My journey began in 2012 (coincidence?) when I was extremely overworked, underpaid, and underappreciated. I've worked in the corporate world since I was nineteen years old, and I am no stranger to hard work, stress was a fuel I thrived on. I've always been passionate about my work, and I always drive myself to be better. I take pride in my work, not for others, but for myself. It matters to me like I'm leaving an imprint of myself on everything I touch and everything I do. So, in 2012, applying that same amount of passion to a job that I had been at for three years when people told me to my face that I was not appreciated and the work I did didn't matter, I kind of lost it. That was a huge turning point for me. I became extremely ill with walking pneumonia that resulted from an allergy attack that was not treated. I was just too busy to do anything about it; I was working too hard, for too many hours, and I was too stubborn to take a sick day.
Well, let me tell you... when you don't listen to your inner voice and you think you're smarter than her... she will slap you back down until you are forced to listen. So, I took a step back, slowed down, and listened to what she had to say. It dawned on me that I was not happy... I hated my job and I hated living in the desert... I was completely miserable, which also made my marriage miserable. I wanted to do something that would matter to someone. So, I told my husband I was moving to San Diego, California -- the ocean was calling to me -- and he could either stay or join me. Now, before you start thinking there are major problems with my marriage, let me stop you there. I am married to my soulmate, this is a fact. I love him from the depths of my soul, but stress has a way of tearing you apart and leaving you exposed for anything and everything to invade your spirit. I was at an all-time low and literally, the only thought I could formulate was "I have to get out before this kills me." This was the message from my inner voice, which at this point was a scream -- I couldn't focus on anything else. My loving husband decided to come with me, and we uprooted our lives for an uncertain future.
I promised myself, this was the beginning of the new me, the better me. I never wanted to feel that broken and lost again. I am so grateful that my husband stuck with me through my crazy meltdown, while I was stuck in an internal battle, he helped me function externally so the rest of the world would not witness my private struggle. With his help, I began researching ways to let go of the stress that was so tangible, it felt more like an illness. I changed my diet and got rid of junk food, fast food, and soda. I drank more water instead of another cup of coffee. I started to practice meditation which allowed me to quiet my mind and hear my inner voice. I was finally beginning to feel at peace with myself, I felt so alive for the first time in a long time that I wanted to discover more and dive deeper. Now that I was in a healthier state of mind, I wanted to look back and understand why I was so unhappy, and why I felt unfulfilled. It turns out I didn't want to be a worker bee, working the nine-to-five grind, all my hard work contributing to the company making millions of dollars while I made pennies, a company that wasn't giving anything back. I wanted to make a difference in the world. Once that realization hit me, I needed to then figure out how I could make an impact on the world. What was the message I wanted to send to the world? Another journey down the rabbit hole of self-discovery, and I finally found my life purpose.
Our world is being consumed by stress and hate, we are lost souls unsure of what the point is. I know I am not alone in this struggle, there are others out there going through the same pain. I am on a mission to help people look internally for true happiness instead of externally for what we think is happiness -- but is just a momentary distraction until we get bored and move on to the next thing we think will make us happy. We are never satisfied because what we've been told is happiness is nothing more than an illusion. It's time to listen to our inner voices, it's time we honor our spirit and be true to our soul. My journey was long and painful, yours doesn't have to be. I'm here to help. This is my message to the world.
♥ Love + Light ♦
Danica Simone