BONUS EP: The Truth About My Life Right Now

What's up guys, welcome back to the podcast. It is 4:44 on a Friday afternoon and it is glorious outside. I'm sitting here in my office just looking outside and it's bright blue skies, the sun is shining, it's super warm out, and we're finally getting to experience that North Carolina weather that I thought I was coming here for. The day after Jaime and I got here to North Carolina, there was a huge snowstorm, which is very rare, and then it's just been super cold ever since, so we haven't really gotten to experience the nice weather that normally is down here. So it's a super nice day and it's just got me in the best mood. You know when you like wake up and you walk outside and it's blue skies, it's sunny, it's warm, your life just inevitably gets better, like immediately, instantaneously. Your problems just minimize or dissolve into the background and you're like, wow, Let's go have an amazing day. So we're here for the good weather. I can't wait to experience this almost all year round when I get to Florida. But today's episode is a very special episode because you might have noticed, like, what the heck, it's Monday, why is there a brand new episode out? What's going on, Sam? And this is exciting because it's going to be a brand new segment. So I've decided that I want to give you guys an extra episode every single month. So In addition to our Wednesday episodes every single week, there's going to be a bonus episode at the end of every month. So in today's episode, I'm going to share with you guys kind of like a monthly roundup, like what's been going on for me in the month of February, my life updates, things that are happening, things that I'm doing, loving, future stuff that I haven't even told you guys about yet. So that's the vibe. I don't know, I really love— I've been loving lately podcasts that have kind of like a lifestyle element to them where you're just like listening to a casual conversation or someone talk about what's going on in their life, and almost kind of like a vlog, like when people do vlogs and they chat about just what's going on for them that week or whatever. And I really like that vibe, like it's super calming to me, it's enjoyable to listen to, it's non-stressful because you don't feel like, oh my gosh, this is such good information, I need to take notes, or like pay super close attention or whatever. You can just kind of like throw it on and listen to it and be chill, you know? And that is my vibe right now, especially with the content that I'm wanting to consume, is like a little bit more chill. So I hope you guys enjoy this. So without further ado, let's jump in, and I'm gonna give you guys all the updates of what's been happening in my life in the month of February. Welcome to the Makeshift Happen podcast. I'm your host, Samantha Daly, entrepreneur, life coach, and your no BS bestie, here to bring you all things mindset, manifestation, and personal development. This podcast is designed to help you expand your mind and uplevel your life. So turn the volume up and roll the windows down if you're coming along for the ride. Let's go make shit happen. Lately I'm just finding so much joy in the small things. So we've been in the US for 5 weeks now, which is crazy. Like, it feels like we just got here, but we've actually kind of been here for a little while, and I'm still just kind of getting into my routines finally, I think. It's, it's kind of jarring when you like pack your whole life into 3 suitcases and then move across continents and try and set up shop in somebody else's home, in somebody else's environment, and try to like find your way. Like there's, there's so many things that we've had to do just in order to get settled here, and it's a lot of like administrative stuff. Like, I had to get health insurance, like really boring things. And I'll talk about more of the boring stuff in a second. Like, we're not gonna go too deep into it, but just tell you guys kind of what my perspective is on it and what's going on for me. But so it took us a while to actually feel— at least it took me a while to actually feel like, okay, like I'm here, like I have roots here, like I feel comfortable, like I know what I'm doing, like I can actually wake up and not have to worry about like 5,000 administrative things on my to-do list. Although there are some new administrative things on my to-do list for my business, which we'll talk about. But, um, yeah, I— there's nothing, nothing that I hate more than administrative tasks. Like, I, I just can't do them. Um, I think you got— if you listen to the episode with Deborah Silverman, we talked about my hatred for administrative tasks. And how, because I'm in my Saturn return and the element that I'm lacking so much of right now is earth, I'm really being asked and being shown all the ways where it's time for me to lean in and get grounded and integrate those earthly, kind of responsible, mundane tasks. And so yeah, one