiences. I didn’t see that back in my 30s (so don’t worry if you think you’re a late bloomer).

It’s a gradual shift like time.

And over time, you can realize nothing in your past was wasted. The hard things you went through made it easier for you now or in the future. And the dumb things done (we all have them!) made you smarter now.

It’s in our future where we get new revelations.

And most of our answers to our life’s purposes are already inside us.

We first have to grow up, learn to change our auto-responses, and heal from our past hurts that will help us.

…That’s how this one Life we get to live keeps getting better, and our perspectives change because we allow them to with our open curiosity.

The famous saying is that this (as in life) is not a dress rehearsal.

But for those of us who believe in Heaven, it is.

We’re here for experiences and growth.

And as we gather more experiences, we learn and grow. That’s the purpose of this life as I believe. And we do that by ourselves and with others.

And if you want to make this a new season different than past ones, then dig deeper in the well for your answers.

They’re there! 🎯

You only stay stuck when you box yourself in… I remember years ago where I spent a couple Thanksgivings abroad. It’s always a weird feeling because that special Thursday is only celebrated in America.

Initially I felt I was missing out. But then, it made me realize I could be thankful anywhere I was.

Thanksgiving holiday is not about the food… entirely (as I’m from the foodie world 🥘). But getting away from the holiday food traditions helped me to break out of the “this is how it is.”

And that breaking out allowed for embracing growth in future seasons. And not just for new situations, but also a new hopeful attitude.

I found early-on in my journey that my ego blocked these types of beliefs in my auto-thoughts. And I allowed it to because I didn’t know any better.

The brain would serve up the woes-me thoughts for what I didn’t have and wanted.

Part of the process and journey was learning this unhelpful built-in ego feature as a first step.

I wish it didn’t take me beyond 35 years to learn, but I’m glad it didn’t take another 35 years (or never) 😉

And breaking through, when I could tap into my deeper compassionate and feeling sides, that’s when I got more breakthroughs.

…I was less judgmental about myself and more forgiving that projected out to the world… to judge less and forgive more.

Imagine if that radiating energy caught on in most of us. It would be one big ball of massive fire in the world! ☄️ We could use that energy to help and grow our world filled with challenges.

But starting with ourselves is the first and most important place to begin, and keep daily renewing…

Breaking down self-judgment walls and bringing back self-love keeps us growing.

…It helps you and me see better.

Especially if you didn’t feel the love when you were younger or in your more recent situational past.

…When I felt the self-pity from setbacks in life, I bounced back by finding my gratitude and giving spirit (thanksgiving)

Giving can be sharing, donating time or money, providing, spending time, encouraging words, and sending positive loving vibes to the world. 💕

It can be as simple as recognizing that it’s not all about you or me.

It can be about paying forward gratitude for the blessed things I already have or experiences I had.

Getting sensitized and feeling again knocked me out of gray confusion clouds and into sunnier skies.

We are meant to keep growing forward in life so we don’t put ourselves back in the shoes of our former selves. Been there done that.

In today’s moments, we can acknowledge that we’re in a better place by finding examples from our past.

Comparing our new level today with our past level gets us to our next better level of tomorrow.

Proof of this is easy to find for all of us…

If you go waaayyy back to the past as kids (or young adults we were called) that none of us are anymore… back then, we were more impressionable as our younger selves.

We had to get everything okay’d before proceeding as how culture and life is setup.

As pre-adults, we didn’t have the means to do the things we can do today on our own.

And if we did do them then, we’d probably have gotten lost and would be ungrateful as we didn’t fully understand what we had in front of us.

We were still developing our adult minds.

Today as found former-lost baby sheep, we have wiser perspectives to draw from. 🐑

Congratulating our growth is one small step and happy way we can be thankful for this season in life even if it doesn’t look anything like we hoped for!

The focal point sign that we can dwell on is “you’re here”… and it’s years later and you no longer have the same problems you had back there.

So you could come up with a list of what you’ve arrived at today.

