Fortunate Life

  As we conclude this journey, I find myself reflecting on a powerful quote by John Allen Paulos: “Uncertainty is the only certainty there is, and knowing how to live with insecurity is the only security.” — John Allen Paulos.  This resonates deeply with me. Life is unpredictable, and the only constant is change. Embracing uncertainty isn't about eliminating fear; it's about learning to navigate it with grace and resilience. When faced with the unknown, it's easy to feel overwhelmed. But I've come to realize that uncertainty is not something to fear—it's an opportunity for growth. It's in these moments of ambiguity that we discover our true strength, adaptability, and creativity. Embracing the unknown means letting go of the need for control and being open to new possibilities. It requires trust in ourselves and the process, even when the path isn't clear. It's about taking one step at a time, knowing that each step brings us closer to understanding...

It’s easy to think of growth as a destination—something we reach when we’ve mastered a skill, achieved a goal, or overcome a challenge. But in reality, growth is never a one-time achievement. It’s a journey, full of twists, setbacks, and unexpected lessons. There are moments when we think, “Now I’ve arrived.” Maybe it’s landing an important client, leading a successful training session, or finally mastering a new skill. But just as soon as that sense of accomplishment appears, life reminds us that growth keeps moving—sometimes faster, sometimes slower, sometimes in directions we hadn’t anticipated. The beauty of growth isn’t in the end point—it’s in the process. It’s in sending proposals that don’t get replied to, learning from failed projects, and adapting to change. It’s in teaching others, learning from them in return, and constantly adjusting to new challenges. One of the most important lessons is patience and persistence . Growth often happens quietly, like roots spreading und...

  If I could sit down with my younger self, I’d have a lot to say—but the first thing would be about resilience. Life doesn’t always go the way we plan, and sometimes it feels unfair, confusing, or even impossible. But resilience isn’t about never falling—it’s about how you get back up, again and again. I remember starting out in freelancing. I sent proposal after proposal, faced rejection, and sometimes felt invisible. There were days I wanted to give up completely. Back then, I didn’t realize that these moments weren’t signs of failure—they were the foundation of resilience. Each “no” taught me patience, persistence, and how to refine my approach. If I could tell my younger self one thing, it would be: “It’s okay to stumble. It’s okay to feel lost. But every challenge is preparing you for something bigger.” Resilience isn’t built overnight. It grows in quiet moments when you keep trying, when you adapt, and when you refuse to let setbacks define your path. I’d also remind mys...

Teaching has a funny way of teaching you just as much as it teaches others. Over the years as a trainer, I’ve realized that guiding someone else through a lesson often highlights gaps in my own understanding—and sometimes even sparks new insights I wouldn’t have discovered on my own. At first, I thought being a good trainer meant having all the answers. I’d prepare meticulously, rehearse every slide, and anticipate every question. But very quickly, I learned that teaching isn’t about perfection—it’s about curiosity, listening, and adaptability. Some of the most meaningful moments come from questions I didn’t expect, problems I hadn’t foreseen, or ideas shared by students that challenge me to think differently. Being a student myself has also been humbling. Even as someone with years of experience, I constantly encounter new tools, methods, and perspectives that push me to grow. For example, learning how to use AI in my work and even teaching it to others has been both exciting and c...

Setbacks. We all face them, and honestly—they hurt. They shake our confidence, make us question our skills, and sometimes even make us wonder why we’re on this path in the first place. I’ve been there more times than I can count. In my freelancing journey, I’ve had projects I thought were sure things fall through, clients go silent, or work I depended on suddenly vanish. At first, it felt like a punch in the gut every time. I’d ask myself,  “Am I doing something wrong? Am I not good enough?” But over time, I started noticing a pattern. Each setback wasn’t just a roadblock—it was a lesson. Losing a client taught me the importance of diversifying my work. A rejected proposal pushed me to rethink how I present myself. Even when projects were delayed or canceled, I learned patience and adaptability. The same goes for my training work. Not every session goes perfectly. Sometimes participants aren’t engaged, or I stumble over a lesson plan. At first, it feels discouraging. But those mome...

There are days when motivation feels like a distant memory. Projects feel overwhelming, energy is low, and the drive to take action seems to vanish. On those days, I sometimes find myself binge-watching movies, scrolling endlessly through reels, or doing things that don’t align with my goals—just to fill the void and escape the pressure. It’s normal—motivation isn’t constant. The key is learning how to keep moving forward, even when it fades.  I’ve experienced this many times. There were weeks when proposals went unanswered, or when a training session didn’t go as smoothly as I hoped. Some days, I just wanted to stop, sit down, and let things pass. But I realized that waiting for motivation to magically return often meant losing valuable time and momentum. One framework that helped me understand these moments is the Emotional Cycle of Change , developed by psychologists Don Kelley and Daryl Conner. This model outlines five emotional stages most people go through during voluntary...

