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	<title>Journal &#8211; The Diane Collective</title>
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	<title>Journal &#8211; The Diane Collective</title>
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		<title>About Friendship Breakups</title>
		<link>https://www.thedianecollective.com/about-friendship-breakups/</link>
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		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Diane]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Tue, 17 Feb 2026 23:36:23 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Journal]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.thedianecollective.com/?p=933</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[I know Kylie Jenner got roasted for &#8220;realizing stuff&#8221; but sometimes, you really do just be realizing stuff. Here&#8217;s what [&#8230;]]]></description>
										<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><img fetchpriority="high" decoding="async" class="aligncenter wp-image-945 size-large" src="https://www.thedianecollective.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/you-dont-need-a-good-reason-to-break-up-1024x683.jpg" alt="" width="1024" height="683" srcset="https://www.thedianecollective.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/you-dont-need-a-good-reason-to-break-up-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https://www.thedianecollective.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/you-dont-need-a-good-reason-to-break-up-300x200.jpg 300w, https://www.thedianecollective.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/you-dont-need-a-good-reason-to-break-up-768x512.jpg 768w, https://www.thedianecollective.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/you-dont-need-a-good-reason-to-break-up.jpg 1200w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" />I know Kylie Jenner got roasted for &#8220;realizing stuff&#8221; but sometimes, you really do just be realizing stuff.</p>
<p><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Here&#8217;s what I realized</span>: You don&#8217;t have to have a good reason to do anything.</strong></p>
<p>At a traffic stop, you have the right to deny search and seizure. It doesn’t matter if someone says, “Well, if you didn’t have anything to hide, you&#8217;d just let us search.”</p>
<p>Sure. IF IT WASN&#8217;T YOUR CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHT???</p>
<p>You have the right and you&#8217;re using it. The end.</p>
<p class="p1">The same applies to relationships — romantic, platonic, professional. If you consistently feel worse after interacting with someone, you are allowed to end it.</p>
<p class="p1">Even if nothing happened. Even if you&#8217;re being dramatic. Even if “on paper,” everything is fine.</p>
<blockquote><p><span style="font-size: 10px;">This </span><span style="font-size: 10px;">blog post may contain affiliate links, which means a commission may be earned if you make a purchase through these links — at no additional cost to you. Please read the <a href="https://www.thedianecollective.com/disclaimer/">disclaimer policy</a> for more information.</span></p></blockquote>
<h1>Who is this for? (And who it&#8217;s not)</h1>
<p>I know you know someone who always cuts people off and their life is shit because they do that.</p>
<p>Well, this message is for people who <em>never</em> cut people off and their life is shit because they do that, okay? Lmao.</p>
<p>Sentiments you&#8217;ve probably heard and internalized: &#8220;Oh you&#8217;re so sensitive,&#8221; &#8220;they didn&#8217;t mean it like that,&#8221; or &#8220;that&#8217;s just their humor.&#8221;</p>
<p>That&#8217;s great. It doesn&#8217;t change the <em>fact</em> that you feel like shit.</p>
<p>&#8220;Facts over feelings,&#8221; they say. But, sometimes it <em>is</em> feelings over facts. Or rather, feelings <em>are</em> facts.</p>
<p>The label by which you call a feeling is data and data equals facts so it <em>is</em> a fact that they feel this way. And even if the math isn&#8217;t adding up to you, the answer is the answer.</p>
<p>You feel like crap. Let&#8217;s start there.</p>
<h1>Feelings ARE Facts</h1>
<p>Fear is an emotion. That&#8217;s how we survived. We were scared as fuck and ran like hell.</p>
<p>It&#8217;s logical to want to live but emotion is what kept us alive!</p>
<p>Also, if these facts-over-feelings people really didn&#8217;t care, then they wouldn&#8217;t spend so much time trying to get you to stop feeling the way you feel.</p>
<p>It&#8217;s illogical because it&#8217;s a waste of time and energy. You being &#8220;dramatic&#8221; is actually not relevant.</p>
<p>Your feelings being &#8220;wrong&#8221; only matters when the other person can&#8217;t face their own. What they&#8217;re actually doing is trying to deflect their own anxiety and fear of rejection and abandonment by turning the spotlight onto you.</p>
<p>I know people who actually don&#8217;t care and are truly &#8220;more logical,&#8221; which by the way, I don&#8217;t think exists unless you&#8217;ve had an actual diagnosis by a professional.</p>