Imagine if you had the same challenges and choices you had as a young adult, you’d be so frustrated because you’re no longer with that same mindset. But you’re not there, so that’s one thing you can be thankful for.

And those little thanks help you to embrace where you imperfectly are.

We’re still and always will be dynamic works-in-progress.

Thankfully so because that means we’re alive! 🤸🏻

And collecting up all those fond past memories that you can re-live in present moment happiness helps to keep us rejuvenated.

Then in the tough times (the ones that so blind-shockingly happened), those help grow us into better people.

We become more deeply grateful for what we have… maybe not immediately, but we end up developing stronger character in survival and in the process to get to the other side. 🌈

Even wasted time we feel now was well spent because we learned the lesson to never go there again. And now we don’t have to painfully back track and re-learn the same lesson.

And all of us are walking examples of lessons learned.

We can keep going, getting inspired daily, and FEELing-thinking our way to our thanksgiving.

Holidays like Thanksgiving are welcomed reminders that give us reason to be thankful.

…And to say “thank you” more often.

Focus on “you.”

See yourself through others.

And practice old-fashioned manners and simple Thanksgiving sayings like please that never gets old and goes a long way.

Transformation Change Lead to Purpose

Transformation change such as changes in identity (and realizing that you won’t go back to past and old identities that no longer serve you) lead to personal growth and purpose.

That’s what this article is about.

And I believe what this Life is meant for (…while enjoying the perks and good foods that our living planet offers). 🎉

Consider: why would you stay the same as you started as an adult? You know the better way now than you did even a few years ago.

As adults, one identity we all grow out of is our childhood identity as a rite of passage.

With more years, we gain more experience, knowledge, privileges and freedoms, and respect for our wisdom gained and shown in our lives and communities we belong in.

Accumulated wisdom is a wealth of knowledge as byproduct of transformation change.

And life transformations are about wise growth and celebration of life where each year we live, we can celebrate a new year and our birthdays.

We also get the free-will choice to live life differently than our past… making healthy changes.

And a positive transformation change from personal growth would enhance our future lives (for the rest of our lives).

Embracing a new change inside us could change us deeply.

While we’re not in control of our life destinies or even what opportunities come our way, we can take wise daily steps that lead us to the right ones for us when we’re ready.

If we’re open to and available when something big comes our way or when opportunities call that may not be what we thought or thought we wanted, that can accelerate our growth and reaching our fullfilling purposes we’re destined for.

If we’re stuck, going in a different direction is worth investigating.

Avoiding a new direction in front of you would be like trying to turn back time or fit the genie back in the bottle to the former life seasons with the better perspectives you have now.

Because today and now is already yesterday tomorrow. The clock and current situations move whether we want it to.

…So being proactive and unafraid to jump into our lives’ fullness is a good way to look at making big leap changes that’ll help us sooner and head us toward our brighter future. 🚀

Being open to what we didn’t know before as truth and NOW DO know is even better.

No regrets of the past because our past led us to better discoveries and ways today.

And that keeps us fearless and pressing onward.

Making a radical transformation change (personality, beliefs, and identities) could be the difference maker. And from what I know, it comes from within…

It starts with you.

No one can make those decisions for you except you.

And no one can make other people’s life decisions except them.

So often we want to help others and our input backfires.

They do what is not best for them anyway because of their strong emotions or beliefs running inside that can go in any direction.

And sometimes what we miss about what they did was actually their best for them at the time. They were called to a different destiny than the one we thought they should head toward.

We have no control over that or them, so we stay mostly in our lane and focus on working on ourselves for our healthy lives.

I think everyone reaches a crossroad in their life where they get to pause, wonder, and productively cross-examine if they’re still on the right path… not the right career or where to live that changes over time anyway… but the higher path that’s also the wiser path.

I know for me that became evident when I had life problems in every balance wheel of life area that gave me my first gray hair stress sign at 25. That was not a wisdom hair.

…I didn’t know where to turn. So that set me on a quest to seek answers and a transformation change and transformational path that I may not have entered otherwise.