  “Life will always ask for courage — in love, in growth, in letting go. The question is not whether it’s hard, but which kind of hard will lead you closer to peace.” I came across something today that says,  “Choose your hard.” At first, it sounded simple — but the more I thought about it, the more I realized how true it is for me. Life will always have its share of difficult choices. There’s no truly “easy” path, only the one that shapes me better. Opening up is hard. It takes courage to let someone see the parts of me I usually keep hidden. But keeping everything inside — letting my feelings sit heavy in my chest — that’s even harder. Silence may seem peaceful, but it can also be the loudest kind of pain. Letting go is hard. It feels like peeling away a part of myself that I’ve grown attached to. Yet holding on to someone or to something that's not meant for me… that’s a slow kind of breaking, one that wears me down little by little. Being honest about my feelings is hard. ...

Life moves fast. Deadlines, responsibilities, and endless tasks can make it feel like we’re constantly running from one thing to the next. In the rush, it’s easy to overlook one of the most powerful tools for growth: reflection. Taking time to pause and look back isn’t about dwelling on mistakes or regrets—it’s about learning, adjusting, and gaining clarity. Reflection allows us to see patterns in our decisions, understand our emotions, and recognize the lessons hidden in everyday experiences. In my career and personal life, reflection has been transformative. After a long project or a challenging training session, I take a moment to ask myself: What went well? What could I have done differently? What did I learn? These questions aren’t about self-criticism—they’re about insight. Over time, this practice has helped me make better decisions, improve my skills, and approach future challenges with confidence. Reflection also helps us reconnect with our intentions. When life feels over...

It’s so easy to look at someone else’s success and measure your own worth against it. Social media, colleagues, or even friends can make it feel like everyone else is moving faster, achieving more, or doing better than you. But the truth is: comparison rarely serves us—it usually hinders our growth. I’ve caught myself falling into this trap many times. Seeing a fellow freelancer land a high-paying client or a friend excel in a skill I’m still learning made me question my abilities. For a moment, I’d feel behind or inadequate, forgetting that everyone has their own timing, journey, and challenges. Comparison is tricky because it focuses on the visible results, not the unseen effort, struggles, or circumstances behind them. It’s like seeing someone’s flourishing garden without knowing how many seedlings didn’t survive or how much care went into nurturing it. The moment I stopped comparing and started focusing on my own growth, things changed. I began to appreciate my own milestones—th...

Nature has a way of teaching us lessons we often overlook in our busy lives—lessons about patience, resilience, and growth. Sometimes, the simplest observations carry the deepest wisdom. I grow vegetables in my backyard, and I’ve learned this firsthand. Some plants don’t survive, especially during the rainy season here in the province. There are days when I’m busy or out of town, and I can’t tend to them as much as I’d like. At first, I felt frustrated when plants withered despite my care. But over time, I realized that not every seed will thrive under the circumstances we face. So, I adapted. I started planting cassava. It doesn’t demand constant attention, and yet it grows steadily, silently, and persistently. It reminded me that growth doesn’t always need constant oversight—sometimes, resilience and patience are enough. Nature also teaches us lessons in subtle strength. Take bamboo, for instance. It spends its first years developing deep roots beneath the soil, unseen and silent....

The world often feels like it's spinning faster than we can keep up. Deadlines, responsibilities, and constant noise can make inner peace seem out of reach. But what if peace isn't something we find outside ourselves? What if it's something we can cultivate within, even amidst the chaos? In a recent episode of The Mel Robbins Podcast , Mel and New York Times bestselling author and poet Yung Pueblo delved into this very topic. They discussed how facing our emotions, rather than avoiding them, is the first step toward true peace. As Yung Pueblo shared, "The biggest factor in your healing is not time. It is your ability to face emotions that you used to run away from" Mel Robbins . This resonated deeply with me. I've realized that building inner peace doesn't mean escaping life's challenges but learning to navigate them with calm and clarity. Simple Practices to Cultivate Inner Peace Pause and Breathe : Before reacting to stress, take a moment to br...

Resilience isn’t always about dramatic triumphs—it’s often about how we respond when life shifts unexpectedly, and what we choose to do next. Back in 2016, I was managing a premium client while handling four social media pages on the side. At that time, I was earning six figures—a milestone that felt like success. But managing multiple niches was exhausting. Even though I had hired someone to create images, the strategy, planning, and execution all fell on me. (there was no AI at that time) Every day felt draining, and I realized that if I wanted to grow in another direction, I needed to let go. When I decided to focus on training, I formally filed a three-week leave with my premium client. Before leaving, I made sure my team was fully trained to handle the work in my absence. I thought I had prepared everything carefully. But during my leave, a colleague sent me a message that shook me: our biggest client—the one considered the company’s “bread and butter”—had left for another mark...