update is that I'm actually doing my astrology training with Debra. So I've been taking classes and learning all about astrology and how to read charts and everything. And I don't know if it's something that I'm ever gonna do, like I don't know if I'll do natal chart readings for anybody other than my friends and family, but who knows, you know? Like I'm just learning a basic level because it's something that I love and that I'm already interested in, and I already love sharing with you guys in the small ways that I can. And it was a really, really cool opportunity that came into my space, and I decided to take it. And in true Sag form, I just always love learning, and I want to continue being educated and learning new things all the time. So it felt like a fun thing to do, and I really am loving it. But what I was saying before about finding joy in all the small things is like, the simplest things here are making me so happy because they're things that I didn't have before in Spain. And if you've never lived in a foreign country, you might not realize that you don't— you don't think about it as much. But there's super small everyday things that are just like so nice when you get them back after you haven't had them for years. So things like driving a car, like I did not drive a car at all in Spain because I didn't have a driver's license there and I didn't know how to drive a manual car. Like I only know how to drive automatic and I wasn't going to learn how to drive a manual car and I also wasn't going to pay €1,000 to take a driving test because my partner has a car that's manual that I can't even drive. So awesome. It's just kind of like, screw it, I'm not driving. So I haven't driven in like 6 years. I mean, I've driven sometimes when I come home. It's not like I've been like a solid 6 years without driving a car. Some people were messaging me on Instagram being like, oh my God, are you okay? Like, is it so scary driving after you've been so long without being in a car? And honestly, like, I'm okay because I've had a bunch of trips home where I've been able to drive and, and like reacquaint myself with the experience. But there was a time I remember really specifically when I came home after like 2 years and I really hadn't driven in probably 2 years, and I was kind of like terrified on the roads. Also, where my parents live, like, we're out in the mountains of North Carolina, like the Blue Ridge Mountains here, and so the roads are like super windy and like mountainous, and there's no shoulders to the road, there's no sidewalks. Like, it— like, people— I— the other day I was going to get my hair done and I got caught in a traffic jam because a fire truck was coming to pull a car off of the guardrail. And I later found out that it was an act— it was a fatal accident where a 26-year-old woman was going too fast around the curve and she flew over the guardrail and hit a tree and died upon impact. Like, it's actually really dangerous, the roads around here. So have I been scared before? Yes. Am I worried about driving now? Not so much because I've had some practice. But it's just nice to have the freedom of being able to drive yourself places. Like, don't you remember when you were like 15 years old and you were so close to being able to drive? I mean, in the US we get our license when we're 16. When you're 15 and you're so close to being able to drive, but like you still have to ask parents or friends for rides cuz you can't drive yet, and it's like, ah, so frustrating. That's what I felt like. And now it's like I have my license again, and it's like freedom. Sweet, sweet freedom. Just being able to do things by my damn self. Like, I don't know if you guys realize, I couldn't even go to the grocery store in Spain without Javi cuz he would have to drive us. Like, we did everything together. And until the last, like, couple months that we were living there, they built an Aldi right next to our apartment, so I was finally able to walk to the grocery store by myself. But yeah, it's just those little things of being able to have more freedom and do things on my own. Like the other day, or a couple weeks ago, I drove myself to the mall, and it was a weekday, so I just decided, you know, I'm going to take the morning off of work, I'm gonna put on a cute outfit, I'm gonna drive to the mall. It was a nice day, it was sunny. I'm gonna play my music in the Jeep and I'm gonna roll my windows down a little bit and I'm just gonna go shopping, get my stuff, and go home. Like, simplest of things, but I was thriving. Like, I was thriving with that experience. So happy, smiling ear to ear, loved it so freaking much. And all it was was me driving myself to the mall. So there's a lot of little things right now that are making me feel super joyful. Some of those things include TJ Maxx, Whole Foods, Ulta, and CVS. Why are those my 4 favorite stores? I do not know, but they are, and I love them so much. Oh my gosh, and Target. How did I forget