Alignment Over Hustle: What Two Months Can Teach Us About the Whole Year…

November has this interesting quality to it, doesn't it? We're far enough into the year to know how things have really been going - not the hopeful version we imagined back in January, but the actual, lived experience of the past ten months. And yet, we still have two months ahead of us. Two months that feel like an invitation.

This year, my personal focus has been on alignment and creating space. I've been watching what happens when I stop grinding against myself and start moving with my own grain instead. And I've been noticing something: alignment isn't just a nice concept. It has real, tangible effects on our nervous systems, our energy, and the quality of our lives.

The Nervous System Connection

When we're aligned with our purpose - when our daily choices reflect what actually matters to us - our nervous system gets the message that we're safe. We're not constantly in a state of internal conflict, pushing ourselves to do things that feel fundamentally wrong for us. That constant pushing? That misalignment? It keeps us in a low-grade state of stress.

But when we make choices that align with who we are and what we value, something shifts. There's less internal resistance. Less energy spent convincing ourselves to do things that don't fit. Our nervous system can actually settle.

This doesn't mean aligned choices are always easy. But there's a difference between the difficulty of doing something challenging that matters to you, and the exhausting grind of doing something that works against your system.

What Alignment Can Look Like

Alignment shows up in different ways for different people. Sometimes it's about how we make a living - recognizing that a career path that looks impressive on paper might be slowly draining the life out of us, while something less conventional might actually let us thrive.

Sometimes it's about our hobbies and how we spend our free time. Are we choosing activities because we think we should enjoy them, or because they genuinely help us feel grounded, energized, or calm? There's a big difference between a hobby that restores you and one that just adds another item to your to-do list.

And sometimes - maybe especially - alignment is about the people we spend our time with. Not everyone in our lives will support the version of ourselves we're becoming. Some relationships energize us. Others deplete us. Noticing the difference is important.

My Own Practice This Year

I'll be honest - this alignment work hasn't always been easy for me. Earlier this year, I kept getting opportunities to pick up side gigs. The extra income was nice to have, and the work itself was relatively easy. However, I suddenly found myself working almost 7 days a week. Soon, every time I considered saying yes to a new opportunity, I felt this tightness in my chest.

The problem wasn't the work. The problem was what I'd have to give up: my only remaining free time. The space I needed to actually build my coaching business. The time I needed to rest so I could show up with energy for my clients, for planning, for writing, for all the behind-the-scenes work that makes this business run.

So, this fall, I made a choice. I stepped back from bartending and other side gigs. I started getting really intentional about how I spent my weekends and downtime. I even scheduled unscheduled time - time specifically for recharging and nourishing my head, heart, and body.

Here's the surprising part: I didn't increase the amount of time I worked on my business. But the time I did spend working felt completely different. More productive. More energetic. It refueled my passion for what I was doing instead of depleting it.

And my business started to grow.

The Reality of Small Shifts

Now, I want to be clear about something: I was in a position where I could turn down that extra income. Not everyone has that option, and I don't want to pretend otherwise.

Life is hard right now. The cost of living keeps climbing, and many people are doing everything they can just to keep their heads above water. If you're in survival mode, you might not have the luxury of turning down work that pays the bills, even if it's not aligned with your deeper purpose.

But here's what I've learned: alignment doesn't have to be an all-or-nothing proposition. You don't have to quit your job or make dramatic life changes to start moving toward alignment. Sometimes the most powerful shifts are the smallest ones.

Maybe you can't change how you earn your income right now, but you can become more intentional about how you spend your personal time. Maybe you can't control your work schedule, but you can start paying attention to which relationships drain you and which ones restore you, and make small adjustments accordingly.

These small choices matter. They build on each other. When you align even one area of your life - maybe it's choosing a hobby that actually nourishes you instead of depleting you, or setting a boundary with someone who consistently leaves you feeling worse - it creates a ripple effect. That one aligned choice gives you a little more energy, a little more clarity, a little more capacity to make the next aligned choice.

Over time, these small shifts can lead to bigger changes. But even if they don't - even if your circumstances don't allow for dramatic transformation right now - those small moments of alignment still matter. They still calm your nervous system. They still remind you of who you are beneath all the demands and obligations.