<p><em>Truly</em> more-logical people take into consideration the others&#8217; feelings as a data point and navigate the social situation in a way where the other person ends up happy, or at the very least, not distressed.</p>
<p>They don&#8217;t need an apology because they don&#8217;t feel wronged when you express your emotions.</p>
<p>They truly don&#8217;t care. But, don&#8217;t let that confuse you with a lack of empathy!</p>
<p>They really don&#8217;t feel any type of way, so whatever it takes to make you feel better, they&#8217;re going to try do that because it costs them nothing emotionally and it makes life easier for everyone.</p>
<p>It&#8217;s actually irrational to shut you down because it&#8217;s so much more work to scream and yell about something that is human.</p>
<p>That&#8217;s why the <em>fake</em> facts-over-feelings people always have drama in their life!</p>
<p><img decoding="async" class="aligncenter wp-image-944 size-large" src="https://www.thedianecollective.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/friendship-breakup-1024x683.jpg" alt="" width="1024" height="683" srcset="https://www.thedianecollective.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/friendship-breakup-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https://www.thedianecollective.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/friendship-breakup-300x200.jpg 300w, https://www.thedianecollective.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/friendship-breakup-768x512.jpg 768w, https://www.thedianecollective.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/friendship-breakup.jpg 1200w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></p>
<h1>Outgrowing a Friendship</h1>
<p>For the past year, I&#8217;ve noticed that I feel worse after spending time with a friend of mine. On paper, nothing has changed; she’s the same; her jokes are the same.</p>
<p class="p1">However, something shifted.</p>
<p class="p1">What used to feel like playful teasing that I took as attempts to be signify closeness now feels like digs; as if she secretly hates me.</p>
<p class="p1">Anytime I gassed myself up, there was what felt like a joke that was supposed to disguise her disdain.</p>
<p class="p1">I’ve felt this way for over a year. I’ve tried brushing it off and even leaning more into spending time with her to &#8220;get over it&#8221; but I just ended up with more pain.</p>
<p>So, I cut it off. I don&#8217;t reach out. I don&#8217;t text back. And, I don&#8217;t plan on bringing it up to her, which some might see as unfair.</p>
<p>But, I truly have no motivation or desire to get things back to the way things were because:</p>
<ol>
<li>I&#8217;m not sure what that even is exactly because I&#8217;m not exactly sure what&#8217;s even different.</li>
<li>I&#8217;m not holding anyone&#8217;s hand to teach them how to treat me.</li>
</ol>
<p>Maybe I&#8217;m a bad friend. Which in that case, she should be happy! Why should she have a bad friend, too?</p>
<h1>You Don’t Have to Justify Your Exit</h1>
<p class="p1">I used to think you had to justify leaving. That you had to debate your discomfort. That you owed people an explanation convincing enough for them to agree with your boundary.</p>
<p class="p1">I don’t believe that anymore. I’d rather be selfish than self-abandoning.</p>
<p class="p1">If someone truly believes I’m terrible for quietly stepping back, they’re free to feel that way.</p>
<p><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Better question</span>:</strong> Why are they trying so hard to keep someone who doesn’t want to be here around?</p>
<p><span style="font-size: 16px; font-weight: 400;">For real, I&#8217;m just walking away.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 16px; font-weight: 400;">We&#8217;re not fighting. We&#8217;ve just changed for some reason&#8230; </span>and I feel amazing after making this decision.</p>
<p>Because I really tried, you guys.</p>
<p>While I do feel a little bad about it, like &#8220;ugh, we had such good times&#8230;&#8221; but I&#8217;ve tried holding on for a whole year and felt worse every step I took towards her.</p>
<p>I can&#8217;t go on any longer because it&#8217;s my life! It&#8217;s always going to be too short.</p>
<p class="p1">If you’ve outgrown something, then you don’t need a catastrophic event to justify the end.</p>
<p class="p1">You can trust your gut. You can choose peace over proving a point. You can decide that that small feeling is reason enough.</p>
<p class="p1">Follow your gut. It’s a lot smarter than your brain gives it credit for.</p>
<h1>Conclusion</h1>
<p class="p1">Be the bad person because your definition of bad is like&#8230; if everyone was as bad as this, it&#8217;d be a pretty good place!</p>
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		<item>
		<title>How to Stop Procrastination</title>
		<link>https://www.thedianecollective.com/how-to-stop-procrastination/</link>