Target? I've been to Target twice and I freaking love it. Like, there's nothing better. My US girlies will understand. So I'm loving those things. We took our trip to Florida, which if you guys haven't listened to the episode about how I'm manifesting my beach condo, I give you all the updates about our trip down to Southern Florida. But we did some house hunting and that was fun. But now I'm just kind of finding it a little bit like it's weird just being in this in-between stage, like we're not, we're not actively putting offers in on houses, or like, it's not like I'm going to buy a house like tomorrow or next week even. We're just kind of like in this weird limbo phase of waiting for us to have everything ready to go on our end, and also waiting for the right listing to show up on the market. And so we're just in this in-between stage, and I feel so excited and so ready to like start my new life, but I, I can't. Like, I can't get super excited yet or do the fun things like pick out furniture and, you know, decorate my new house and find my favorite local spots of like, okay, where are all the grocery stores? Where are we going to go shopping? Where's the gym that we want to go to? And get into a new morning routine and figure out what beach walks we want to do. And like, I'm so excited for all that stuff, and I feel so energetically ready to begin again, but we're just not there yet. And so it's hard because we're like trying to start our new life, but we're starting our new life in a temporary place, and then we're just gonna have to pick up and start it all over again, which there could be worse things, you know, like it's not that big of a deal, but energetically it's just a little bit weird, you know. Also just with things like doctors and hair stylists and nail salons and yoga studios and like all that stuff that's kind of like a staple of like, you know, where to go to get that stuff done. We have to figure all of that out here, but then we're not staying here, so then we're gonna have to go move, and then when we get to Florida, we're gonna have to figure it out all over again. So that's kind of like exhausting me, even just thinking about that. I'm like, do I really even want to try and find a place to get my eyebrows done here? Because like, I'm— I don't know about about you guys, but like, I'm picky with those things. Like, I want to find a place that I like, that someone that I trust, that I know does a good job, that has amazing reviews, that, you know, it's kind of like a time-consuming process to find a new place to get your hair done or your nails done or your eyebrows or to get a massage or to go to yoga or to work out. Like, finding all new places is a lot of work. And then to just be like, yeah, and maybe in a few months like I'm just gonna have to do it all over again. So I guess that's the, the annoying part of being in this limbo place right now. And yeah, I'm just like so ready and so excited to be able to feel like I've finally landed, you know, like I, I'm here and I have a good routine set up and I know where to get most things. But it doesn't feel— I don't feel as grounded because I know I'm about to be uprooted again, if that makes sense. Like, I know I'm just gonna have to start all over again and everything's gonna be new again and everything's gonna be hard again. And like, that's my choice and I'm signing up for that, so that's okay. But just to be fully transparent, that is the— I think the hardest part about the way that we did this move is we moved but we didn't move somewhere where we know we're gonna stay permanently, so we're just gonna have to end up moving all over again. And I also don't want to like buy a bunch of stuff while we're here because then I'm like, okay, we're gonna have to get a moving truck and drive that like 11 or 12 hours down to Florida. We're probably gonna have to do that anyway, so I might as well just say fuck it and buy some stuff. But like, I've already accumulated a few things that we're probably gonna need a moving truck to take with us You know what, now that I think about it, we came on the plane with 6 big suitcases plus our 2 carry-on suitcases plus 2 backpacks plus our dog. Like, I don't have a car yet, but whatever car I do have, that even that is like not gonna fit in the car. So screw it. We're gonna have to get a moving thing to attach to the back of our car. And so I guess I guess there's my permission to start buying a few things. But yeah, and then there's the, the business side of stuff, um, which has been interesting. And it's the boring stuff again that I don't want to do, but I need to register my business in the state of Florida like ASAP because that's really helpful from, for like from a tax perspective, um, for not 2021 but for 2022. But we don't have an address yet in Florida, but every day that I don't do it, I'm technically losing money because I'll be paying more taxes in North Carolina than I would if my business were finally set up