  When I first started freelancing, I had so much hope. I imagined landing projects, building a career, and finally having the freedom to work on my own terms. But the reality was far harder than I expected. Day after day, I sent out proposals and heard nothing back. No projects. No clients. No wins. Each day of not finding work chipped away at my self-worth. Slowly, my hope started fading. I fell into a depression I didn’t talk about with anyone. Pride kept me quiet. I didn’t want people to see me struggling or to think I had failed. It got to a point where I stopped sending proposals altogether. Instead, I’d spend days just watching TV. I stopped cleaning the house. I stopped cooking and would just order takeout. I felt stuck—like I had reached a dead end before my freelancing journey even really began. Then one day, a friend messaged me out of the blue. He told me he had enrolled in a class and was learning so many new things. That message struck a chord. It made me realize t...

When I think about resilience and perseverance, I realize I haven’t done it alone. The people around me—the friends, the family, the colleagues—have been quiet but powerful forces in my journey. My friends, many of them freelancers like me, inspire me every day. I see them face difficult moments—projects that fall through, clients that change their minds, unexpected setbacks—and yet they continue to thrive. Some even share their journey online, openly talking about their challenges and mental health struggles. Seeing their honesty and resilience reminds me that I’m not alone in facing difficulties, and that it’s possible to keep going even when the road is tough. My family, too, has been an unwavering source of support. They celebrate my wins, comfort me in losses, and trust my decisions even when they don’t fully understand the path I’ve chosen. As I was approaching my 50th birthday, I realized there are still so many things I haven’t done yet, so many dreams I still want to pursue....

  Resilience isn’t just about pushing through challenges—it’s also about how we frame those challenges in our minds. Over the years, I’ve discovered that one of the most powerful tools for staying resilient is something surprisingly simple: gratitude. When I’m in the middle of a stressful week—deadlines piling up, clients changing plans at the last minute, or projects falling through—it’s easy to focus only on what’s going wrong. I used to do exactly that, and it drained me faster than any workload ever could. Then I started a small practice: pausing each day to reflect on at least one thing I was grateful for. Sometimes it was something big—a client appreciating my work, a proposal finally accepted. Other times it was small: a quiet cup of coffee in the morning, a kind message from a colleague, or simply finishing a task I was proud of. These small moments of gratitude became anchors. They reminded me that even when things aren’t perfect, there is still value, growth, and posi...

Sometimes, the lessons that stick the most are the ones we learn the hard way. They come wrapped in frustration, disappointment, or even pain—and at the moment, we might curse them for happening. But looking back, those lessons often turn out to be the most valuable. One lesson I learned the hard way was about trusting my own judgment and boundaries . Early in my freelancing and training work, I would take on every opportunity that came my way. I said yes because I didn’t want to miss out, because I didn’t want to disappoint, because I wanted to prove myself. But saying yes to everything came at a cost. I was stretched too thin. I felt burned out. I delivered work, yes—but not always at the quality I wanted. I sometimes even sacrificed my own peace just to meet expectations. It was a rough, exhausting cycle. It took time, experience, and a few painful situations to realize that my yes is valuable, and my time is limited. Learning to pause, reflect, and say no when something doesn’t...

When we think about success, it’s easy to imagine big leaps—landing a major client, giving a flawless training session, or finishing a huge project. But over the years, I’ve realized that success isn’t built in leaps; it’s built in the small, consistent steps we take every day. Early in my career as a freelancer and trainer, I sometimes ignored the little things. I would focus on “big wins” and overlook the small habits that quietly shaped my growth. But those small actions—writing clear emails, reviewing a presentation before sending it, dedicating 30 minutes to learning a new skill—added up. Slowly, they compounded into results I hadn’t even anticipated. For example, I make it a habit to spend a few minutes each morning reviewing what I want to achieve that day. Some days it’s just a tiny task: respond to a client, update a slide, or learn a new AI function. Other days it’s bigger. But by showing up consistently—even for the small things—I noticed that projects felt less overwhelmi...

Failure used to feel like the end of the road for me. Whenever I got something wrong—whether it was a project that didn’t push through, a proposal that went unanswered, or a decision that didn’t work out—I would sink into self-blame. I’d ask myself: “Why didn’t I do better?” or “What’s wrong with me?” But over time, I realized something I never thought I’d say: failure can be a gift. One of the hardest lessons I’ve learned as a freelancer and trainer is that no matter how carefully you plan, things don’t always go the way you expect. I remember one particular project I was so excited about. I poured in resources, invested my time, and even put in my own money to make sure everything would run smoothly. I believed it would pay off. But then, things fell apart. The project got canceled, and just like that—I lost not only the opportunity but also the money I had put in. It hurt deeply. I felt foolish, like I had gambled and lost. For a while, I replayed the decision over and over in m...

