‍It was a crisp morning, the kind that promised new beginnings. I sat in my car, conducting coaching calls on Zoom; it must have been apparent that I was working. Suddenly, a man came to my window and pointed to a gift he wanted to give me. I rolled down my window, and he handed me a beautiful carton of blueberries.

Life's a dance, right? Sometimes, we're twirling confidently on our own; other times, we're swaying between relying on our gut feeling/wisdom and asking for outside help. This constant balancing act is where we're juggling our inner wisdom with seeking support from others. ‍

I have been researching and working through healing my ancestral trauma. This complex and delicate process typically involves understanding and addressing generational patterns of pain and dysfunction within a family system. Ancestral trauma can be passed down through generations, affecting individuals in various ways. I want to acknowledge that much of my work has been to sever these old patterns that were unfortunately handed down to me.

When have you felt like a beginner recently? I recently found myself unexpectedly teaching a yoga class when the original instructor's substitute needed clarification on the schedule and didn't show up. Little did I know that this impromptu experience would become a catalyst for understanding the true value of being a beginner. Here are things I learned:

It’s our natural instinct to seek out joy, pleasure, balance, comfort, and contentment. Happiness has so many different qualities to it, and goes by so many different names. When we really get to the root of our motivation to do just about anything, we’ll almost always find some version of the word “happiness,” usually alongside things like “safety” and “love.”

When it comes to making any lasting change in life, you want to use the same approach you would use when trying to teach a child something new. It's a learning process and journey, not a race. And there is no need to criticize and push yourself so hard that you lose sight of the importance of enjoying the whole ride.