My life hack.

There was a season, long ago, that I couldn't find my way through. At one particularly low point during that time, when I had ceased believing the light at the end of the tunnel was anything other than another train coming to run me over, I thought, this is too much! It has to end! Then, I got an intuitive nudge, 'put on a comedy special.' I didn't think about it, I just did it. It is hard to not feel lighter watching a shirtless dad with a beer belly tell absurd jokes on stage. Some of you may know the comedian Bert Kreischer. Over time, with help from Bert and a few other comedians, I was genuinely feeling lighter. It was a simple reminder that we can tip too far in any direction without realizing it. Too deep in the darkness. Too relentless in the pursuit of the light. Even too focused on the healing itself. Thank heavens for listening to my intuition. So what does this have to do with my life hack you ask? This is slightly awkward to admit - and I only do it when I am alone in my car - I listen to affirmation music. Recently I thought, OMG is this akin to people who listen to Christian rock? Not that that there is anything wrong with that, but eeeww, should I admit this? Back in 2022, I was on the other side of my 'dark night of the soul' experience and deep into my coach training. Immersed in studying with my music in the background, my Spotify algorithm served up a really funky song. I started playing it on repeat. Eventually I realized I was listening to an affirmation song. What the artist was singing about was exactly what I had been working on. Being positive. Confident. Grounded in who I was becoming. That took me down a wormhole and that is how I got hooked. Many an affirmation song now live rent free in my head, in a positive way. Not merely as memorized words, but as something I feel in my body and believe on a deeper level. Here's the thing, even with these songs, it can get to be too much. Then I stumbled across Toni Jones. Specifically her song "Healing Is Not My Purpose," from her album Affirmations for the Grown Ass Woman. I just love that title, so good. And this is what I have been sitting with since last week. How to explain what I was feeling in the retraction of my growth. The pressure to keep healing, keep working on myself, keep becoming. It led me to reflect on the opening of this song: "I am remembering the freedom to be here and live an enjoyable life." Joy does not require effort, it requires you to stop blocking it. We don't always have to be doing to make progress. Sit in the moments of joy and allow yourself to be fulfilled. So what is your life hack? I'd love to know, and obviously, not judgement from me. I will be in my car singing along to my affirmation playlist if you need me…