From Doubt to Growth: Celebrate A May to Remember
- Lay Jordan
- May 26
- 7 min read
Updated: May 29
Hey friends! ✨ Grab your favorite drink, get cozy, and let's catch up on what May brought into our lives. This month has been quite the journey of self-discovery and personal growth, and I'm excited to share it with you all.
Have you found time to celebrate this month? May brings a special energy - a time of endings and new beginnings. Whether it's graduation ceremonies, summer preparations, or career transitions, there's an undeniable spark in the air that grows more electric as June approaches. As I write this, it's Memorial Day - the unofficial start of summer - and with the Gemini New Moon peaking at 11:02 PM EST, there's an extra special energy of new beginnings and celebration in the air. I can't think of a better way to kick off this reflection than on such a powerful day of remembrance, transition, and cosmic alignment. This natural rhythm of closure and celebration inspired our theme for the month.
Celebrating Creative Growth: A Journey of Self-Discovery and System Building
My May started with its own form of celebration - completing the wrap-up week for my show notes, marking a new era in my content creation journey. A huge part of my New Year's goal was to change my relationship with content creation because, despite it being such a meaningful aspect of my life, due to self-doubt and frustration, I always found myself stopping and starting.
I would be so excited to make something, but if the results didn’t align with what I think it deserved, I would usually spiral into negative thoughts and put myself in a creative block. From April to June, I was supposed to complete "The Artist Way" as a challenge, but once again, I ended up stopping.
I didn’t know why I was struggling so badly to complete the activities until I saw this quote while creating my Gemini New Moon vision board: "It's funny how finding yourself in adulthood is simply getting back to who you were as a child." I stopped because remembering my childhood felt overwhelming - I don't think I had one that felt as carefree as most people described. This month taught me that self-discovery isn't about reverting to who we were as children, but rather about building something new while honoring our core essence.
One of the most significant revelations came through examining my love language - acts of service. While this trait was shaped by my upbringing, I realized that true self-discovery meant not just understanding these patterns but actively building upon them. Instead of simply repeating learned behaviors, I began consciously choosing how to express this core aspect of myself, especially in self-care. This led to meaningful changes in how I structured my days and approached my work, creating systems that honored both who I am and who I'm becoming.
This philosophy extended to my approach to health and wellness. Rather than following rigid rules, I embraced the 80/20 approach to eating. This balanced method has allowed me to maintain my core values while building new, sustainable habits. It's been empowering to see how honoring our essence doesn't mean staying static - it means growing in ways that feel truly aligned with who we are.
Through this month's journey, I've learned that self-discovery isn't always about returning to childhood - it's about building something new while honoring your core essence. For me, this meant:
Embracing my natural tendencies while growing beyond childhood limitations
Using my love language (acts of service) to nurture myself, not just others
Creating systems that support both productivity and joy
Finding peace in my health journey through balanced choices
Content Creation & Personal Growth
This month was HUGE for content! The podcast returned with a focus on personal empowerment (if you haven't checked out the latest episode on "How to Start Viewing Yourself as a Safe Place," what are you waiting for?). Keep scrolling to find the full catalog of this month's content below, complete with links and detailed descriptions!
Podcast Episodes
Ep 52. How to start viewing yourself as a safe place
[just released today; You can find it through the links below]
Ep 51. Mindset Shift for Negative Self-Talk
Alternate Links:
Ep 50. It's Time To Take An Active Role In Your Life
Alternate Links:
Blog posts
It’s Time To Rethink Our Perception Of Worth
A thought-provoking exploration of how our perception of self-worth evolves over time, examining the intersection of career development, digital learning, and content creation. Through personal experiences and practical insights, this piece challenges readers to reconsider how they measure success and value in their personal and professional journeys.
The Importance of Quality Content Consumption
In this thought-provoking exploration of digital content consumption, I examine how the quality of content we consume affects our mental well-being and cognitive capabilities. From mindless scrolling to content farms, discover practical strategies for breaking free from shallow content consumption and cultivating more meaningful digital experiences.
The Impact of the Age of AI: Concerns and Considerations
In my deep dive into AI's impact, I explored three key areas: its role in personal development and self-improvement, its effects on the job market (through Duolingo's AI-first approach), and its influence on creativity and environmental sustainability. Through this series, I examined both the benefits and challenges of AI integration while considering its broader implications for our future.
Identity Archaeology: 5 Models to understand Self
A comprehensive exploration of the psychological models and frameworks we can use to understand our true identity. From ancient Eastern wisdom to modern psychology, discover practical tools for self-reflection and personal growth that will help you uncover your authentic self and create meaningful change in your life.