in Florida since we're going to live there. And it's just a lot, you know. It's like all the boring adult stuff where I'm just like, you know what, no, I, I elect not to be a part of this. I am not adulting with this right now. Like, I'd rather not, thank you very much, goodbye. But that, that is what I'm being asked asked to lean into right now in this phase of my life is to get all of that earthly stuff done so that I can grow some roots and be in a place where I do feel super secure and grounded and safe. So that's what's going on in that realm of things. An exciting thing is that I'm going to Tulum in April. I'm very, very excited about this. So I decided to join one of my mentors, Mel Wells, on her leadership immersion that's happening in Tulum. A bunch of my friends in the coaching space are going to be there who were in the Queendom with me last year, so I'm really excited just to reconnect and be in person with everybody again and invest in myself in a really big way and go to Tulum also, because that's been on my vision board for forever. Can you believe I've never been to Mexico? Isn't that so bizarre? I feel like every American has been to Mexico because it's so close. I've never been to Mexico, and I'm really excited to go to Tulum, and especially because it's going to be, you know, this conscious leadership immersion with all of these amazing women. There's going to be so much love and expansion and creativity and networking and just beautiful, beautiful energy. Like when I was in Costa Rica, on the Queendom Retreat last December. It was so powerful and so much fun. I just love in-person stuff, and I'm excited to hopefully sometime this year start planning my very own first retreat because those have been on my vision board and on my list of goals since literally like 2018. Like, that was probably one of first things that I ever envisioned myself doing because I have a background in helping run retreats, yoga and meditation retreats. And I've just always wanted to lead groups in person in amazing locations. And I'm already scheming, you guys, so save your doll hairs because there's probably going to be a retreat coming. Let's just put it out there right now. It Like, let— we're manifesting it, okay? We're manifesting it together. I know you're gonna be there, and it's gonna be so much freaking fun. Um, so yeah, that's gonna be hopefully in the works for 2022. We just have to be conscious of, you know, what's happening in the world and accessibility of travel and pandemic stuff. You know, the pandy, she likes to get in the way sometimes. But the Tulum trip is is very exciting. That's coming up in April. That's something that I took the leap on in February that I'm super excited about. And another big thing that is happening for me right now is this healing journey that I'm on. Oh boy. Okay. So I have something I think you're really gonna love and your business is gonna love it even more. Do you wanna steal the strategy I've been using to seduce premium buyers and sell out my offers on Instagram stories? Chances are you're already posting, you're already making sales, but if your Instagram stories aren't working as hard as you are, you're leaving money on the table. Sold Out Stories is going to teach you exactly how to change that so that you can sell out any offer at any price point. 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It's been like a couple years now of me trying to get to the bottom of what's going on with mainly my gut health. But now that I've been looking into it more intensely and actually working alongside a holistic nutritionist for 3 or 4 months now, I'm able to really see that my gut health is connected to so many other things that are present for me. It's also connected to my hormone imbalances. It's also connected to my skin and acne and perioral dermatitis and all kinds of other things that I've experienced over the past couple of years that I was always just kind of like, what the fuck is happening? And yeah, I, I think I've— you know, there's a couple episodes on the show where we've talked with holistic practitioners, and I've shared a bit about my gut health journey. And I do have leaky gut, at least I had leaky gut the last time that I was tested for it, which was in 2019. And because of like my symptoms and my skin and some things that are still really imbalanced, it's really likely to say that I still am recovering from leaky gut. And so leaky gut is basically when your intestine— your intestinal lining is not fully intact the way that it should be. And so some of the toxins, as food and waste is moving through your intestines, some of those toxins that's in there can actually seep out through the intestinal wall and get into your bloodstream, and that can cause a whole host of problems. And the main symptom for me has been, you know, like bloating and gas pain and uncomfortable digestion. But most recently, my skin. And my skin has just been like— it fluctuates so much every