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How to Soul Search Life Secrets

How to soul search is something I know a lot about as I’ve been doing it all my adult life with the core question in the back of my mind: what is this life really about?

Because on a deeper level, it’s not about our jobs, relationships or families.

They may consume parts and most of the time in our lives.

But we (you and me) are the most important part of our lives.

Because we’re the only ones we’re responsible for in the end.

And our best life is about our growth journey… and who we become.

A decade from now you won’t care as much about what you did this year compared to who you’ve become 10 years later.

As we grow older, we’ve acquired more earthly proof in our experiences that nothing stays the same and experience impact fades… and we have chances to make big differences with change today and in the years we have left.

For our sake and our planet’s sake.

It’s individually up to us to crack the code of how to optimize this life and find meaning.

And I believe it’s through how to soul search in our lives.

…Because the deeper life answers are here and the mysteries of life are discovered there.

We don’t have to travel anywhere to discover what we need, so each of us has the same opportunity (that has no cost).

The universal core truths of why we’re here have stayed the same, while everything on earth changes.

Today, you’ve figured that out or like every person in every generation that gets to sooner, later, or not if you so choose.

Ultimately it matters because it’s not all up to you or me on how things turn out.

….It’s also not up to our bosses, parents, or anyone else that makes influence in your life even if they’re the loudest in our thoughts.

Then who is it up to?

Figuring out this life’s meaning I argue is the best way… choosing to agree with this life’s terms vs. fighting against it is the happier path of aligned purposed living without regrets along the way.

I was lucky to have discovered these life secrets on my journey and happy to share my how to soul search discoveries with you.

…That mind you, came after making many re-routes I took that helped me form my thoughts.

Because I had none of the answers taught to me growing up or in my 20s getting my feet off the ground, so I had to follow my blind instincts.

And that led me to unchartered wilderness places that would eventually land me into bigger and better places.

All those experiences helped me out and I know the Universe guided me along. I found my spirit before I found how to soul search.

My gut instincts came from an invisible hand giving me the blessed upper-hand in my situations where I was meant to go.

And that’s what’s daily playing out for most of us if we’re paying attention and open to the idea of miracle possibilities and forces greater than ourselves.

But when I was younger, I didn’t know all this.

…I just knew I couldn’t wait to grow up and be on my own.

I relied on the hopes of a better future and if it’s meant to be, it’s up to me.

I didn’t have role models other than distant ones in magazines.

I lived on the surface. I never delved deep in my soul.

Then living as a young adult, I discovered everything in my life was wrong…

I had problems in every wheel of balance area of life… from my difficult work struggles, unhealthy and rocky relationships, and financial woes looming over my life that eventually caught up with me.

Those were the buckets that mattered most at that age in my life that I was juggling.

My life was completely off from the happy life I wanted. I was far from knowing how to soul search.

It wasn’t what I would have hoped for life would turn out to be dreaming of freedom as an adult.

…And if any of this hits a chord with you or problems are what you’re going through now, believe that your struggles will make you better and stronger on the other side.

You’ll be better off in your future because of your problems, (after you’ve processed what you went through). You’ll learn about deeper parts of you and how to search the soul.

And if you lean into your wiser soul better-half guide inside you (also guiding your heart), you’ll get your higher calling answers in your life… the better and deeper answers that are not the same ones you started off with or initially fear about daily from the “rational” brain.

Or irrational mind… that not going to help with how to soul search.

Wise soul plans are subtle in thought and can take years in the making to manifest.

When older people tell you that life gets better it’s because they’ve found the better ways of life through life.

And leaning on their confidence, you can gain wisdom and get there sooner rather than later.

I’m grateful my life has turned out that way.

…I felt like I was once a crawling caterpillar that grew into a butterfly. 🦋

But before I got to the life gets better part, my idea of a happy life had to go awry so that I could struggle, survive, and get out of the chrysalis to thrive.

