It’s believed by many that God (the Universe, Creation, All in All) divided itself into individual expressions to come into this realm and experience its own divinity. Although we know our unlimited nature, how else would we truly experience it if not through challenges and difficulties?
When we begin to see challenges as opportunities to discover how magnificent and powerful we are, we welcome them. We even look forward to them—and, dare I say, enjoy them.
This year has been incredibly rewarding for me. Not because of anything that happened, but because of who I chose to be in response. Like everyone, I’ve faced difficulties in my life, but sometimes the hardest ones are those that ask us to completely upgrade our idea of ourselves. If part of our purpose is to experience our unlimited nature, then it makes sense that there’s a deep satisfaction when we choose to embody it.
The process of becoming the light in times of darkness is not linear. We forget, we doubt, we feel alone… but if we stick with it, we come out victorious. And the victory has very little to do with the outcome. It comes from the process: our choices, the shifts along the way, and yes, the outer changes, which can be pretty great too.
My daily non-negotiables this year started with two. Then they became three, then four. Some fell away because they became second nature. Somehow I’m ending the year with ten daily non-negotiables(!), and honestly, I wouldn’t have it any other way.
If you’re faced with a major challenge, love it. Welcome it. See it as a gift. It’s your opportunity to be a superhero. It’s your chance to experience the truth of who you are. The harder it feels, the longer it takes (even if it spans an entire lifetime), the grander the opportunity becomes. The reward is immense. Your experience is uniquely important because it is the only way Creation (as a whole) can experience its nature in this particular way.
As we begin to see challenges as opportunities, our sense of self naturally expands. And this is not a theoretical construct; it’s a very practical one. Your surroundings may change, and the people you thought would stay may not. But new people arrive. New passions awaken. New habits form. A new body emerges. And most importantly, new dreams take shape.
I’ve had years filled with more activity, more productivity, and more movement, but in none of them did I participate as fully as I did this year. In that sense, this has been my most engaging and defining one.
Wherever you are in your life, whatever opportunity stands before you, become devoted to the process of creating who you are in response to it. And if you ever need a reminder, reach out. You're never alone.
Here’s to a luminous 2026. And may we collectively get to a place where we no longer need challenge in order to experience who we truly are. That’s the next level.
Let’s keep creating amazing things!
Paula
Founder, INEMERGENCE
Founder, INEMERGENCE