Leading a Life with gratitude
Last year, I made the decision to step back into coaching. What I didn’t realize at the time was how much that choice would require me to shift my entire perspective on life.
For a long time, I saw life as something happening to me rather than for me. I felt stuck in that mindset, especially after we moved to New Jersey—just weeks before COVID hit. In the years that followed, I faced one challenge after another: an abusive leader at work, two miscarriages, and a promotion I deeply wanted but didn’t get.
But now, looking back on those four years, I see things differently. Everything unfolded exactly as it needed to in order to bring me to where I am today. I live just three minutes from my parents, who have been incredible with the little boy who was exactly who was meant to be ours.
If even one thing had been different—one decision, one event—I wouldn’t have my son. And I wouldn’t have been in New Jersey in November 2024 when my mom nearly died.
It all started with what seemed like a simple cold that Liam brought home from preschool. We thought I had gotten the worst of it, but one Sunday night, my mom suddenly started shaking and laid down on the couch. Something in my gut told me to keep a close eye on her.
That instinct led us through an emotional whirlwind: checking in on her, taking her to the doctor, then the hospital, becoming her medical proxy, and pushing for answers as doctors figured out what was wrong. Through it all, one feeling kept rising to the surface—gratitude.
I was grateful for the way she had always taught me to listen to doctors and to speak up when something didn’t seem right. I was grateful that I had already taken time off work for my own procedure and could be fully present for her. I was grateful that I had the confidence to walk into the hospital, knowing exactly what needed to happen to take care of her.
She remembers so little of that time. I remember every second. It was terrifying to see the woman I had always leaned on unable to support me emotionally when I needed her most. And yet, I was grateful—for my half-sister and her kids, who checked in on me and my dad, for the intuition that told me something was seriously wrong, for the fact that I didn’t listen when my mom insisted she was fine and begged to wait another day before going to the doctor.
If we had waited, she might not be here today. Multiple doctors told us that had we delayed, she would have ended up in the ICU—or worse.
Gratitude filled my thoughts. Gratitude that I knew she wasn’t okay. Gratitude that I wasn’t distracted by work and could focus on her. Gratitude that I had the flexibility to take two more weeks off without it being a financial disaster for my family.
This experience, along with so many others, has solidified a belief that I now hold close: Nothing happens to us. Everything just happens.
Events are neutral—until we assign meaning to them.
Life doesn’t happen to us or because of something we did. It just happens. And when we slow down enough to view our experiences through the lens of GRATITUDE, we begin to see life differently. Even the hardest moments may be guiding us exactly where we’re meant to go.
If you're ready to shift your perspective, build self-trust, and create a life rooted in gratitude and confidence, let’s work together. Book a session with me today and start transforming the way you see your life and relationships.