Looking back, I had to go through the process of those messy and tough seasons for my own good and growth to come out another way.

But those early years, I was crushed.

And every year I was sad and hit with the winter blues.

Nothing changed quick enough.

I had no idea what I wanted to do after I graduated college with a business degree (because I liked businesses).

…Even though I was so sure of my marketing major I chose.

But there was a disconnect of real life from the college life bubble of learning theories of economics and how to market goods and run a business.

So like most people, I did the next best thing: I got a job.

And starting with my first career, I had problems at work that I had never heard of before from my friends and peers.

I was isolated because I didn’t know others who worked in the hospitality world (other than the ones that were in the same workplace I was).

In my bubble, a few months after starting I knew there was something wrong when I learned women in my office were harassed.

Made sense why they were all attractive with a Barbie dress code to match.

Then I realized that was me too.

This was decades before #metoo.

It wasn’t too long before I moved on into greener pastures.

I felt like I had made it as a catering manager with a better title and my own office… but it wasn’t long before my dream job landed turned into another work nightmare.

Your work life is only as happy as your relationship with direct bosses. That’s where I ran into troubles.

Those couple of years sitting next to the hotel brand’s bag of signature chocolate chip cookies only made me tougher.

I became a tough cookie even though I stayed soft and chewy outside. 🍪

Shaken by a sudden panic attack one day in my office taught me valuable lessons.

For one, I am not in control of this life.

…And I didn’t have it all together despite what my ego told me.

It took many more years of work experiences to make impressions on my soul, one traumatic event after another…

…from anger management bosses to micromanager and bullying managers.

Working in different toxic corporate management situations, I now know the root cause.

…and it’s the same one at the root of all human problems.

The ego is at the core of all relationship issues, arguments, misperceptions, and people acting out.

Same problem.

Different responses.

Humans aren’t looking eye-to-eye in their mind. It’s like the Tower of Babel where people are suddenly speaking different languages.

But back when I was in the work situations, I didn’t know any better.

I took what came at me at face value to survive and hold the job.

And for decades working in corporate office places, I wore rosy glasses thinking and hoping there were better places out there.

But job after job, I was disappointed.

Good people are there, but the egos show up and dominate.

Some places were downright miserable and the best ones didn’t last.

Everything changed eventually…

And I realized a forever dream job is a myth.

You can stay to retirement and be miserable and luckily I never got that opportunity. I got pivots instead.

Gaining this clarity from many work experiences helped shape my soul and I learned how to soul search from that standpoint.

And leaving the corporate world was my launching pad.

First off, I learned what the soul is…

The soul as witness to life is the part of you and me that is not on the surface.

But it’s not that deep below the surface either.

When you bare your soul, you’re sharing your authentic feelings and thoughts based on our opinions, personality, and interpretations.

Our soul are our deeper thoughts from our mind, will, and emotions that often gets confused with our spirit.

…Or our Spirit.

Our Spirit is a separate ethereal being inside us (and around us inside other people).

Spirit-thoughts are not our generated thoughts, but become our thoughts.

If you’re Christian, you’re familiar with hearing about the Spirit or Holy Spirit… even if you don’t know how that plays a part in your daily life today.

And that’s how it was for me before my spiritual intervention.

…I have enough to say about it now that I could write a book on the topic as someone living a faith-filled life. 😊

But I didn’t start out that way.

I was not born a Christian.

And I didn’t grow up in church.

How To Soul Search From Situations In Your Life

I became God seeking when opportunity arose and problems grew.

That started in those hotel working days in my 20s when I looked down at my body and everything was there.

But inside I knew something was missing…

Years later, I discovered the spirit first that was one way into finding my deeper soul.

Another way that supporting this was never feeling permanently satisfied in life.

So many moves and moons later, I gradually found my soul…

Along with my purpose and daily happiness that came as side gifts. 🎁

They were daily motivational keys 🔑 that unlocked deeper understanding of my soul.

Living a more emotionally and healthy balanced daily life created the growth foundation.