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		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Diane]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Wed, 30 Jul 2025 20:50:36 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Journal]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Astrology]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.thedianecollective.com/?p=479</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[What have you been putting off? I&#8217;ve been meaning to re-write my About page for forever! Procrastination: I&#8217;ll do it later. [&#8230;]]]></description>
										<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><img decoding="async" class="aligncenter wp-image-486 size-large" src="https://www.thedianecollective.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/how-to-stop-procrastinating-1024x683.jpg" alt="A woman sits at a desk with her head down, appearing to struggle with procrastination." width="1024" height="683" srcset="https://www.thedianecollective.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/how-to-stop-procrastinating-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https://www.thedianecollective.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/how-to-stop-procrastinating-300x200.jpg 300w, https://www.thedianecollective.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/how-to-stop-procrastinating-768x512.jpg 768w, https://www.thedianecollective.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/how-to-stop-procrastinating-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://www.thedianecollective.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/how-to-stop-procrastinating-2048x1365.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></p>
<p>What have you been putting off? I&#8217;ve been meaning to re-write <a href="https://www.thedianecollective.com/about/">my About page</a> for forever!</p>
<p>Procrastination: I&#8217;ll do it later.</p>
<p>But, I keep willing to do it later&#8230; I simply don&#8217;t know what to write about because I don&#8217;t know what this blog is <em>really</em> about. Sure, I started it as a girl with too many hobbies, but if I want to build a community of like-minded people, why would they come to me?</p>
<p>And if I try to find out what the blog is about, then that means that page will get re-written and the real work begins&#8230;</p>
<p>Maybe I don&#8217;t want to do the <em>real</em> work?</p>
<blockquote><p><span style="font-size: 10px;">This </span><span style="font-size: 10px;">blog post may contain affiliate links, which means a commission may be earned if you make a purchase through these links — at no additional cost to you. Please read the <a href="https://www.thedianecollective.com/disclaimer/">disclaimer policy</a> for more information.</span></p></blockquote>
<h1>Why do we procrastinate?</h1>
<p>My therapist always says that procrastination is about avoidance. We want to avoid doing that thing for&#8230; some reason.</p>
<p>For me, maybe I&#8217;m afraid of success because to succeed means to be seen and to be seen is to be judged and I don&#8217;t want to be judged <em>incorrectly</em>.</p>
<p>It&#8217;s fine that you don&#8217;t like me, but don&#8217;t like me for a reason I think is acceptable lol.</p>
<p>And because I can&#8217;t control that&#8230; that&#8217;s why I&#8217;m putting it off.</p>
<p>Granted — I don&#8217;t know what I&#8217;d even be offering to people, so how can I re-write a page when I don&#8217;t know what to put in it?</p>
<p>I&#8217;ve been trying to find that answer, believe me!</p>
<h1>Astrology can&#8217;t save me, only I can save me</h1>
<p>I&#8217;ve heard of people getting scammed by astrologers, psychics, and tarot readers, but I seem to only find good ones because they&#8217;ve told me to not come to them because I&#8217;m meant to figure this out on my own.</p>
<p>Fuuuuu — bro, please take my money and fix my problems.</p>
<p>But, alas. I am my own savior.</p>
<p>On New Years Eve, I saw <a href="https://linktr.ee/saiavani?ltsid=e7e57419-7af9-4169-b34b-4259fb544c80" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Sai Avani</a> who I found on TikTok. We talked about what I could expect in 2025 and about what Evan Nathaniel Grim from <a href="https://www.innerworldsastrology.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Inner Worlds Astrology</a> said to expect when Saturn squared my nodes — it was a boring &#8220;your inner world will change&#8221; answer lol</p>
<p>Which, to be fair, now that things have played out already, my inner world has changed! Haha.</p>
<p>But, one thing Sai said when it comes to what I want to put out into the world regarding my public reputation, career, and gifts&#8230; that&#8217;s something only I can answer.</p>
<p>Later in the year, I booked a creative astrology reading with <a href="https://www.lizworth.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Liz Worth</a> who specialized primarily in tarot but recently opened up her astrology practice.</p>
