Back on Track: The Unexpected Gift of Honest Feedback

I’m writing this from a train somewhere between Italy and France. It’s my first time “training it” home, and it’s just as lovely as you’d imagine - olive groves out one window, mountains rising in the distance, and that rare stillness that lets your thoughts catch up with you.

After a few intense weeks surrounded by family (and the kind of heat that melts your patience), I’ve had time to reflect, and, as always, my mum delivered a truth bomb I didn’t know I needed:

“You’re not happy.”

And there was me thinking I was doing ok!… Not exactly the souvenir I expected, but probably the most valuable thing I brought home.

When Strength Becomes Denial

At first, I brushed it off. I’ve been doing so much “work on myself.” Surely this was just a temporary funk? Something I could fix with a better routine, a bit more mindset magic, or an extra early night?

But her words sat with me. And in the quiet moments, I realised she was right.

It’s easy to mistake pushing through for progress. To tell ourselves, ‘I’m fine’, while something quietly chips away at our energy. In my case, I’d said yes to something that looked good on paper, but didn’t feel aligned in practice.

No drama, no blame. Just a moment of deep honesty: this isn’t it.

The Power of Pause

Taking a step back, both physically and emotionally, gave me the space to see it clearly. The tension I’d normalised. The drain I’d explained away. And the subtle self-doubt that crept in when I wasn’t doing the thing I’m meant to be doing.

Sometimes, we don’t need to fix ourselves.

We just need to stop giving energy to what isn’t right for us.

Reclaiming My Choice

I’m heading back to the mountains not with a grand plan, but with clarity. And that’s enough. I’ve remembered I get to choose what fuels me. I get to surround myself with the people and projects that elevate, not deplete.

And yes, sometimes it takes your mum to remind you who you are.

Final Thought

If something feels off in your world right now, don’t rush to fix it.

Pause. Reflect.

Listen to the voices that know you best.

Then decide what’s next - with kindness and courage.

Because you get to choose.