For me, that included lots of healthy sweet food inspiration (like the healthy baking recipes I share on this blog 🍥).

That was around the time my purpose started to shape up.

One day, I dedicated myself to the craft of writing: something I never dreamed of or sought to do before.

And I never stopped.

Balance and purpose were the keys that gave the most satisfaction and clarity to my life.

And those could be for you too…

Trying different things will help you to discover your purpose(s) and maybe some hidden talents along the way.

If you use your today gifts and talents to develop a craft that becomes your practice and purpose, you also develop more useful skills.

All that helps you to align to find your deeper purposes and eventual destiny.

I’m still in the deeper purposes part of life and I look forward to destiny when it’s time. I know it’s there.

And if you don’t know where to start, start with a passion and look at where you spent time in the past you enjoyed or were curious about.

Example: I worked with food as a passion that never died, so it’s no shock that I create and share daily healthy recipes today even though I had no idea I would. That came years later.

Because I didn’t know I would do anything with food outside of the hotels and restaurant life I worked in for a decade.

Purpose and Soul Searching

That’s how purpose works…

You remove the outer self wrapped in pride (a form of ego) and you’re left with purpose.

Purpose is deep and daily happiness allows you to keep productively going and growing.

Then you’re left with a deep satisfied feeling that you often don’t get with life living on other people’s terms.

You’re emotionally freed up and have the headspace to be creative and innovative. Not the busy and anxious go-go-go ego environments of Corporate America.

Then being calm, creative, and satisfied-minded, you can minimize yourself and your needs and wonder more about possibilities.

You get and naturally want to explore more of who you are as a creator and spiritual being.

Feeling more inspired, you can more easily grow your deeper soul and parts inside you that you never knew existed (where there are beyond and abundant possibilities).

…That’s where dreams can manifest into real life.

Plus, more cool stuff in your life.

And remember, that can all start from life problems turned into blessings.

Gut Health For a Happier Life

Gut health is something that rules our happy life. This article is about reminders and what you can do about keeping the gut happy.

…And fermented foods is one way that makes for your healthier and happier life! 😊

Easy steps to make sourdough for gut health. 👣

Like, baking sourdough is one way to take healthy measures to get a happy gut. And a great new year initiative. 🎉

For one, making sourdough is an immersive experience to learn about what fermented foods are.

In the process, you see how easily bacteria in the air (that we often avoid) is created and grows, and these become baked-in prebiotic foods to support our healthy gut bacteria.

I learned about these sides researching and writing articles for health and wellness publications… and going through the baking experience myself like so many during the pandemic.

Sourdough was a trend and maybe still is with you. 🥖

…If you’ve never tried making sourdough, it’s much easier to make (and regular bread too) than it sounds.

Actually… it’s sooo easy in steps, that it fits on the small square infographic image above that I created. ⬆️

…And that’s just one way to promote gut health.

A healthy gut is a happy life connection.

…Where remember, over 90% of the happy hormones (serotonin) is made in the gut.

So if you have a less-than-balanced gut, then the happy moods can subtly run off… but often can be mood restored with TLC (self-care) and Ayurvedic restoration if it’s not caused by a health issue.

…If you don’t know why you have a sudden chip on your shoulder or are more emotionally lately, gut health could be one reason.

So it’s good to ask yourself: what have I been eating lately? And what in my life and lifestyle could have brought this temporary mood on?

The mind-body connection is as real as the happy gut health connection.

And if it’s lifestyle or mood-related, you can get your healthy and happy gut back on with some tweaks…

Eating more fiber from mostly veggies and fruits for morning starters is a good move! 🥕🥦

The fiber ones that are non-digestible are prebiotic. There’s a subset of plant-based foods or produce out there that qualify. 🍏 🍌

Prebiotic foods such as asparagus are abundant in spring. And garlic and onions peak… (see these ones peeking out here 🧅).

