I genuinely had a reflective time reading through this piece. Thank you so much for writing and sharing it.
I’ve had seasons in my life when I didn’t have much going on externally and was faced with what I believe is a similar kind of pit to the one talked about here. Looking back now, I’m deeply grateful for the grace to remain connected to the things that truly mattered to me at my core, even when everything else felt uncertain.
I’ve now come to trust that hitting the bottom does not diminish us — it reveals us. And if we allow it to, it can leave us more grounded, more peaceful, and closer to who we truly are.
Victor - As you beautifully put it, the bottom does not necessarily diminish us. Often, it clarifies us. It reveals which parts of us were constructed for approval, survival, or performance, and which parts remain quietly intact beneath all of it.
I’ve come to believe that people who have truly met themselves in those moments often return carrying a different kind of strength — less performative, less frantic, but far more grounded and peaceful. Thank you for sharing this reflection.
Thank you for this, v well written. It resonated with me a lot as someone coming out of chronic illness. I related to the two stages - you'd think losing the old identity and getting to know what's underneath was the whole journey, but there's v much a part 2 when you go back into the world and find the old expectations there waiting for you!
I am sorry to hear of your illness and glad to hear you are recovering.
I think many people assume the transformation is the difficult part — the stripping away, the loss of the old identity, the confrontation with what remains underneath. But returning to the world can be its own kind of test because the environment often still expects the former version of you to reappear unchanged. The old rhythms. The old performance. The old role.
And maybe that’s the deeper challenge: not just discovering who you are beneath the identity that collapsed, but learning how to remain connected to that person once the world starts asking for the costume back again.
I genuinely had a reflective time reading through this piece. Thank you so much for writing and sharing it.
I’ve had seasons in my life when I didn’t have much going on externally and was faced with what I believe is a similar kind of pit to the one talked about here. Looking back now, I’m deeply grateful for the grace to remain connected to the things that truly mattered to me at my core, even when everything else felt uncertain.
I’ve now come to trust that hitting the bottom does not diminish us — it reveals us. And if we allow it to, it can leave us more grounded, more peaceful, and closer to who we truly are.
I'll sure hold on to the lessons shared here ✨️
Victor - As you beautifully put it, the bottom does not necessarily diminish us. Often, it clarifies us. It reveals which parts of us were constructed for approval, survival, or performance, and which parts remain quietly intact beneath all of it.
I’ve come to believe that people who have truly met themselves in those moments often return carrying a different kind of strength — less performative, less frantic, but far more grounded and peaceful. Thank you for sharing this reflection.
Thank you for this, v well written. It resonated with me a lot as someone coming out of chronic illness. I related to the two stages - you'd think losing the old identity and getting to know what's underneath was the whole journey, but there's v much a part 2 when you go back into the world and find the old expectations there waiting for you!
I am sorry to hear of your illness and glad to hear you are recovering.
I think many people assume the transformation is the difficult part — the stripping away, the loss of the old identity, the confrontation with what remains underneath. But returning to the world can be its own kind of test because the environment often still expects the former version of you to reappear unchanged. The old rhythms. The old performance. The old role.
And maybe that’s the deeper challenge: not just discovering who you are beneath the identity that collapsed, but learning how to remain connected to that person once the world starts asking for the costume back again.