✍🏼 Hello my dearest readers, 📜
Before anything else, I just want to say thank you. The kind words so many of you shared after my last email were hugely uplifing to my spirit. This season of transition has been full of uncertainty, but your messages reminded me why I show up here—to connect, to grow, and to share this journey with you.
This past week, life threw me a little test. My job ended its work-from-home policy, pulling us all back into the office 5 days a week. The shift was... jarring. Emotions were running high—including mine.
Lately, I’ve been working on catching negative thoughts before they spiral, but in the days leading up to my return, my mind had a lot to say:
- “I’m going to be so exhausted when I get home.”
- “The house is going to be a mess.”
- "I'm going to be so depressed and anxious."
Each time, I gently nudged myself toward a different perspective:
- “At least I’ll get more movement in. I can use the free gym at work”
- "I can finally get back into meal prepping and starting my postpartum weightloss journey."
- “This gives me a reason to get dressed and feel put together.”
So when Monday arrived—despite an untimely visit from Aunt Flo—I put on something comfortable, took a deep breath, and set my intention before stepping out of my car:
“This is going to be a great day.”
“This is going to be a great day.”
“This is going to be a great day.”
And then... life tested me.
As I followed another woman through the office doors, she yanked them open so hard they slammed back into my hand.
For a split second, my instinctive reaction bubbled up:
- “Oh, so we’re just slamming doors on people today, huh, you ugly attitude bi—”
But I caught myself.
As we walked through security, she slapped her badge against the scanner with enough force to startle the guards. She stomped through the turnstile, flipping her hair with frustration, huffing and puffing like a toddler.
And in that moment, something clicked for me.
I wasn’t looking at someone who was just having a bad morning. I was seeing how she moves through life. And I wondered—how many moments like this make up her day? Her week? Her entire experience?
Because here’s the thing: none of us wanted to be there. But at what point do we realize that our reactions don’t change the circumstances—only our mindset does?
And that’s why self-mastery matters.
Because without it, we become prisoners to our emotions.
Without it, we react instead of choosing how we show up.
Without it, life happens to us instead of because of us.
So what exactly is self-mastery?
It’s the ability to guide your thoughts, emotions, and actions in a way that aligns with the person you want to be.
It’s knowing your values, recognizing your patterns, and making choices that elevate your life instead of keeping you stuck.
It’s not about pretending everything is fine or forcing yourself to be positive—it’s about knowing when you have a choice.
To spiral or to shift.
To react or to realign.
To complain or to adapt.
Self-mastery influences everything—your relationships, your career, your health, even the little moments, like how you respond when someone cuts you off in traffic. It shapes the quality of your life in ways we don’t always notice.
The good news? It’s a skill. It can be learned. It can be practiced. It can be strengthened over time.
And because life never stops teaching us, the journey never really ends.
This is the work I’ve been dedicated to for years, and this is the journey I want to grow and share with you.
So let me ask you—
Where in your life do you feel like your emotions or circumstances are leading the way instead of you?
I’d love to hear from you. Just hit reply.
Until next time,
Kelsey