And when those problems gradually resolved (that felt like forever at the time but lasted a few years), new season challenging circumstances took their place.

Transitions happened often in my life. A lot like today’s world where two years is a long time.

But back then, I felt like the poster child for adaptability in new work environments.

From taking close, harder looks from my experiences, I realized the beliefs I had were mostly culture-influenced.

…And doing me no healthy good. They were hurting me.

I grew up and worked mostly in the Washington DC metro area that’s one of the most competitive areas in the country.

I leaned on the external clues to measure success, growth, and happiness.

But over many packing up moves and career moves, I realized it’s not about career or where you live that matters most.

It’s what you carry inside you that determines what happens next and how healthy you are (mind-body connection).

And I’ll pause here a second to recognize that I know not everyone sees life problem signs as helpful ones to make a life change…

But doing so is a gift.

It was a blessing for me so I didn’t have to live the same life I started in.

…And one that can make designed life transformation change more smooth and enjoyable than fighting truths (what’s meant to be) that can be exhausting and anxiety-fear filled.

Truths align and lead you to fulfilling purposes and your best future destiny outcome.

An illustration: we see signs blown up in celebrity’s lives who live under microscopes in America.

In prime media channels, we see whether their lives have evolved in a healthy or in an unhealthy way… such as trying to live their past selves because that’s what made them into a celebrity identity.

But holding on would hold them back in personal growth and transformation where they’re meant to move into other areas with greater impact.

It’s the same for us peeps in ordinary lives. 😊

We are all on this journey of life living and learning in the One Life we‘re given, where we look out from our perspective. No one else has the exact same perspective.

We can make our vantage point an advantage in our lives.

The point we stand is different for all of us snowflakes, but to grow, each of can ask ourselves: what am I missing in this life?

Questioning life is always good… because there’s nothing more important than life.

And if the complicated mind feeds you ideas that there is a companion, a pet, dream job, or better career that hasn’t shown up yet… then keep looking deeper and higher.

Because none of those earthly desires are answers to forever happiness. It’s what you do within that will bring the daily joy and happiness to carry you along moment by moment.

External things are a temporary vantage point.

If you were living out the dreams, after some time reality challenges would show up and the honeymoon happy feelings would wear off because now it’s every day… and that’s why we have good and bad days so we can celebrate the good ones.

Happiness is not about getting what you want, like children and young adults would tell you.

Fleeting happy feelings and getting stuff keep us moving ahead in life until we’re more mature, so we can handle more and get to the fulfilling, fruit bearing stuff that become our life passions in ripe timing.

It’s the deeper discovery within and above that will bring the joy on Life’s journey. And life transformations are the vehicles.

The life choices made today take us to tomorrow. Wisely, they will also be a part of the past soon enough. So the only thing not fleeting and temporary is who you and I are in our now vantage point that we look out from that moves with us.

We carry us and our vantage point everywhere we go, even on vacations.

And if ever stuck, we can ask the Universe to help us with our intentions: can you take me higher?

Reminds me of the song lyrics in “Higher” by Creed:

At sunrise I fight to stay asleep, cause I don’t want to leave the comfort of this place, ‘cause there’s a hunger, a longing to escape.

It’s a choice to get insight from our higher selves. This accelerates growth and in areas that may never grow if we stay doing life the same way we’ve always done.

One healthy way to look at it is we embrace transformation change.

That’s the deeper wisdom and the higher path.

Those will lead to the highest purposes for our lives here on earth.

I used to be afraid deeper spiritual change would lead me to a life I would hate or a life as a martyr, but trust led to grander things than I could have imagined.

There’s no magic age where purpose aligns in our lives, but the sooner we reach up and out, the sooner we get to leave our former caterpillar identities we started out as.

We get to transform to butterflies sooner and enjoy the sweet nectar and honey that comes along.

In yoga terms, we can go from looking down to the ground in caterpillar pose to opening up in butterfly pose and choosing to look out and up.

That’s the wise growth path I know and maybe one that helps you on your journey. 🌱