You're checking boxes while missing the whole point

You're achieving everything on your list but ignoring what would actually make you feel alive. Here's the shift that changed everything for me...

“Create a life you love” is not a buzz statement. It’s not a trend. To me it’s a mantra – the center of everything I build.

You see, we all have an ultimate goal. Financial freedom. Time freedom. Travel the world. Start a business. Live peacefully. And while those were all part of what I wanted, none of them was my ultimate goal.

Because I achieved many of them and was still lacking.

I felt a deeper urge.

Goals shift. Seasons shift. But what was one goal that could remain constant while expanding into every area of my life?

Three words: “To live good.”

Simple words that carry infinite weight. Words that encompass my reason for being and the life I want to live.

Here’s what I realized: For too long, some of us have been passengers in our own lives. Watching days pass by, letting life happen to us. We lost the essence of letting joy in—not just in celebratory moments, but in low seasons too.

After I dug myself out of depression and took control of my days – not obsessive control, but intentional living – I noticed something strange: Joy came in glimpses. Sometimes the feeling arrived and dissipated so quickly I barely registered it.

When more joyous moments came, they felt so unfamiliar it became hard to trust them.

How cynical of us, to question joy. As if it’s negotiable. As if it’s not as necessary as oxygen, nutrition, and hygiene. As if it can only come from some big momentous occasion that doesn’t stick.

My, have we been deceived.

Here’s the shift that changed everything:

Living good isn’t about constant happiness or toxic positivity. It’s about building a life around your actual capacity – designing days that honor your energy, rhythms, lifestyle, and what makes you feel alive.

It’s creating space for joy to land and stay, not just pass through.

It’s recognizing that loving your life isn’t selfish or indulgent – it’s the foundation for everything else you want to build.

You have permission to want this. To design for this. To prioritize this.

Because loving life, loving yourself, and creating something so specifically yours that others don’t fully understand? That’s not just an honor.

That’s the whole point.

And it starts with the inner work – the kind that builds self-awareness without fueling self-doubt. The kind that strengthens self-worth not because you’ve proven yourself worthy, but because you’re learning what’s actually true about who you are.

This work? It’s not meant to be done alone.

There’s something powerful about being in a space where people are actively choosing themselves – where your “too much” is celebrated, where your multi-passionate nature isn’t questioned, where someone gets it when you say you’re redesigning your life around joy and capacity.

When you’re surrounded by people who are also unlearning the hustle, questioning the shoulds, and building lives that actually feel good? The inner work becomes less isolating. The doubts become quieter. The worthiness becomes undeniable.

So if you’re reading this and feeling that deeper urge – that pull toward something more aligned – know that you’re not alone in this. And you don’t have to figure it all out by yourself.

Peace, love, and abundance overflow,

Crystal 💜