Finding Your Way Back To Yourself
Finding Your Way Back to Yourself: How Following Joy Can Change Your Life
We are officially halfway through 2026. Oofta! How does that sit with you? I felt a shift already this year - did you?
I’ll soon be hitting my fourth anniversary, which marks four years of working as a healer, entrepreneur, and stepping away from corporate. What a journey it’s been.
A recent client session inspired me to reflect on my own path from feeling lost, stuck, and disconnected to passionate, fulfilled, and deeply happy.
The client struggled to see the light - her light - through crippling grief, depression, and despair that seemed to trip her up time after time. At one point, I asked, “What brings you joy?”
She didn’t have an answer.
She filled the air with what she used to enjoy, but those no longer resonated with her anymore. She felt lost, raw, and hopeless.
I understood this feeling.
There is a spark that lives within us all, and during times of painful rebirths, it can be very difficult to reconnect to that light, tend to it, and allow it to illuminate our way.
Reconnecting With My Heart
While working in banking, I felt my heart yearning for something different.
Day after day, I sat down with my journal and asked myself questions such as: If I could do anything I wanted, what would I do? If money were not an issue, what would I do with my time and other resources? What am I passionate about? I didn’t have any substantial answers for the longest time.
How had I gotten so disconnected from my essence that I couldn’t describe what excited me?
Ceaselessly, I continued to journal.
As a child, summer was my favorite season because it represented freedom. My imagination had no limits, and my creativity flowed endlessly. I loved living in the country and spending all day playing outside. When I got hungry, I made my way to the kitchen and baked something or cooked myself lunch, which filled my stomach and my soul. As long as my chores were done, I was free to play, imagine, and create.
I noticed something curious: I felt calmer in a clean home, so I always made a point to tidy up the house before escaping into my rich inner world.
I realized that I still wanted those same things.
Freedom.
Creative freedom.
A clean, orderly environment.
And, home - Ultimately, I like being home…
Creativity had its limits inside the strictly regulated box of banking, and life was moving too fast for me. I was on a hamster wheel, and I badly wanted to jump off and blaze my own trail. But, where in the hell would I go?
Childhood Leaves Clues
I believe that our childhood holds the secrets to our happiness as adults.
My husband and his friends used to ride their bikes to the hardware store, charge nails and other supplies to their parents’ account, and disappear into the tree row to build whatever their imaginations dreamed up.
He still grins from ear to ear telling those stories of his youth, and to this day, his passion lies in working with his hands, remodeling houses, and tackling outdoor projects. If his friends and/or family are involved, even better!
That little boy lives on within him.
While I didn’t know what I wanted to do professionally, I knew what I wanted it to feel like - creative and free. I wanted my heart involved in my everyday living. That was a start!
Curiosity Led The Way
Several years after graduating college, I realized that I stopped learning outside of work, which bothered me, so I intentionally set out to change that.
I read books on any topic that even remotely sparked my interest, listened to podcasts, researched, and watched documentaries. I gave myself permission to go down rabbit holes without judgement.
Over time, something beautiful happened.
I cultivated knowledge.
I discovered passions.
That soul fire I hadn’t tended to since childhood slowly began burning again.
At one point, I recall doing Warren Buffet’s 5/25 exercise. He instructs one to make a list of 25 career goals and circle the top 5. From there, you discard the remaining 20 and only focus on the top 5. I did this with my passion and interests in mind - not my career. I found it challenging to come up with items at first, but then, it became hard to narrow my top 5.
I started to feel excited about my future.
When Everything Began To Align
By the time a big relocation for our family was on the horizon, I’d been on the road of self-discovery, learning, healing, and exploring for quite some time.
I knew that it was time to step away from banking.
While I loved my coworkers, the customers, and the owners, my heart guided me into a new chapter. I told my husband that I didn’t know what I would do to contribute to our family’s bottom line, but I trusted that I would figure it out.
An unexpected opportunity appeared - I was offered a CFO position. Given that I had yet to overcome and unravel the scarcity mindset that heavily influenced my daily life up to that point, I accepted. Almost immediately I knew this was not where I belonged.
Looking back, I see this job as an essential stepping stone.
It was in that role where everything converged - my experience, knowledge, and passion.
Suddenly, I knew.
I’d been a student of energy, intuition, nutrition, and self-growth for many years up to that point, and it dawned on me that I could buy a biofeedback system, get trained, and incorporate deeper body, mind, and soul healing for others - just like I had been doing for myself over the years using technology, intuition, energy work, nutrition, and experience!
I set out to get formal training and research biofeedback systems. I signed up for a functional nutrition certification course rooted in Traditional Chinese Medicine, which resonated with me given the energetics and use of herbs associated with TCM.
My husband and I also started an organic small farm.
Everything started falling into place.
Four Years Later
I was relieved, excited, and nervous taking that step four years ago. It would take me years to feel fully aligned. However, I cannot believe the amount of joy, passion, and bliss I experience every single day. Also, my nervous system is significantly more calm and regulated.
Transformation did not happen overnight, but that is a story for another time! The story is in the journey, not the destination.
If You’re Lost, Start Here
In reflecting on my path and how I got from there to here, I narrowed down a few action steps to take if you are wanting to get the ball rolling for yourself.
Start journaling if you haven’t already. It’s time to get to know yourself! Ask yourself questions such as I did: If you could do anything you wanted, what would you do? If money were not an issue, what would you do with your time and other resources? What are you passionate about? Don’t be discouraged if you become stumped by these questions. You are just starting to get the wheels turning.
Write about what you were like as a kid. What made you happy? Why do you think that made you happy? What did you like to play? Why do you think you enjoyed it and how does it relate to your life today?
What do you want your future to feel like? Try not to get in the weeds too much here - keep the feeling basic but feel into it. For instance, do you want to feel inclusive? Traditional or progressive? Adventurous, thrilling, or predictable? For me, I wanted to feel creative, free, and peaceful. This requires tapping into the heart and not the ego.
What interests you? Even just a little interest is enough to go on for this one. Once you’ve identified one to two interests, listen to a podcast on it, watch a documentary related to the topic, and/or read a book about it.
Using a modified version of Warren Buffet’s 5/25 Rule, write 25 things you wish to accomplish in your lifetime that would bring you joy. Then, circle the top five. From there, write out simple action steps to take in the coming weeks towards the top five.
Write to the universe or God - whichever or whatever resonates with you and declare you are open to change and ask for guidance. From there, your job is to maintain an open mind, eyes, ears, and heart to see how this unfolds.
Say no more - say no to what doesn’t align to your desired life you wish to create. By doing this, you allow for the new to come in and fill its place.
Say yes more! When you start to say yes to the new opportunities landing on your path, magic happens! You allow the universe to play with you, which may require you to overcome your fears and learn discernment, but you never know what may unfold!
I hope these exercises serve as a launch pad for your next chapter in life! While it may take years for clarity, preparation, and divine timing to converge and take root in your reality, there is no better time to start taking steps towards your new path than now.
There is an old saying - The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is now.
This same advice can be applied to your dreams and aligning you to your highest path.
Go forth and serve your heart, not your conditioned ego.
Watch the magic unfold.
