The other day I had to get my blood drawn. This is typically a very unfun task that I’ve had to do more than I’d like during perimenopause. Yet, somehow, it turned into a shining moment that reminded me just how powerful it is to be seen. And how much we all crave reminders that we’re going to be okay, even when everything feels like it’s falling apart.

The woman drawing my blood noticed my tattoo: Be Here Now.
She paused, looked at me, and softly asked, “What does that represent?”

“It’s my reminder to stay present in this moment,” I said. “Everything is temporary.”

She softened and let out a small breath. “I needed that,” she whispered. “I’ve been going through a dark time.”

And in that tiny, sterile room, something real happened. We weren’t just a technician and a client—we were two humans, sharing a moment of presence and connection. I looked her in the eye and said, “You’re going to be okay.” And I meant it. I always do.

We’re so used to holding it all together, aren’t we? Especially when the world feels like it’s crumbling underneath and around us. But here’s a hard truth that’s actually a liberation: Nothing stays the same.

That overwhelming fear?
That crushing heartbreak?
That endless waiting season?

All of it—temporary.

But so is the joy, the beauty, the magic. So why not be here now? Why not feel it while we have it?

Radical Responsibility Starts With Presence

One of the most empowering shifts we can make is taking radical responsibility for ourselves—not in the hustle, grind, or guilt sense, but in the soul-deep, grounded, embodied way that says:

“I cannot control everything around me, but I can choose how I show up inside it.”

You can’t outrun discomfort. You can’t manifest your way out of grief. But you can choose to anchor into the now. To soften. To breathe. To feel. To remember that this moment is not forever—but it is yours.

What does it mean to take radical responsibility for yourself?

It means choosing to stop waiting for someone else to fix it, make it easier, or tell you what to do.
It means not taking other people’s thoughts, actions, and behaviors personally. It means owning your responses, your energy, your boundaries, your joy—even when things around you are wildly out of your control.

It’s not about blaming yourself or muscling through the pain. It’s not a self-help hustle.
It’s quiet power. It’s grounded self-trust.

When you take radical responsibility, you say:

“I don’t have control over everything. But I do get to choose how I meet this moment.”

That kind of presence is transformational. It means you stop outsourcing your power. You stop spiraling in the “why me?” and start asking “what now?” It allows you to feel the hard things without becoming them. To hold the truth that everything is temporary without rushing to escape it. To be here now—on purpose.

Because when you’re the one steering, even in the storm, you’re not lost. You’re leading.

Sensory Anchors for the Dark Days

When things feel like too much, when it’s all noise and pressure and sadness, I want to offer a few simple, powerful tools to bring you back to now:

1. Look for one beautiful thing.
It could be the way the sunlight hits the kitchen floor. A stranger holding a door. A leaf. A laugh. That’s your proof: joy still exists.

2. Use touch as a reset.
Put your hand over your heart. Take one slow inhale. Feel the warmth of your palm. That’s you, still here. Still alive. Still capable of love and light.

3. Say it out loud: “This is temporary.”
Use your voice to shift your state. NLP presupposes that your body responds to what your mind believes—so give it something truthful and soothing to hold onto.

4. Keep a visual cue.
Like my tattoo. Maybe yours is a bracelet, a sticky note, a background on your phone. Something to pull you out of the spiral and back into yourself.

5. Ask: What joy is still available to me right now?
Because there’s always something. Even in the mess. Even in the waiting. Even in the grief. Joy is not the opposite of pain—it’s what helps you carry it.

You’re Going to Be Okay

We all forget sometimes. We all need reminders, on our skin, in our hearts, from strangers who become messengers.

This woman reminded me that the smallest moment of connection can spark something so much bigger. She thanked me, but I thanked her too because she reminded me of why I do this work. Why I believe in radical hope and radical responsibility. Why I lead with joy and why I teach others to do the same.

You are not broken. You are becoming.
This moment? It’s part of it.
Be here now.
Everything is temporary.

Meanwhile, check out this video below!

Need a reminder that you’re not alone on this journey?

Come hang out during my weekly “Ask Me Anything Office Hours” or join for my weekly live show. The work is deep, but the joy is real—and you’re invited to feel it with me.