Yellow Days: How to Feel Warm, Sunny, and Alive

Becoming Your Best Self … For Yourself!

Becoming the best version of yourself isn’t about being perfect, living without mistakes, or keeping up with someone else’s highlight reel. It’s about choosing you, each day, in small and big ways, so that you can live with purpose, peace, and joy.

Fill Your Cup First

One of the most important lessons in life is to find the things that fill your cup. For some, that might mean quiet mornings with matcha and journaling. For others, it’s laughter with friends, playing a sport you love, traveling to new places that spark adventure, or spending time with animals, giving them thousands of kisses or burying your face deep in their fur, and just inhaling the comfort and love they offer. Pay attention to what makes you feel alive and refreshed and do more of that. When your cup is full, you have more to give to others.

The People Around You Matter

The company you keep influences the direction of your life. Surround yourself with people who make you feel seen, valued, and inspired. Choose friends who cheer you on when you succeed and stand by you when life gets messy. You deserve people in your life you can tell the same story to a thousand times, and they’ll still listen with patience and love because they care about you, not just your words.

I choose to spend my time with people who uplift and energize me. My time is valuable, and I want to make every minute count.

And sometimes, the right support also means finding a good therapist. A therapist can be the steady, judgment-free person in your corner who helps you process life, grow, and navigate the hard days. Healthy relationships, whether with friends, family, or a professional, are the foundation of becoming your best self.

Movement & Wellness

Caring for your body is part of becoming your best self. For me, that looks like playing softball and volleyball, kayaking, and using cryotherapy to recharge and recover. But wellness isn’t only about movement, it’s also about rest and restoration. Sometimes, the best thing you can do for yourself is an extra hour of sleep, a relaxing pedicure, or simply a moment of stillness.

Wellness also includes emotional release. Sometimes, that means finding a safe space to cry, letting the emotions out, and then choosing to stand back up. Growth often looks like this: fall, release, rise, repeat.

Travel & Adventure

Travel has a way of reminding us of who we are and what’s possible. Whether hiking a mountain, exploring a new city, or road-tripping with friends, travel shakes us out of routine and gives us fresh perspective. Adventure teaches resilience, gratitude, and joy. All key ingredients in becoming your best self.

Small Steps Count

We often believe progress has to come in giant leaps, but that isn’t true. A little step forward is just as valuable as a big one. The key is movement. Keep showing up, keep trying, and keep pushing yourself gently forward.

Some days, that might look like writing a bucket list of things you want to do each year, big adventures or small joys that keep you excited about life. Other days, it’s about having a plan for when anxiety creeps in, whether that means grounding yourself in deep breaths, calling a friend, or listening to your favorite song. For me, sometimes it’s putting on the chill vibes of Niko Moon or Worship music and letting the music reset my mood. These little resets are steps forward too.

And remember sometimes life hands us bitter moments. Pastor Steven Furtick once said in a sermon that when you’re hungry, you don’t walk into the kitchen and scoop up a heaping teaspoon of baking soda. By itself, it’s awful. But when it’s used for its intended purpose, like in a batch of warm homemade chocolate chip cookies, it becomes part of something good. In the same way, the hard parts of life often make sense later, when they’ve been mixed into the bigger picture of who you’re becoming. I think about this analogy a lot, and I share it whenever I can, because it’s such a powerful reminder that even the tough pieces of our story can serve a purpose.

Lessons from Lot’s Wife

In the Bible, the story of Lot’s wife is a powerful reminder. When God led Lot and his family out of Sodom, they were told not to look back. But Lot’s wife did. She looked back and, in that moment, she became a pillar of salt. The lesson? We cannot move forward if we are constantly looking behind us. Becoming your best self means releasing what no longer serves you. Look ahead, not back. Doors will open but it’s our responsibility to walk through them, not just sit there with an open door.

Becoming Yellow

For me, I know I am my best self when I feel yellow, warm, fun, bright, sunny, and full of light. Yellow is energy, joy, and confidence all wrapped together. That’s the version of me I want to live in every day. Becoming your best self is really about becoming your color, whatever that looks like for you. For me, it’s becoming yellow.

And just like the seasons, life reminds us that change can be beautiful. Fall, with its bursts of gold, red, and orange, shows us that letting go can also be breathtaking. Becoming yellow is about leaning into that truth allowing yourself to shine, grow, and change with grace. I love that my neighbor has a sign outside their door that says, “Fall is proof that change is beautiful.” It’s a simple reminder that transformation, even when it feels hard, can also be stunning.

Keep Moving Forward

Wellness, faith, friendship, and adventure all come together in this truth: becoming your best self is a lifelong journey. It’s not about who you were yesterday. It’s about who you choose to be today. Cry if you need to. Rest when you can. Celebrate the wins, both big and small. But whatever you do, don’t look back.

Keep moving forward. One step at a time.

Hootie & the Blowfish at PNC Pavilion = pure joy. 🥳 Nothing beats live music and my love for North Carolina!”