<p>The reading was designed to help artists find their voice and she sort of did? I&#8217;m meant to share deep psychological or even taboo insights on a public platform. But again, I still felt lost.</p>
<p><em><strong>Why would people be coming to me exactly?</strong></em></p>
<p>Liz mentioned that I could totally do astrology and tarot if I wanted to. Maybe document my journey?</p>
<p>I&#8217;m still lost af.</p>
<p>My last stitch effort is maybe booking a reading with <a href="https://www.ziggyastrology.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Ziggy Astrology</a> who I recently got an omakase PDF reading from. It was super insightful and she touched on aspects that others haven&#8217;t.</p>
<p>And I do plan on going back to her for more answers, but at this point, I don&#8217;t expect miracles.</p>
<h1>How to Stop Procrastination</h1>
<p>I know. This has been a long-winded journal, lol. But, hopefully you resonate with my thought process.</p>
<p>I think you should just not do it. Just don&#8217;t. You&#8217;re stressed out because you tell yourself that you should be doing that thing. So, just tell yourself you don&#8217;t have to.</p>
<p>Don&#8217;t clean your house. Don&#8217;t cook dinner. Don&#8217;t write your blog post. Don&#8217;t apply for that job.</p>
<p>Once you give yourself permission, that pressure goes away. And then maybe you can think to yourself, &#8220;why was I stressing myself out so much?&#8221;</p>
<p><strong>When you reflect with a <em>lack of judgment</em>, you find out interesting things about yourself.</strong></p>
<p>For me, I&#8217;ve been putting off writing my biography because I&#8217;m afraid that this blog will die like all my other endeavors to get out of this rat race.</p>
<p>So, to prevent myself from being disappointed, I just don&#8217;t do that thing.</p>
<p>And I don&#8217;t know — something about that radical acceptance of like, &#8220;you know what? fuck it. i&#8217;m just gonna not do anything because nothing ever works&#8221; makes me just do things almost as a joke or just because I like doing it.</p>
<h1>Concluding How to Stop Procrastination</h1>
<p>Just don&#8217;t do it. Be that sack of shit that doesn&#8217;t get anything done. When you&#8217;re bored enough, you&#8217;ll just do it because there is no point, but there&#8217;s also nothing to do <img src="https://s.w.org/images/core/emoji/17.0.2/72x72/1f937-1f3fb-200d-2640-fe0f.png" alt="🤷🏻‍♀️" class="wp-smiley" style="height: 1em; max-height: 1em;" /></p>
<p>It&#8217;s worked for me.</p>
<p>While I still haven&#8217;t hit milestones that would make me think, &#8220;wow, I&#8217;m like actually amazing,&#8221; I finished this blog post!</p>
<p>Can&#8217;t fight me on that.</p>
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		<title>Blogging Like It’s 2007: Figuring Out My Niche</title>
		<link>https://www.thedianecollective.com/figuring-out-my-niche/</link>
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		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Diane]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Thu, 19 Jun 2025 16:15:59 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Journal]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Astrology]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.thedianecollective.com/?p=440</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[Wow it’s been almost 6 months since my last post! Time flies when you’re doing a million things lol By [&#8230;]]]></description>
										<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter wp-image-468 size-full" src="https://www.thedianecollective.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/finding-your-niche-online.png" alt="A red and white striped swimsuit, sunglasses, and a camera, symbolizing finding your niche in leisure activities" width="450" height="300" srcset="https://www.thedianecollective.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/finding-your-niche-online.png 450w, https://www.thedianecollective.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/finding-your-niche-online-300x200.png 300w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 450px) 100vw, 450px" /></p>
<p>Wow it’s been almost 6 months since my last post! Time flies when you’re doing a million things lol</p>
<p>By the way, I’m not here to teach you how to find your niche — I’m just sharing what it feels like to be in the middle of not knowing.</p>
<p>Consider this a timestamp on the journey, not the destination. If you&#8217;re here in real time, welcome! If this is the past, I hope you found this because I figured it out lol.</p>
<blockquote><p><span style="font-size: 10px;">This </span><span style="font-size: 10px;">blog post may contain affiliate links, which means a commission may be earned if you make a purchase through these links — at no additional cost to you. Please read the <a href="https://www.thedianecollective.com/disclaimer/">disclaimer policy</a> for more information.</span></p></blockquote>
<h1>My Old &#8220;Niche&#8221;</h1>
<p>Earlier in the year, I was shitposting on YouTube. I didn&#8217;t have any specific niche or idea in mind as I simply wanted to get into the habit of posting.</p>