Along with probiotic healthy bacteria (like that found in Greek yogurt), prebiotic foods will encourage more good bacteria.

And so, mixing your banana (prebiotic) and Greek yogurt (probiotic) is a good idea. And when you add nuts or seeds and whole fruits, that makes a gut smile even more.

Starting your morning habits after a tall glass of water or ginger water sets you and your body on the right foot.

You can prevent leaky gut, dysbiosis, SIBO, and IBS caused by food habits.

Encouraging good gut bacteria growth in the body is similar to supporting positive, loving thoughts in the mind where you want to crowd out the negative, bad ones.

✋ Avoid Reminders:

Antibiotics destroy the gut microbiome and changing gut health flora. Take antibiotics when absolutely necessary.

Such as, most people wouldn’t take antibiotics for a common cold virus (as it wouldn’t help and is not necessary).

But it’s common to take antibiotics prescribed by a doctor as precaution for a growing bacterial infection. And supplementing with probiotics (including yogurt) help to support the gut damage.

If you think of a healthy gut like a well-run garden (vs. an unbalanced jungle that can turn into weeds ), then you have a good mental picture of healthy balance vs. dysbiosis (gut imbalance).

…And you’re the gardener. 🧑‍🌾

Avoid the skin on foods that are non-organic.

Skin has nutrients but a lot of the modern healthy foods we eat today are sprayed with toxins in the process that negate the benefits and damage the gut.

So eating skin on certified organic foods or ones you personally plant and care for is the only real way to be safer in protecting your gut microbiome.

Stress is a killer. Our bodies naturally clean and detox during sleep, but stress puts wear and tear on our body’s natural defenses and adds a strain on its healthy housekeeping.

Avoiding stress at all costs is the best way.

With stressful seasons and situations that you experience, take daily deep breaths.

It’s amazing how the world looks different after a few deep breathing exercises like: Ujjayi, Lion’s Breath, or 4-7-8.

My favorite way is getting on my yoga mat to let the world and stress melt away. 🧘🏻‍♀️

It’s cathartic.

You can also take relaxing nature walks and experience tears of joy through Ayurvedic living.

The story of your stress is displayed in your gut, starting from cravings and what you eat… down to how food is digested and how it determines your bathroom life relative to other days and seasons.

The moods you think you’re feeling may not be the one your body is actually experiencing.

Remember, you are not your body or mind, but they are part of you.

You can tell signs by what you’re drawn or repelled to in foods, scents, and activities. That’s one way Ayurveda is useful to daily, modern life so you can make changes.

And that’s why I was hooked after I learned about the science …as we’re not prisoners to our situations and moods that are served up… we’re empowered to restore to our healthy and happy, best life and season.

…And we’re better off for it in daily joyful living and living healthy longer.

You can restore your moods and gut in one-fell swoop effort with your healthy moves when you know what to do (and then do it).

Mood foods are a good way to start and most fall in the anti-inflammatory food diet categories that’s catching on.

Anti-inflammatory foods are the ones I focus on, as I found on my healthy living journey that they matter most.

They help to restore gut balance and bigger picture… they’re known to prevent certain common chronic diseases like heart diseases, Diabetes, cognitive decline, and certain cancers.

You can find anti-inflammatory profiles in many beverages, spices, and colorful polyphenol-filled rainbow foods when you look around. 🌈

…Like this butterfly blue tea drink filled with quercetin and other antioxidants that I made from bags of tea I purchased.

Keeping a daily happy gut with anti-inflammatory plant-based foods and creative healthy beverages, you live comfortably, have more energy, and get to fulfill more each day.

