Last week, I was just doing my usual journal thing—you know, jotting down what went down during the week, how I’m feeling, my little daily battles, the fun things I’m excited about, and those dreams I’m manifesting—and then I wrote down this question: “What does alignment look like?”

As I watched the question appear on the page, I paused. Then I casually set my pen aside to gaze out the window, as if there might be an answer there. As if something out there would help me make sense of what was going on in here.

“Aligment is a scene,” was my first thought.

It’s massive windows framing a picture-perfect view of trees and flowers and nature. 

It’s the sun streaming in and throwing artsy shadows on my wooden floors where Louie and Charlie are curled up on their comfy dog bed. 

There’s a calming aroma in the air from a new candle, and the soundtrack of the season: cicadas and distant laughter of neighborhood kids caught up in whatever playful drama they’re enacting now.

And it’s not just my imagination or a visualization of a far-away ideal.

Alignment is real, and I am living in it.

I’m sitting in the coziest spot I could ever dream up (you’ll notice this spot when I start hosting my Living Room Sessions again). I have my ultimate dream office, where my dogs play on the floor with my toddler while I work, where huge visions take tangible shape, where life-changing conversations occur both online and in person—where there are no limits to what I am allowed to dream or do.

That’s what alignment looks like to me.

I bet you have a very different “scene” in your head when you consider what “alignment” looks like for you.

If you pressed me to define it more generally, I’d have to say that alignment is that sweet spot where life’s little joys blend seamlessly with your dreams and passions.

Sometimes, that feels like an impossible goal.

After welcoming Luca into my life, I experienced a major shift in my sense of alignment. 

I had known it intimately before motherhood, when I had time and energy to connect with myself on a daily basis. But the journey into parenthood left me feeling somewhat lost. 

Not only was I still mourning our adopted daughter who we could not bring home from China, I was also navigating a difficult pregnancy and the prospect of forming a new identity as a mother to our son. 

In the whirlwind of preparing for our baby and devouring every parenting book and course I could find, I neglected the deeper, soul-searching aspects of what I was shedding and who I was becoming.

My alignment transformed throughout my pregnancy—and left my old understanding behind.

In the hustle of our daily lives, it’s easy to lose sight of who we really are and what really matters. And then some days, we wake up to find ourselves chasing things we don’t really want—success, recognition, and external validation—only to uncover a deep sense of emptiness when we realize what we’ve left behind. 

In a recent podcast, Abby Womback, renowned soccer player and wife of writer Glennon Doyle, recounted her impressive list of accolades and successes—successes that included the fulfillment of her lifelong dream to clinch the title of “FIFA World Champion”. No one listening would have been surprised that she achieved that dream, but the bombshell she dropped next shifted everything. Abby returned home after her biggest win and  found herself staring at the ceiling above her bed and asking “why does this victory leave me STILL feeling unfulfilled?”

External achievements aren’t going to provide lasting fulfillment and joy.

Living in alignment, however, will. 

It’s a scene, and  it’s also a feeling.

It’s a mindset, and it’s also a state of being. 

Alignment is the result of your actions, and It’s a concept that goes FAR beyond our physical experience. 

Picture a time in your life when everything seemed to fall into place effortlessly. (Maybe it was when you pursued a new hobby/passion you loved or a trip that you will never forget. In those moments, your heart and mind were in total sync, right? You were just living your life, and everything in the universe just felt like it was made for you.

When that happens, you experience alignment.

Not kismet. Not a one-off. Alignment.

And recreating that sense of alignment is possible—inevitable, really—when you grow your self-awareness and understanding of who you are at your core. 

ALIGNMENT JOURNAL PROMPTS 

Feel free to use the Aligned Journal I’ve shared here for you so you have these prompts available to print out and reflect on. You can download it here.

• What does alignment feel and look like to you?
• When was the last time you felt completely aligned?

Self Reflection

Values and Priorities

• What do you value in life (community, belonging, growth, legacy, success…)?
• Are you currently living in your values and beliefs?
• Do your current goals (short and long term) align with your values?

Authenticity

• When do you feel most true to yourself?
• Are there any obstacles holding you back from being 100% yourself?
• What steps do you need to take to be more real in your daily life?

Visualization

• Can you envision a future where you are living in perfect alignment with yourself?
• What does your day in your aligned life look like? Feel like?
• Describe a person you admire for their strong sense of alignment. What qualities or actions do they exhibit that inspire you?

Accountability and Action

• Who can support you on your journey towards alignment? Is it a coach, mentor, friends or family?
• What specific actions can you commit to right now to move closer to living aligned?

Just as we need to nurture our health, we also need to nurture our alignment.  True, you-centered alignment means commitment to self-care, growth and self-compassion. It also requires setting boundaries and staying connected to yourself, no matter what external situations arise.

My pregnancy journey wasn’t the end of me. In fact, it simply began a deeper self-discovery process. 

I chose to embrace my emotions, allowing them to flow freely while acknowledging the inevitable resistance that comes with the  transformation life is always bringing.

I stopped resisting and pushing down my thoughts, and emotions, stopped pushing off my growth due to discomfort. I let myself shed the old me to make room for the new me, learning how to move in harmony with life’s ups and downs.  

I journaled, explored my meaning in my pack of angel cards, meditated, let my disorientation out in therapy. I even allowed my personal style to evolve, inviting more color into my closet 😉 

These seemingly small shifts created profound inner change, and I found myself slowly moving from “I don’t know who I am anymore” toward a sense that “I am who I’m meant to be.”

Who you are meant to be will look different from who I am meant to be, and so will your journey to align yourself with that. Your sense of self may change. Your alignment may change. You get to change what you think and feel about that and how you interact with that. 

And pay attention. 

The smallest shift may be the window that lets the light in on all of that.