Surviving Isn't Living: Here's the Easy Way Back

Small steps to reconnect with yourself, even on the busiest days.

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This article is part of the Becoming You track, where we explore growing into the best version of yourself, because when you thrive, everything around you transforms.

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There’s a rhythm many of us slip into without meaning to.

Wake up. Show up. Get it done.

Repeat.

At first, it feels like responsibility.

Eventually, it feels like…numbness.

The bright, open marvel we once carried,

The curiosity that made every cloud, every story, every question feel alive grows faint.

Not because we stopped caring.

But because somewhere along the way, surviving replaced wondering.

And, yes, I have fallen into this, too.

So many days, I move through the motions with my eyes open but my wonder asleep.

And each time, it’s not guilt that wakes me.

It’s the quiet longing to live fully again.

Because we weren’t designed for autopilot. We were built for discovery.

But what blocks curiosity?

It’s not laziness.

It's not losing heart.

It’s the small, quiet habits that slowly narrow our gaze:

• Overfilling our days until no space is left to be.

• Moving through routines instead of moments.

• Reaching for answers faster than we let questions breathe.

• Fearing we’ll look foolish if we don't “know enough.”

We don't outgrow curiosity. We lose our permission to linger.

This week, I'm choosing to reclaim it — gently, quietly, bravely.

Not by overhauling everything.

Not by striving harder.

But by making tiny shifts:

🌿 I’m noticing one new thing today — the way sunlight spills across my child’s laughter, the shape of a tree I usually drive past without seeing.

🌿 I'm asking one new question without needing an immediate answer — letting it breathe, like a seed planted in soft earth.

🌿 I'm changing one small routine — walking a path I’ve never noticed before, just to see what wonder might find me there.

Tiny acts of wonder can reawaken a soul.

And so, this week, I'm beginning again.

I hope you’ll walk alongside me.

Let’s find our way back to curiosity — one small step at a time.

With you,

Stella ✨

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If this call to wonder stirs something in you, you’ll love the deeper practices we’re exploring behind the scenes in our Becoming Together premium space. You’re invited to pull up a chair and journey with us. 💛