…Now that’s something to look forward to! ✨

One gut health pairing idea: a pear granola crumble (substitutable with apple) that’s tasty happy pair-enhanced with cinnamon. Use Ceylon cinnamon for additional anti-inflammatory benefits. 🧡 😋

Pear Granola Crumble

Course Breakfast

Cuisine American

Author Brandy @ Healthy Happy Life Secrets

Ingredients

dry oats
pear
honey
cinnamon to liking
light EVOO

Instructions

Add your layer of oats. And drizzle honey ontop and a drizzle of light olive oil so you get the toasty granola effect.
Add your cut pear slices. Add cinnamon as a divine flavor pairing.
Add another layer of oats and more cinnamon to liking.
Bake until toasted.
For healthy Vata balancing, add orange slices or zest and additional Ceylon cinnamon.

Happy Life Embraces Change

Happy life was something I always dreamt of. I never knew the ride would be so different like clouds.

As you get closer, the clouds change and along the journey you gain empowered happiness that changes your perspective.

Living a happy life today means leaning into change. But that wasn’t how it always was…

I learned the adaptable ropes mostly in the job roles I held. I started out as a planner.

I was more like a hard doll than a flexible Gumby as a toy visual.

I think doing corporate work is a good training ground for life, reality, and how to deal with tough situations that don’t require physical survival skills. But you do learn life skills.

These make you resilient and adaptable to change as you’re never fully in control.

No one in corporate really is the boss. Even the boss has a boss.

They could be customers or a Board. And once you get the hang of what you’re doing, something changes.

So leaning into change is the best thing you can do. It starts with changing your perspective on change.

Just knowing that what you’re temporarily going through will not last, helps.

Some things you wish would, but then some you’re glad didn’t. So it usually comes out in the wash.

But, our brains want us to focus on the negative stuff instead of positive thougthts. It’s our job to flip the switch for our happiness.

If you let your mind just wander to where it wants to go and stay, that’s where the unhappiness comes from.

It’s like when you want to leave an unhappy physical place and arrive at a better place (or the steps in between) to get to a better place.

The happiest place on earth is really inside you and your managed feelings that start from your thoughts.

…Not Disney Land or your favorite place in the world. If you’ve been around long enough or are a wise soul who has caught on, you know those changing feelings never last.

If and when you become change-nimble, you don’t hold onto the past or what could have been.

You let go and focus on today, but dream about tomorrow. And you use history and your past as good reminders, happy memories, and to recall your happy life.

And in your today situations, you learn what you can do. Sometimes it’s wait-and-see without active response, and sometimes it’s taking a step in a bold stance or in another direction.

You’re wise to use healthy internal discernment as a guide and rational facts as checks and balances.

We all get thrown curve balls at some point. We also get varying opinions and smartly we can know that even those you honor or look up to don’t always have the best advice.

I have found the easiest way to take the best advice is to give the same advice. And to make a radical bold shift in the way that makes sense, can require a whole new attitude.

That begins with a motivation to want to change even if you don’t know-how. You learn in the desire.

You start over like a kid wanting to learn how to take on a new challenge, adventuresome sport, or hobby. Learning to change your thoughts is not nearly as exciting.

But if you manage your thoughts, you’ll get to the activities you’re really good at a lot sooner and not spend years on time-wasting ones.

Say, for example, you want to stop blaming or criticizing so much but that’s not the way it is or has been.

So then you would find how to shift the situation so you become part of the solution. You seek change with peace and not tension as part of the goal. You do this by catching yourself and your thoughts.

This I believe is the truth to happiness and having a happy life.

When you learn how to jump straight to changing attitudes and perspectives, you bypass the messy middle… where even with best intentions, our brain design can get stuck there in the clouds.

And sometimes you may not even know your invisible perspectives. I had a victim mentality and lens I was operating from that I didn’t even know was there.

Only until I was aware and observed my thoughts, could I change that.

With awareness in any area, you move towards a happy life.

If nothing else, believe that a better world and your better, happy life is in the process.

Because your beliefs make up your perspectives and attitudes. With all three in alignment, you’re destined to be unstoppable.

That’s how I transformed a victim mentality into an abundant one.

And you can too, or any other area you become aware of that you want to change and transform.

From a caterpillar existence to your butterfly happy living. 🦋