Evolution of Identity: How Gen Z is Redefining Self-Expression
An insightful exploration of how Generation Z is revolutionizing self-expression and identity in the digital age. Through extensive research and personal observations, this piece examines how younger generations masterfully navigate multiple digital platforms to express different facets of their identity, challenging traditional notions of personal branding and authenticity.
Building a Creative Career Without Burnout
A deep dive into building a sustainable creative career without succumbing to burnout. Through personal experiences and research-backed strategies, this post explores how to maintain creative momentum while protecting your well-being. Learn practical approaches to setting boundaries, managing energy levels, and fostering long-term creative sustainability, all while staying true to your artistic vision and professional goals.
Manifest Your Dream Life: 'Operation Finish Line' Summer Edition
Discover a transformative guide to summer manifestation that blends practical goal-setting with mindful intention. Through the lens of 'Operation Finish Line,' inspired by Gilmore Girls' Paris Geller, learn how to harness summer's unique energy for personal growth. This comprehensive guide offers innovative techniques—from dawn rituals to skill-swapping circles—helping you create lasting change while honoring your authentic journey.
Heal Your Relationship With Discipline
A deep dive into our complex relationship with discipline and personal growth. This post explores how we can transform our approach to discipline from a punitive force into a nurturing practice, offering practical insights and mindset shifts to build sustainable habits. Through personal examples and actionable strategies, discover how to heal your relationship with discipline while honoring your unique journey of self-development.
How To Stop Fearing Challenges
In this insightful exploration of fear and personal growth, we dive into why we often label tasks as "too hard" before giving them a chance. Drawing from psychology and practical experience, this post offers actionable strategies to transform our relationship with challenges, helping readers move from self-doubt to confident action through curiosity-based approaches and mindset shifts.
Moon Cycles & Manifestation
For the Lunar Cycles, I create affirmations that align with the cosmic energy of each phase. This month, we experienced a New Moon in Taurus on Sunday, April 27, 2025, at 3:30 PM EST, and a Full Moon in Scorpio on May 12th at 12:56 PM EST.
New moon affirmations:
I HAVE all that I need to build the life of my dreams
I HAVE the patience and strength to recommit to my dreams and the actions I need to do to accomplish them
I VALUE the connection I have to my inner wisdom to guide me
Full moon affirmations :
I DESIRE to get back on track to becoming the version of myself I feel confident in
I DESIRE to create space for the new opportunities that will arise this summer
I DESIRE to have the focus, organization, and management skills I need to thrive
During this transit, there were themes of emotional depth, creative expression, long-term aspirations, security, personal transformation, and connection for me. I found myself using my creativity to think about the fears that developed in my past that disrupted my ways of connecting. The reality is I have big, long-term aspirations, and to make that vision come to life, I need to work through those fears. It took deep reflection, but working to process my emotions deeply, I was able to have this new wave of confidence and personal security.
Here are 3 key takeaways:
Fear doesn't have to be permanent: Past experiences may shape our fears, but they don't have to define our future connections and aspirations
Creativity as a healing tool: Using creative expression can help us process and understand our deeper emotions and past experiences
Growth requires reflection: Taking time to process emotions deeply, though challenging, can lead to newfound confidence and personal security
Looking Forward
Rating this month an 8.5/10 feels just right! There's been so much growth - from completing my show notes wrap-up and Gilmore Girls rewatch to creating challenging content that pushed me out of my comfort zone. This lunar cycle brought excitement and unexpected connections that helped me confront some fears from 2018. While I managed to see a friend (though I wish we could meet more!), I've noticed that my check-in points aren't as detailed as usual. As life speeds up physically, I'm realizing I need to create more mental space to properly process everything that's happening - both the achievements and the inner work.
I'd love to hear from you all - how was your May? Did any of these experiences resonate with you? Let's continue this conversation in the comments below! 💕
I hope you enjoyed this post and found it interesting. Also, if you like my content,t it would mean the world to me if you would also subscribe to my YouTube channel, my Pinterest, and my TikTok account. On YouTube, I have the most inspirational content from Lifestyle Design posts to Digital "open when..." letters to boost your mood. I also keep a copy of my podcast episodes (which is also available on Spotify). I decided that I am honoring what feels right to me and continuously working on building the life of my dreams and helping others do the same. Don’t forget to share this if you feel inspired, and I will have more content for you soon.
Xoxo,
Lay 💋
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