The Life That’s Growing Me (Turns Out, This Is What I Asked For)

I didn’t know starting a blog would become the soft opening to a new life.

When I first sat down to write, it was simply to put language to the way I wanted to live. Slower. Wealthier. Happier.
A whisper of a vision. A craving. A quiet shift.

But what I didn’t know then—what I couldn’t have known—was that in writing about the life I wanted, I was calling it in.
And not with loud declarations or big announcements. But with the tiniest choices that began to bloom in the background.

Like baking bread.
Like making strawberry jam from scratch.
Like planting an herb garden with my girlfriends.

Things that might sound random to anyone else. Things that didn’t come with applause or results or business strategy.
But things that, somehow, gave me back more of me.

And the wildest part?

It turns out—this is exactly what I asked for.

Bread, Jam & Unfolding Joy

The bread was first.

It was on my 300 List—a long, dreamy compilation of things I wanted to do or try or become. I wrote it months ago, and like most dream lists, it lived quietly in a notebook. Until one day, I looked at it and said: Why not now?

I don’t even fully remember what made me try it. I think I just wanted to make something with my hands. Something that didn’t require approval.

So I pulled out the flour and the yeast, followed a video, and made a loaf of bread that wasn’t perfect—but it was mine.

And something about that moment—holding warm bread in my hands, knowing I made it—moved something inside me.

Then came the jam.

I’d been watching With Love, Meghan, and Meghan Markle made homemade jam look like an actual love language. And honestly? It is.

There’s something about taking strawberries, sugar, and time—and turning it into a sweetness that lives in a jar. I made it for me, but I also made it for my friends. Gave it as gifts. Spread it on toast. And every bite reminded me that I can create beautiful things with my own hands.

And then, the herbs.

I wanted something fun and easy to do with my girlfriends. So we decided to plant mini herb gardens together—basil, mint, rosemary. It started as a bonding activity, but somewhere between planting and watering, I realized I was watching myself grow.

Every day I checked the little pots by the window, and every day I felt something stir. Like, this is what tending to yourself actually looks like.

This Is the Life That’s Growing Me

None of these things were dramatic. None of them were “big wins” in the traditional sense. But every single one was a tiny act of choosing myself.

Choosing to slow down.
Choosing softness.
Choosing joy with no performance attached.

And maybe that’s the whole point.

Maybe this is what wealthier really looks like—being rich in peace, in time, in laughter with girlfriends.

Maybe this is what slower really looks like—saying no to the grind and yes to jam, just because.

Maybe this is what happier really looks like—doing things that make your soul smile, not your resume shine.

I Didn’t Know It Would Look Like This—But It Feels Exactly Right

What I’ve come to understand is this:
The life I wanted was never waiting for me in some grand milestone.

It was waiting for me in the small yeses.
The gentle experiments.
The quiet decisions to be good to myself without needing a reason.

And now?
Now I’m sitting in the middle of the very life I used to crave.

It doesn’t always feel profound. Some days, it’s just a cup of tea on my balcony or the smell of basil in my kitchen. But it’s mine. And it’s working on me. Growing me. Holding me.

A Soft Challenge for Spring

So here’s what I want to offer you, if you’re reading this:

What’s something you’ve been wanting to try—but haven’t made time for?
What’s something new, small, and sweet that’s been whispering to you?

Maybe it’s not jam or bread or herbs. Maybe it’s watercolor or yoga or starting your own dream list.
Whatever it is—let this spring be the season you say yes.

Not because you’ve earned it.
Not because it’ll impress anyone.
But because you deserve to feel connected to yourself again.

Because even if it starts out messy or awkward or imperfect—it might just be the thing that grows you.

Final Word

This isn’t the loud life.
This is the true one.

The one you feel deep in your chest when something small makes you smile.
The one that doesn’t always look like success but feels like home.
The one where you’re no longer chasing your life—you’re living it.

And if no one’s told you today:
You get to choose joy right now.
You get to be soft right now.
You get to start something new right now.

Even if it’s small.
Especially if it’s small.

Because this—this beautiful, slow, sweet little life—just might be exactly what you asked for.

Let’s keep the conversation going.
Come tell me what you’re starting, growing, or nurturing this season inside the Wealthy Women Conversations Facebook group. I’ll be there, cheering you on with jam in one hand and new basil leaves in the other.

Slower, Wealthier, Happier