<p><a href="https://youtube.com/shorts/qbNUY2TMRiQ?si=UbZF0x0DRceiPkwi" target="_blank" rel="noopener">In one of my first YouTube Shorts, I said a New Years resolutions of mine was to wear makeup everyday</a> and while I haven’t done that, I have been wearing makeup at least once a week because I sell cookies at the farmers market (more on that later).</p>
<p>I thought this was a good goal because I wanted to match my current self to my future self and thought this was a way to &#8220;access&#8221; her.</p>
<p>It’s a form of manifestation — you don’t attract what you want, you attract more of who you are.</p>
<p><em><strong>So, if I put my best face forward, I get the best back.</strong></em></p>
<p>It’s like how competitive swimmers shave so that they just feel slicker; it primes your brain to give 100% and “add” fuel to the fire when the fire is not the shaving — it’s you.</p>
<p>The shaving just makes it easier to get you to give it your all.</p>
<h2>Accidentally Exploring the Baking Niche</h2>
<p><a href="https://www.thedianecollective.com/my-first-year-as-a-vendor-at-the-farmers-market/">I started selling cookies again in April at the farmers market</a>, which is why and how I re-purposed my shitposting YouTube content to focus more on baking.</p>
<p>But, I don’t want to be a baking content creator.</p>
<p>For one, I&#8217;m not a recipe developer. While I have thought about niching down on making mini scaled down versions of my favorite recipes and maybe being a recipe collector of sorts, filming this type of content is actually very time consuming!</p>
<p>I film cookie content for my home bakery, <a href="https://www.instagram.com/cookiecazimi" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Cookie Cazimi,</a> using the <a href="https://store.insta360.com/product/go-3s?i_source=website&amp;i_medium=product_page_button&amp;i_campaign=go-3s" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">Insta360 GO 3S</a> with the <a href="https://store.insta360.com/product/head_strap?c=2035&amp;from=accessory" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">head strap</a> so I can shoot my point-of-view.</p>
<p>I thought this would be easier than setting up different angles on a tripod with my phone, but the battery dies after 40 minutes, no matter how long I keep it on the charger.</p>
<p>Baking days are long! And I&#8217;d rather get my baking done than turn the recording on and off constantly. I mean, how is that any different than just using my iPhone?</p>
<p>I know it’s petty. But, that&#8217;s honestly what stops me.</p>
<p>I don&#8217;t look forward to filming.</p>
<p>Removing barriers to entry (no matter how small) really make the difference between you doing something <em>consistently</em> and always putting it off until tomorrow.</p>
<h2>How the Little Things Affect the Big Things</h2>
<p>When I took a class on how to alter clothes from a professional tailor, the instructor told me that she would have clients come in just to bring something in or out a quarter inch. That’s just 1/4 of an inch!</p>
<p>But, they’d drop the money to fix every suit and pant they had because they knew it would just make wearing that piece of clothing so much more enjoyable.</p>
<p>After that class, I altered all the hoods of my hoodies and it seriously made a huge difference!</p>
<p>One hoodie’s hood was sewn for the head of a toddler and another was just a <em>hair</em> too tight — hardly noticeable but it made taking it on and off annoying enough for me to default to my perfectly hooded hoodie.</p>
<h1>So&#8230; what now?</h1>
<p>Well, I&#8217;ve been trying to change up the style of my cookie content by offering more information about my product rather than the process of me making it to showcase what I&#8217;m bringing.</p>
<p>But, that&#8217;s for <a href="https://www.thedianecollective.com/how-to-start-a-home-bakery-in-maryland/">the home bakery I set up in Maryland</a>. What will the blog <em>and</em> <a href="https://www.youtube.com/@thedianecollective" target="_blank" rel="noopener">YouTube channel</a> be about?</p>
<p>I know there are a lot of content creators who are known for a bunch of different things. However, they’re always known for one thing <em>first </em><span style="text-decoration: underline;">and then</span> they branch out.</p>
<p><strong>I just don’t know which branch to niche down on first.</strong></p>
<h2>When in doubt, astrology it out</h2>
<p>I&#8217;ve been following <a href="https://www.lizworth.com/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">Liz Worth</a> Tarot, now Tarot and Astrology, for a couple years now. I was there when she just offered tarot services but she recently started offering astrology readings again.</p>
<p>She had a service called <a href="https://www.lizworth.com/creative-astrology" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">Creative Astrology for Artists</a>, where she helps you find your creative voice and focus as an artist based on your birth chart.</p>