single month, and sometimes it's good, and then a week later it'll be so bad. And I'm just like sick of it. I'm, I'm so sick of it. And if you're someone who's ever struggled with issues with your skin or with acne and even gut health, like, it's so deeply frustrating, and it can be kind of a long road to healing, and it's hard to maintain that level of patience and compassion for your body and all that it's been through. And, you know, the, the small wins and the little bits of progress that it is making, even though it's not perfect yet and it's not where you want it to be and you still feel gross. But that's something that I'm really, really working on. Like I said, I've been working with my nutritionist Sisley. She's awesome. For the past couple of months— shout out Sisley, she's also a listener of the podcast. And she's the best. She's been helping me a lot, and we're going to continue working together. And I'm actually going to start— I'm about to start on a pretty intense candida cleanse. It's not like— actually, I don't want to say it's pretty intense because I feel like that puts a bad spin on it, or it like just makes me think about it in a bad way. It's not that intense. It's gonna be totally fine, and it's not even unrealistic at all. It's not like it's like a juice cleanse, like you can't eat any food, or like an elimination diet. I've done an elimination diet before, and that was way more challenging than this is going to be. But it is going to take a lot of preparation and intentionality from my part, and self-control, and the mindset of trusting that this is going to help my body heal, and reminding myself of the reason that I'm going on this journey. Is because I want to heal my body. I want to be as healthy as I can be. I want to be vibrant and have clear skin and feel beautiful and, you know, have amazing digestion and have a lot of energy and take care of myself in a really good way. Like, I want all of those things, as everybody does. And it's been, it's been hard because there's been times where I'm super excited and I'm super motivated about it, and I'm like, okay, yes, this is perfect. I'm gonna eat in this way, I'm gonna make sure to drink more water, I'm gonna take all my supplements, I'm gonna do all these things that I know I should be doing to help myself. And I feel really excited about that, and I feel motivated about it. But then there's times where I wake up and I look in the mirror and skin is so bad that I just get so sad, and I'm just like, why am I not further along? You know, like, it— everything was going good, like, it was getting better, and then, you know, my hormones will fluctuate as they do every month, and whatever will happen, and I'll have a breakout, and then I'll be like devastated and be like like I'm not as far along as I thought that I was kind of energy. And this month I definitely had a moment where I like really, really broke down and I just like cried because I like, I, I wanted, I wanted to feel motivated and excited about moving forward on this journey, but I just actually felt sorry for myself. I just felt like it was unfair that I have to try so hard to just be able to wake up and like feel normal, you know, or like have relatively clear skin, or like have no pain when I eat a meal. And I think the important thing is that when you have those days, whatever those days are revolving around for you— they may be around relationships or where you're at in your career or your own health journey of some kind. But when I— when you do have those days where you're like, I just feel sorry for myself and I wish that this wasn't the case, it's important to allow yourself to actually just feel that way. And what helped me was not trying to change that story and not trying to guilt myself into feeling better. You know, a lot of times women especially, like, we'll tell ourselves the story of I should just be happy and I should just be grateful because X, Y, and Z, because so many people have it worse, because this isn't really that big of a problem, because you're being dramatic, because whatever, whatever, right? And that is not gratitude. Telling yourself I should just be grateful because somebody has it worse or this isn't that big of a problem is not gratitude. You, you don't guilt yourself into feeling grateful. That's self-judgment. That's denial of how you actually feel. That's suppressing your emotion that wants to come up and flow through you so that it can be released. And so what worked for me was to just literally take almost an entire morning to bawl my eyes out and then open up my journal write about it, take deep breaths, and then talk to my partner about it, and then talk to my therapist about it. Those are the things that I did. And again, like, it's always ebbs and flows. And I think this is just an example of everybody has things going on in their lives behind the scenes that we don't know anything about. And it's always important to be kind, but it's