My Philosophy: Starlight

December 21, 2025. Yalda Night {Winter Solstice}

My work is rooted in the Existential understanding that your life is yours to shape—that it is your responsibility, and your privilege, to take the reins and move toward the life you truly desire.

"Freedom is what you do with what’s been done to you." -Jean Paul Sartre

Often we can get stuck in blaming forces that are out of our control. Our past cannot be changed, and yet it does not have to be a life sentence. When we let go of what is not in our power, we can focus on our own role in our lives. We live most authentically when we pause to reflect, revisit our vision, intentionally decide who we want to become, and act on it with discipline. 

As the wisdom goes:​"An hour of contemplation is greater than a year of worship." - Imam Ali

Intentional living is the prerequisite to a life well-lived. Without intention, without a guiding north star, we drift aimlessly. When we set our sights on what matters most—our values, our purpose—we navigate life with direction and clarity.

All worthy endeavors carry difficulty, we must bake this into our expectation. Archery provides an allegory to this: before the arrow is released, it is held in tension, trembling. Growth feels the same: a necessary darkness before momentum.

Mystics have long called this, "The Dark Night of the Soul"

The real question is not whether it will be hard, but how we move through it—and, most importantly, why.

"She who has a why can endure almost any how." - Friedrich Nietzsche

Learning your 'why' has its genesis in uncovering 'who' you are. 

In a world full of distractions, noise, and fleeting pleasures, it is essential to reorient to your why, to your values & goals, to the life you’re striving to create. To who you want to become. 

Ask yourself honestly:

Who am I in this season of my life? Who do I want to become?

Where am I holding myself back? What do I fear? 

What do I want to learn in this life? What makes me feel alive?

Am I moving toward my highest self? Have I fallen astray? 

Self-understanding is the antidote to fear. When we know ourselves, when we trust our ability to learn, adapt, and grow, the unknown loses its power.

Fear will exist, but courage is not the absence of fear—it is moving forward despite it. As the adage goes,

"The life you want is on the other side of Fear" 

Being clear about who we are, moving with courage, and letting go of control means embracing life as a learning journey shaped by openness and hope. Hope is not based on evidence; it is a posture you practice. 

A reminder that you are inherently worthy exactly as you are. The work you do is not about becoming “enough”; it is about deepening, refining, and expanding into your fullest potential.

Growth comes when we are open—open to guidance, open to reflection, open to being seen. Open to being vulnerable. 

Feedback, when received without defensiveness, is a catalyst for transformation. Iron sharpens iron: to be challenged and witnessed fully is the path to the most profound growth.

This is the invitation of this work: to live consciously, courageously, and with a heart aligned to your own starlight.

photo from unsplash