You know that feeling when you've been moving so fast, climbing so hard, that you forget to check if you're still heading toward something that actually lights you up?
We tell ourselves we'll get back to it later. That forgotten passion, that creative practice, that version of ourselves we set aside when things got serious. When bills needed paying and careers needed building.
But what if "later" keeps getting pushed further away?
I learned something powerful from a song called "My Days" from the musical The Notebook. A fellow musician introduced me to it a year ago, and it stopped me in my tracks. The lyrics ask the questions most of us are afraid to voice: Where am I going? Is it somewhere I want to go? Am I proud of the way I'm spending my days?
Those questions changed everything for me.
Why "My Days" Became My Permission Slip
Here's what I haven't talked about much: I spent years in what I now call an incubation phase.
I was building my coaching practice, helping professionals navigate career crossroads, teaching people to make soul-based decisions. Important work. Meaningful work. But something was missing.
Music.
I'd been a musician before. Trained. Performed. But somewhere along the way, I'd convinced myself that making music wasn't "practical enough" for the life I was building. So I tucked it away. Told myself I'd come back to it someday.
When I first heard "My Days," I was in the middle of that incubation phase, relearning to be a musician. The song asks: Sometimes I feel like I lost my only voice, but then I realized only I can choose my choice.
That line broke something open in me.
I'd been waiting for permission. Permission to spend time on something that felt like "just" a passion. Permission to fold music back into my work instead of keeping them separate. Permission to trust that the things that light me up are actually part of my purpose, woven right into the center of it.
The song gave me that permission. And a year later, after working on it privately, practicing in my studio while my long-time community wondered where I'd gone, I finally felt ready to share it.
When I went live with this performance, my OG fans from Twitch showed up in the chat. These are people who've been with me through multiple iterations of my work. Seeing their names pop up as I finished singing felt like coming home.
One of them said, "So good to see you again too."
That's when I knew. The incubation phase had served its purpose. I was ready to integrate everything I'd been building in private.
What Happens When We Put Our Dreams on the Back Burner
I've worked with dozens of professionals at career crossroads. And there's a pattern I see over and over.
We sacrifice the parts of ourselves that feel "impractical" in the name of building something "serious." We tell ourselves we're being responsible. Strategic. Grown up.
But here's what actually happens.
That energy you used to bring to your work? It starts to flatten. The spark that made you different, that made you you, dims. You hit professional milestones that should feel exciting, but instead they feel... empty.
You start asking yourself: Is this it? I worked so hard to get here, so why doesn't it feel like I thought it would?
What we don't realize is that those "impractical" parts of ourselves, the passions we set aside, they're actually the fuel. The energy source that powers everything else.
When I was in my incubation phase, I struggled. I was successful on paper, helping people do meaningful work, but I felt like I was running on half power. It wasn't until I brought music back into the center of my life and work that everything clicked.
The parts of you that you've put on hold? They're breadcrumbs leading you back to your purpose.
How Music Helps You Remember Who You Are
Music does something logic can't touch.
It bypasses your practical mind. When you're trying to figure out what's next in your career, your brain goes into problem-solving mode. Pros and cons. Should I stay or should I go. Risk assessments. But the most important career decisions aren't purely logical. Music helps you access the wisdom your thinking mind can't reach.
It holds complexity. A song like "My Days" makes space for both the fear and the courage, both the loss and the possibility. That's what real growth feels like. Layered. Complex. Music gives you permission to feel all of it at once.
It reconnects you to yourself. When you hear a song that resonates, something shifts. You remember who you were before you started performing for everyone else. Before you learned to prioritize "practical" over meaningful. Music is a portal back to your own truth.
It creates movement. Whether you're singing along, listening deeply, or just letting it wash over you, music moves emotions through your system instead of letting them stay stuck. This is especially powerful when you're at a crossroads and carrying uncertainty about what's next.
That's why I use music as a healing modality in my coaching work now. Songs become doorways to parts of yourself you've been too busy to visit.
Try This: Your Own "My Days" Reflection Practice
If you're sensing there's a part of you that's been waiting in the wings, here's a simple practice.
Step 1: Listen to "My Days" from The Notebook musical. You can find it on streaming platforms or search for it on YouTube.
Step 2: As you listen, reflect on these questions. Don't overthink them. Just notice what comes up.
- What part of my work or life have I put on hold?
- What did I used to do that made me feel most like myself?
- If I could spend my days any way I wanted, what would that look like?
- What's one small step I could take to bring that forgotten part back?
Step 3: Write down what surfaces. What you notice naturally. What feels true.
Step 4: Ask yourself: What would it look like to give myself permission to explore this, even just a little?
Step 5: Take one small action this week. A manageable step in the direction of that forgotten part of you.
This is about acknowledging what's true and giving it a little space to breathe.
Common Questions About Reconnecting with Forgotten Parts of Yourself
Q: What if the thing I set aside doesn't fit with my current career path?
Who says they have to be separate? I thought music and coaching were two different things until I realized they're actually the same work. Music is how I help people access what they already know but can't quite hear yet. Your "impractical" passion might be the missing piece that makes your current work finally click.
Q: Is this just for people in career transition?
Absolutely. And also for people feeling stuck in their current role. And for people sensing there's something more. Any time you're asking "Is this it?" you're ready for this reflection.
Q: What if I try to reconnect with this part of myself and it doesn't work out?
Then you'll have valuable information. But here's what I've learned: the real risk is in never trying and spending your days wondering "what if." The song asks: Am I proud of the way I spent my days? You can only answer that honestly if you gave yourself permission to explore what matters.
Q: How long will this take?
Your timeline is your own. I spent a few years in an incubation phase, relearning music before I felt ready to share it publicly. Yours will unfold at its own pace. The point is honoring what wants to emerge.
Experience This Work for Yourself
This "My Days" practice is just one example of how I work with music and soul-based decision-making to help people at career crossroads.
Ready to go deeper?
Join my Logic to Light Masterclass. I teach my five-step framework for moving out of overthinking and back into your heart and soul. When you make decisions from that deeper place, you open up possibilities you couldn't see from pure logic. Learn more about the masterclass here.
Experience Pop, Place and Grace (PPG) Live. In these longer sessions, you can request songs that are meaningful to YOU and receive musical healing in real time. We process together, support each other, and help each other move toward our best next steps. Try it free for 7 days here.
Watch PPG Lite. These shorter livestream sessions (like the one above) let you experience my musical healing approach and see if it resonates. Subscribe to my YouTube channel to catch me live.
Your Turn
I shared my journey back to music. Now I want to hear yours.
What part of yourself have you put on the back burner? Head over to LinkedIn or YouTube and share what wants to come back. That's where our community conversations happen, and I respond to every comment. Your story might inspire someone else to give themselves permission too.
Until next time, remember to find and do work that feels true.