really, really, really important that you be kind to yourself, because if are moving through something that's challenging, or it's a struggle for you right now, or it's weighing heavy on your heart, the last thing you need is to be a gratitude bully to yourself, you know? Like, we just have to have compassion, and allowing those feelings to move through us is what actually allows us to release them and move forward, right? Feel it to heal it. So whatever this is for you in your life right now, when you have those down days, don't make yourself wrong for having those feelings. Just feel them, allow them to move through you, because if you don't give your emotions anywhere to go, that's energy that you're trapping inside of your body that's going to inevitably create more dis-ease down the line in the future, and you're gonna have to feel it to heal it at some point, and then it's going to be even more painful, or it's going to be even harder, or it's just going to feel even more unappetizing to actually do that work because there's so much there, there's so much to be felt. And so it's much better to just do it as it comes let it come, let it move through you, and release it from your energy field. So yeah, I'm on a healing journey. I'm working to heal my gut and my hormones, and I'm also working with a hypnotherapist, which I think I've told you guys before, but I'm working with a hypnotherapist, um, which has been really, really awesome, just going deep into the subconscious mind and reprogramming anything and everything that is not serving me and my highest good and my business and my health and all of those things. So that's been something that's present for me in the month of February. And then I also wanted to tell you guys about what I did on 2/22/22. So I shared on my Instagram stories that I went and I did a sensory deprivation experience where you get in a float tank, and I said that I was going to share with you how I felt about it, so I thought I'd just share it on the podcast rather than a million slides on Instagram stories. So here we are. There were quite a few of you in my DMs saying like, oh my gosh, how was it? Please let me know. So this is for you. Um, the experience was definitely really cool. Like, I would totally do it again. And basically, if you don't know what it is, like, you can just Google float tank or Google sensory deprivation. And basically what you do is you go into exactly what it sounds like, a float tank. So it's kind of like a room, at least mine was a room, which was really nice. Like it had a pretty high ceiling. So it's not like you're getting into a tanning bed full of water and there's like, you know, a door like super close to your head and it's really claustrophobic and scary. The one that I went into was a really, really nice float tank. So there are some that are smaller than the one that I was in, but basically it's like a little room and you kind of open up this big door that opens like a refrigerator door, and then you step over this threshold like you would to get into a bathtub. And then there's hot— it's not too hot, but it's definitely warm water, and it's not super deep, so it probably— if you're standing inside of the tank It only comes up to like your mid-shin, like below your knee, and it's filled with 1,000 pounds of Epsom salt. So it is super, super salty. And the point of that is to make it so that your body is completely buoyant when you lay down in the water and it's effortless for you to float. So you can literally lay down in the water, and your whole body just like floats, pops up to the surface, and you just lay there. So the tank is— at least mine was like, it, it had this, um, lining inside of it. Like if you've ever been inside of a swimming pool that's not concrete, but it has that kind of like rubbery type lining on the inside, that's what it felt like. And then the door closes, like you close that big refrigerator door behind you, and there's no lights. So it's pitch black darkness, like so dark, like as if you were to close your eyes in the middle of the night and just blackness. So it's completely dark. The one that I went into had no sound either. I know there's some that have music, but mine was no sound, no sight, and you are basically just like floating in this water. So you you can't feel the sensation of touching anything. So that's why it's called sensory deprivation, because you're literally being stripped of your sensory experience almost. Obviously you can feel the water, but it's not the same as sitting in a chair and trying to meditate. You might be really aware of the texture of the chair or the feeling of the chair under your bum, or if you're sitting cross-legged, like the feeling of your ankle bones touching each other. And so positions like that can become uncomfortable after some time, so you can't go as deep into the mind. But when you're laying in this float tank and you're just completely sprawled out, relaxed, you're wearing no clothes, so