Monday Motivation

"I couldn't care less what the colors are in reality."

-Vincent van Gogh

Vincent van Gogh, one of the most celebrated and tormented artists in history, wasn’t painting what he saw, he was painting what he felt. He didn’t apologize for it. He didn't feel bound by the rules of realism or the expectations of others. He let his emotions drive the brush. That’s why his work still pulses with life. That’s why we still feel it.

So here we are, stepping into a new week. A fresh Monday. The world around us might be telling us what colors to use, what roles to play, how to show up, what’s realistic, what’s “normal,” what’s expected. The office says one thing, the family another. Social media screams it from every scroll: “This is how your life should look.” But van Gogh reminds us, quite powerfully, that we get to choose. We get to mix our own palette. Reality is just one version of the truth and it might not be the one that helps you grow, breathe, heal, or become.

This isn’t just artistic license. It’s life advice.

So many of us have been taught to value only the “realistic” path of career ladders, productivity hacks, logic over feeling, fitting in rather than standing out. But if you’ve ever woken up with a pit in your stomach, wondering why you’re going through the motions, or looked at your calendar and felt like a stranger in your own life, then you know that “reality” isn’t always truth. It isn’t always you. You don’t owe the world a life that makes sense on paper. You owe yourself a life that feels right.

And that might look completely unrealistic from the outside.

Maybe your reality is that you’re a parent who also wants to write a book at 3 a.m. because that’s when the words come. Maybe your truth is that you need solitude even though your job demands constant interaction. Maybe your color palette is fire-red boundaries and deep-blue rest, even if the world around you keeps shouting about hustle, hustle, hustle. That doesn’t make your colors wrong. It makes them yours.

Coaching isn’t about giving you a list of boxes to tick or pushing you toward some ideal version of productivity. It’s about holding space for you to explore what your “colors” really are, and helping you stop apologizing for them. It’s about peeling back the noise of the outside world to find your inner landscape and then giving you tools to live in it boldly.

Because here’s the secret: when you start to live according to your truth, the world doesn’t fall apart. In fact, it often expands. It gets richer, weirder, more vibrant. Things start to click not always easily, but authentically. You start to build a life that fits you like your favorite old hoodie. One that you recognize, one you can breathe in.

So this Monday, I want to invite you to ask yourself a simple but radical question: What colors are calling to me right now, even if they don’t make sense to anyone else?

And then ask this: What’s one small way I could honor that today?

You don’t have to change everything overnight. You don’t have to justify your dreams, your needs, or your boundaries. You don’t even have to explain the painting to anyone else. But you do get to pick up the brush.

If that feels scary or impossible, you’re not alone. That’s why I do this work. I help people reconnect to what’s real for them. If you're ready to explore what your version of reality could look like, or if you're just craving some space to breathe and figure things out, I’d love to talk with you. You don’t have to know exactly what you need yet just bring your curiosity.

Reach out today to schedule a session. Let’s start mixing your colors together.