How would you feel if you checked off all of your “I want” boxes? You get the house, partner, job, family—everything you think you want. Feels pretty great, doesn’t it? Until it doesn’t. Instead of feeling happy, you’re unfulfilled, sad and worse, guilty for not appreciating your life.

As we grow, we create a plan—more like a wish list of things that we believe will make us happy. We think that once we get the “fill in the blank,” life will be good. Truth is, sometimes maintaining that perfect life is exhausting, and it can create the cracks in your plan that prove it isn’t the right plan—FOR YOU.

That’s what Kimberly Smith discovered when she seemingly had it all but found herself depressed and desperate. She tried to “talk herself out of it,” only driving herself deeper into the pit. Ultimately, Kimberly realized she had to STOP. Stop trying to talk herself into a life that, while seemingly perfect, wasn’t working for her. She needed to hit pause and see, really see, what she had, what she wanted, and what she needed to do to get there.

Taking personal inventory of what we want is essential to living a Brilliantly Resilient life, but that list needs to reflect YOU, not everyone else. So, take time to reflect, even if it’s kind of a mess, and see what you need to change. It’s the first step towards becoming Brilliantly Resilient.  Tune in to hear more from Kimberly on the Brilliantly Resilient podcast!

XO,

KS & MFB

You are trustworthy. Yep, you. But do you believe it? So often, we look to others who we think are smarter, more experienced, or wiser, to influence us when making big decisions, because we want to KNOW. We want to know in which direction we should go, we want to know the answer, and we don’t quite believe we’re up to the task.

But more often than not, you do know the answer. It may not be a great answer, it may not be perfect, but you know, even if you don’t want to admit it. And the best way to test your decision? Your gut. When it’s wrong, your gut will tell you, loud and clear. When it’s right, you’ll know that, too.

Your gut reflects who you truly are. Its reactions are a physical manifestation of what you truly think and believe—your values, your truth, not that of others. Trust your gut. The one who knows you best is you. Trust yourself and let go of shame and guilt. Tune in to hear more of Leslie’s wisdom here!

XO

KS & MFB