you're completely naked, and so you don't feel any clothes rubbing on you, you can't feel your bra strap digging in, you can't feel yourself getting a wedgie. Like, the point is to basically be free of distractions, and you just close your eyes and you go deep into the journey of your mind. So yeah, it's a meditative experience, essentially. And I, I thought that I would have gone deeper, to be completely honest. At first, it was a little bit challenging for me to just like get comfortable and settle in, because it's a really weird sensation to completely let go of all of your muscles and completely let go of your neck when you're laying down in water. Like, it's super unnatural to the body to like lay down in water and not tense up a little bit, or not flex any of those muscles in your neck to try and keep your head above the water. So I had to just practice, like, continuing to kind of throw my head back a little bit and, like, really release all of my muscles and, like, be basically dead weight and, and realize that my head was still gonna float and, and just get my body used to that feeling so that it was able to trust it and fully let go and relax. So it took me a couple minutes of, like, doing that in order for me to even feel all the muscles in my neck and shoulders really like relax and let go. And then it just kind of took me a little bit to get into the meditative state. I don't know if it was the day or if it was just a lot of things on my mind, but I'm very used to meditation, so I was surprised that in that environment it was still taking me so long to feel like I was really— Hey, don't forget that every month we are picking a listener of the month to win $50 in cash just for showing love to the show. All you have to do is leave an epic review of the podcast on Apple Podcasts, screenshot the review before you hit submit, and DM that screenshot to us on Instagram @makeshifthappenpodcast. And that's it. I want to thank you for being such a loyal listener and show my appreciation by putting a little extra cash in your pocket. I know it's super easy not to do it, but every single rating and review seriously helps the show rank higher and reach new people, so we appreciate them more than you know. We'll announce the next winner at the end of the month and slide into your DMs if it's you, so keep an eye out and good luck. Love you guys, and thanks for supporting Makeshift Happen. In a, in a state of, like, I don't want to say unconsciousness, but you know that state that you get to when you're really deep in meditation and yeah, you're like not conscious anymore. There's no, there's no more awareness of the conscious thoughts. You're just kind of like in that in-between dream state. So I did eventually get there, and I stayed there for a while. Like, I was probably in that state— I'm estimating, obviously, because I wasn't like watching the clock— but I was probably in that state for like 30 minutes, I'd want to say, which is pretty awesome. Maybe it was like 20 minutes, I don't really know, but it's much more than what you would get in a meditation. Because if you've ever done like a 10-minute or 20 or 30 or even 60-minute meditation, sometimes it— you only get a few minutes of that true, like, deep dreamy state where you're no longer aware of where you are or the thoughts. There's no thoughts, you know? Like, that's a pretty hard place to get to. So that was really cool. But then I was kind of awakened or alerted by an itch that I had on my nose, and I went to itch my nose and my hand had a little bit of salt water on it, obviously, and a drop of it rolled up my face and into my tear duct. And this water, don't forget, has 1,000 pounds of Epsom salt in it. So it is like pouring pure salt into your eyeball. So it burned so badly. Like, I've never felt a burn that strong in my eye ever in my life. It was burning so bad. And I tried to kind of just breathe through it, blink my eye a lot. My eye started to tear up, and eventually after a few minutes, like, the burn subsided, and I was like, okay, I'm cool, let's keep going. But then after that, I just like, I couldn't get in the energy again. I couldn't get back to that place. I couldn't get out of my head. And so I just decided to end my session a few minutes early and get out and get in the shower and just kind of like finish with my own sort of like mindfulness as I was showering and getting ready, which was fine. And I think the lesson there for me was— maybe you've experienced this in your life before— where you're trying to tell yourself like, no, just do it this way, do it the right way. Because I was telling myself like, stay longer, just wait until the light comes on, wait till they start the music, just wait for the full 60 minutes to be up. Like, you can do this, you paid for this, you came for this experience, like don't quit. And I was like making this in my head that if I got out after I got the salt in my eye, that I was like quitting. And then I was