Slower, Wealthier, Happier

Happy Juneteenth, beautiful 💋.

As I sit here reflecting on Juneteenth, I find myself thinking about hope. Not the kind of hope that arrives overnight, but the kind of hope that survives generations. The kind of hope carried by people who dreamed of freedom, opportunity, dignity, and a better future that they themselves might never fully experience. While there is still so much work to do and so many challenges that remain, I am grateful that I get to be part of the answer to some of those dreams. Even in the middle of my own uncertainty, I can look back at the courage and hope of those who came before me and be reminded that hope has always been a powerful thing. Their hope carried forward. And because of that, I believe mine can too.

This week has challenged me to find a different measuring stick. If I am honest, I have spent a considerable amount of my life measuring myself by outcomes. Did the contract come? Did the plan work? Did the opportunity show up? Did I hit the goal? Did I accomplish the thing? The problem with that measuring stick is that so many of those things are not completely within my control. What I am learning is that while I have been busy measuring outcomes, I have often overlooked the beautiful things that were happening right in front of me. Somewhere along the way, I became really good at noticing what wasn’t working and not nearly as good at celebrating what was.

For example, my house smells amazing. I know that sounds simple, but it makes me smile every single time I walk through the door. For years, I wanted my home to feel warm, welcoming, and deliciously inviting. I tried different things, hoping to create that feeling, and now I have finally arrived at a place where it does. Every time I walk inside, it feels like home. It feels peaceful. It feels cared for. It feels yummy. And maybe that sounds small to someone else, but it isn’t small to me. It is one of those little moments that reminds me that parts of the life I dreamed about are already here.

I am also celebrating something else that I have not always been very good at celebrating: follow-through. This month has not been easy. Between healing from surgery, navigating changes in work, adjusting to medication, and carrying the weight of several decisions that need to be made, there have been plenty of reasons to stop, pause, or put things off. Yet each week this month, I have followed through on the things I committed to myself. Has it taken longer than I wanted? Absolutely. Has it looked exactly how I imagined? Not even close. But I did it anyway. And I am learning that maybe the win is not perfection. Maybe the win is continuing to show up.

This week, I also made the decision to get support. If you have been reading my blogs for a while, then you know I have written about the years I spent battling anxiety without support. I white-knuckled my way through seasons that were incredibly difficult because I did not know there were other options available to me. This time is different. This time, I recognized that I am navigating a lot, and instead of waiting until I was completely overwhelmed, I chose to get help. I decided to return to counseling, and for the first time, I am receiving medication support as well. Ten years ago, I would have viewed that decision differently. Today, I view it as wisdom. I view it as self-care. I view it as honoring myself enough to not carry everything alone.

What is so joyful to me about all of this is that I am finally learning to count things that deserve to be counted. Not just the big milestones. Not just the financial wins. Not just the things that look impressive from the outside. I am learning to celebrate healing. I am learning to celebrate support. I am learning to celebrate self-awareness. I am learning to celebrate following through. I am learning to celebrate a home that smells amazing and a nervous system that feels safer than it used to. Most importantly, I am learning to celebrate myself a little more and judge myself a little less.

So today, on Juneteenth, I invite you to consider your own measuring stick. What are you counting? What are you overlooking? What beautiful things have become so normal that you no longer celebrate them? What if the win isn’t that life is perfect? What if the win is that you are finally paying attention to all the ways it is already beautiful? Because sometimes the most meaningful victories are not the ones the world applauds. Sometimes they are the quiet moments where you realize you are becoming the person you hoped you would be all along.

Love,

Your Most Magical Self 💋✨