When I first stepped into the role of trainer, I thought my job was simply to share knowledge. I’d prepare my materials, make sure my slides looked neat, and practice what I wanted to say. I assumed teaching was all about what I could give to others. But over time, I realized something humbling and beautiful: teaching is not a one-way street. In fact, some of my biggest life lessons didn’t come from books, mentors, or courses—they came from the people I’ve taught. One of the earliest lessons I learned is that patience isn’t optional, it’s essential. Every learner has their own pace. Some grasp ideas instantly, while others need more time, questions, and encouragement. At first, I doubted myself when someone didn’t “get it” right away. But slowly, I learned that their progress wasn’t a reflection of my inadequacy—it was simply part of the learning journey. Another lesson? Humility. There were moments when students asked me questions I didn’t know the answer to. In the past, I mig...

When I first started freelancing and training, I thought what I already knew would be enough to carry me through. But I quickly realized the world doesn’t stand still. New tools emerge, industries shift, and what worked yesterday may no longer work tomorrow. That’s when I learned that upskilling isn’t just an option—it’s a necessity. But let’s be honest, it’s not always easy. Deciding to learn something new often comes with fear: What if I’m too late? What if I can’t keep up? What if I fail? Sometimes, even just clicking “enroll” in a new course feels intimidating, especially when self-doubt whispers that others are already far ahead. Yet every time I leaned into that discomfort, I discovered something empowering: learning keeps me alive, relevant, and resilient. It takes courage to admit that what I know today isn’t enough for tomorrow. But it also takes humility to say, “I’m willing to start again as a beginner.” For me, one of the biggest shifts was learning how to use AI tools . A...

  One of the first things freelancing taught me is that nothing is set in stone. Projects come and go. Clients change their minds. Proposals get ignored. Plans don’t always unfold the way I hoped. At first, I found this exhausting. I wanted stability, predictability, the comfort of knowing exactly what tomorrow would look like. But freelancing doesn’t always give you that. Instead, it teaches you how to bend without breaking. I’ve experienced projects being canceled or put on hiatus all of a sudden, with clients saying, “We’ll let you know when this starts again.” Or those dreaded Friday conversations where a client tells you not to come online on Monday because they lost accounts and had to let people go. Even if I had already foreseen it coming—like when I noticed they were losing clients—it still hurt. Especially knowing that my single fee could easily pay two people on their team. Those moments felt like a punch in the gut. But in hindsight, they also became small lessons in...

For the longest time, I thought saying “yes” was the safest way forward. Yes to opportunities, yes to requests, yes to things that I wasn’t even sure I wanted to do—because I didn’t want to disappoint anyone or miss out. But here’s what I’ve learned: not every opportunity is truly an opportunity. Some things look good on the surface but quietly pull you away from what really matters. I’ve had moments where I said yes to projects that didn’t align with my goals—only to feel drained, uninspired, and wondering why I agreed in the first place. The truth is, every time we say yes to something that isn’t right for us, we’re also saying no to something else—our energy, our time, our growth. Saying no isn’t rejection; it’s redirection. It’s choosing alignment over approval. It’s acknowledging that my time and energy are limited, and I owe it to myself to use them wisely. I’ve also noticed that when I say no to things that don’t fit, I create space for the ones that truly do. And often, th...

Today, a video popped up on my Facebook timeline. It said, “Stop being so nice — use the camera method.” At first, I thought it was just another motivational clip. But as I listened, I found myself nodding all the way through. The speaker compared people who are “too nice” to traffic lights. You know how a traffic light gives you several chances — from green to yellow, to another yellow, and another one — before it finally turns red? Some people are like that. They give warning after warning, excuse after excuse, until they finally explode. I realized I’ve been that kind of traffic light for a long time. When people cancel plans at the last minute, I understand. When someone talks to me only when they need something, I let it slide. When someone disrespects me in small ways, I tell myself, “Maybe they didn’t mean it.” Until one day, I reach my limit — and by then, it’s not pretty. The video suggested something different: Instead of being a traffic light, be like a traffic cam...

 I was watching Beyond the Bars , episode 3, when a simple yet powerful scene caught my heart. Hyo Min saw a butterfly struggling to get out of its cocoon. It was halfway there, its tiny wings trembling as it fought its way through. Out of compassion, she decided to help. With gentle fingers, she peeled open the cocoon, setting the butterfly free. For a moment, it was beautiful—the butterfly spread its wings and tried to fly. But it didn’t make it far. It fluttered weakly, barely reaching the ceiling before falling to the ground. That moment broke something in her... and in me, too. Then came the realization: the butterfly needed that struggle. The twisting, the pushing, the fight to escape the cocoon—those were not just moments of pain, but moments of becoming. That very effort strengthens its wings and drains excess fluid from its body, allowing it to fly. By helping too soon, Hyo Min unintentionally took away the butterfly’s chance to grow strong enough for the sky. And I tho...