One of the most desired and yet most challenging things for humans to do is this:

To live fully as ourselves, with truth, love, and peace, without seeking approval, permission, or performance.

That sentence holds so much. And for me, it wasn’t something I arrived at overnight.

From age 20 to 30, I was doing the work, deep, ongoing, layered work. Therapy. Yoga and meditation. Journaling. Being honest with myself. Learning to like myself. Eventually learning to love myself. There were seasons when it all felt like too much, and others where it finally began to click.

And yet, even now, change still feels hard.

I wish someone had told me that change can feel like grief. That shedding old identities, beliefs, and coping mechanisms might feel like losing pieces of yourself, even when those pieces weren’t serving you. No one warned me how disorienting it would feel to step into something new without having it all figured out.

But I kept going. Even when I was unsure. Even when it felt like nothing was working. And what I’ve learned is that showing up imperfectly still counts.

Here’s what I now understand about change:

1. You don’t have to have it all figured out to begin.
2. Small, consistent choices do create lasting change.
3. You’re allowed to outgrow people, patterns, and places.
4. Healing and evolving are forms of self-love.
5. When you choose growth, you choose freedom.

And yet… it’s worth it.

The life I’ve built from 30 to almost 40 is the result of the seeds planted in my twenties. It’s not perfect, but it’s full. Full of intentional care. Full of peace. Full of love.

And I share this not to say do it my way but to say you can do it your way.

Your desires may look different. Your story will be your own. But the invitation stands:To live fully as yourself.

With truth. With love. With peace.

Not seeking approval.

Not waiting for permission.

Not performing for belonging.If this resonates, let it be a reminder that the hard parts of change are not signs to stop, but invitations to keep going.