like, that is so fucking dumb. Like, I'm— I came here to have a beautiful experience for myself, and I'm making it not a beautiful experience now because I'm forcing myself to do something in a way that doesn't feel aligned just so that I can tell myself you know, I did it the quote-unquote right way, which isn't even a thing, you know. So then that's why I was like, screw it, this is so silly. Like, I'm gonna get out when I feel called to get out, and I'm gonna let that be okay. And that was just a lesson for me that I'm, that I'm always coming back to time and time again, of like, if you continuously like make yourself wrong, you're always gonna feel bad about the way you're doing things or about how you're doing life or feeling behind or or like, if you continuously make yourself wrong, you're always going to feel wrong, obviously. So don't make yourself wrong about everything. If you feel something, if you want to do something, lean into that. Do it your way. Try it a new way. Like, break the rules, you know? Like, there's no rules for a lot of things in life. A lot of the rules that we set for ourselves are made up. We create so many arbitrary rules about how we have to live our lives and what time we need to wake up and how many hours we need to work and, you know, how long or how hard we need to work out in order for it to count. And all this like weird stuff that when you really dig into it, you're like, okay, I made that up and it makes me feel shitty. So I'm operating under a rule that I voluntarily made up and making myself feel bad when I could just be making up new rules that make me feel good and then having a great time just doing whatever I want because I've decided that there's no rules, or that the rule is to always be in alignment with how I authentically feel, right? So it was a— overall, it was a good experience. I really enjoyed it, but there was piece where I kind of struggled back and forth in my head of, am I doing it right? Or, you know, should I stay in longer? Or should this have felt different? You know, even with meditation, even if you're just doing like a daily 5-minute meditation, I think there's a lot of judgment that we sometimes create, and we're like, oh, that should have felt different, right? I should, I should feel— I should have gone deeper. I should have felt something more significant. And then you make your whole 5-minute meditation wrong And then you don't even feel proud of yourself for having sat down and got quiet with yourself for 5 minutes because you're like, oh, it wasn't a good meditation. So it's just, it's, it's all, it's all garbage. We just need to be kinder to ourselves and break the rules more often and stop making ourselves wrong. So I think that's everything that I have for you guys for the February roundup. What's going on in my life, what I'm moving through, what I'm doing. Um, so yeah, I hope you enjoyed this episode. If you guys like these bonus episodes, please let me know. This is a new thing that we're doing. I have no idea how it's gonna go. I have no idea if you even care, if you even like it. So send me a DM or take a screenshot and share this episode to your stories. If I see a lot of them, I'm gonna know that you guys are liking them, and we will continue down this path, providing bonus episodes for you at the end of every single month. And another thing that I want to remind you guys of is I'm doing a new segment on my Instagram with my amazing assistant Lori, who's also an astrologer. So at the beginning of every month, we are going live on Instagram and we are doing a monthly vibe check and an astrology report for you guys. So we're going to take you through the main astrological events that are happening every single month. The zodiac sign that we're moving through, the energy that it's presenting, the full moons that are happening, the new moons that are happening, some rituals that you can put in place, what to look out for, what the overall vibe of the month is. And it's just a really great way to get yourself set up for the energy of each month. I'm also going to be providing for you some unique journaling prompts to go along with that monthly vibe check every month, just like I do in my newsletter. So if you're not signed up to my Monday Motivation newsletter. You can just go to samanthadaly.com, enter your email anywhere, and sign up for that newsletter. And also join us on Instagram Live at the beginning of every month for that live video experience of us doing the vibe check, giving you the journaling prompts, and setting the tone and the energy and the rituals for the month ahead. So wanted to remind you guys of that. If you love this episode, please share it with someone who you think would enjoy it. Send it to a friend, a sister, your mom, anybody that you know who you think would vibe with the show. I super appreciate you guys sharing it. So much love, and we'll see you again this Wednesday for another episode. I'll talk to you guys soon. Bye!