<p>TL;DR I need to be seen and in the public eye. So, blogging and posting on YouTube? Check.</p>
<p>As for <em>what </em>I should be blogging and posting about?</p>
<p>Liz said anything that&#8217;s psychological or taboo that I can share my insights on and go deeper than public discourse.</p>
<p>To be honest, this kind of scares me. With people on TikTok going viral for the wrong reasons and having gossip YouTubers post summaries and complications of the drama, I simply don&#8217;t want to be involved.</p>
<p>And I know — just don&#8217;t say or do anything stupid. But, it&#8217;s like going through TSA and having your bag go through extra security. You&#8217;re just like, &#8220;Hm, maybe I did pack a bomb!&#8221;</p>
<p>Maybe I will say something stupid or be cringe. But honestly? I don&#8217;t think I like where I am more.</p>
<h1>The best student is a teacher niche?</h1>
<p>Because of my heavy 8th house placements, of course, I can also dabble into astrology and tarot. I mean, wouldn&#8217;t it be so cool if I could just read stuff like that?</p>
<p>And I have picked up some things here and there, but gaining fluency and bridging that gap from where I am to where I want to be has been elusive.</p>
<p>So, I thought maybe I can document my journey learning and telling you what I&#8217;m learning in hopes that you learn too?</p>
<p>Liz said that that&#8217;s a pretty good idea because then I can share stories that attach themselves to larger themes and meanings from a card or an aspect rather than me feeling like I&#8217;m sharing my whole private life with strangers — <a href="https://www.thedianecollective.com/about/">I&#8217;m still a Scorpio</a> after all, lol.</p>
<p>I just don&#8217;t know how I&#8217;m going to do it. Like, do I just film myself reading? Because that&#8217;s how you learn :/</p>
<p>Maybe I&#8217;ll just do random lessons, like the life stages of the zodiacal wheel that helped me remember the order of the signs or how to remember what each card means.</p>
<p>I&#8217;ll definitely be all over the place, but might as well just be all over the place rather than in no place.</p>
<p>I know people stress the importance of having strategy and not posting just to post, but I think everything is true all at once, just not for everybody.</p>
<p>Because naturally, I am a planner, so I can be in this stage forever. I need to do the opposite of what I&#8217;m naturally inclined to do.</p>
<p>If you&#8217;re the kind of person who avoids thinking about the future and just does things, then you need to step back and plan. You see what I mean?</p>
<h2>Do you need a persona?</h2>
<p>It&#8217;s hard to say. I think a lot of my favorite astrologers on TikTok have a persona because when I&#8217;ve booked a session with them or check out their long form content, they&#8217;re different.</p>
<p>I think it&#8217;ll be the same for me where on YouTube, I&#8217;ll have some sort of detached-from-myself character but here, I&#8217;ll just be me and share my real thoughts and feelings.</p>
<p>I feel like people who are willing to take the extra steps to check out my blog and actually read are my people whereas passerbys will just take my videos as is and move on.</p>
<h1>What does this have to do with 2007?</h1>
<p><span style="font-size: 16px; font-weight: 400;">If you&#8217;ve been reading this through, then you can tell that I&#8217;ve just been rambling — r</span><span style="font-size: 16px; font-weight: 400;">ambling like they did back in the </span><span style="font-size: 16px; font-weight: 400;">Tumblr days when people just posted about stuff that interested them.</span></p>
<p>Blogging has lost the plot.</p>
<p>People start blogging just to make passive income as fast as possible in order quit their jobs and sell courses on &#8220;how to be on the front page of Google&#8221; to people trying to do the same.</p>
<p>Back in my day (lol), the Internet was a place for teenagers to rage post, share their interests, and make friends online with people who truly understood them.</p>
<p>The people who found them were the real ones. It was exclusive. It was cool.</p>
<p>I&#8217;m just gonna channel my eleven year old self discovering Xanga for the first time and post to connect.</p>
<p>You want to learn about what I&#8217;m learning about regarding tarot and astrology — and everything else? <a href="https://www.youtube.com/@thedianecollective" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Subscribe to my YouTube channel!</a></p>
<h1>Figuring Out My Niche Again Conclusion</h1>
<p>So yeah, I’m not reinventing the wheel here — I’m just circling back to the version of the Internet that made me fall in love with sharing in the first place.</p>
<p>No polished niche, no ten-step funnel, no perfect plan. Just vibes, curiosity, and a need to express.</p>
<p>If you&#8217;re down to grow with me through the mess, the learning curves, and the little sparks of clarity along the way, then you’re exactly who I’m writing for.</p>
<p>Thanks for being here — let’s see where this goes!<br />
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		<title>How I Found My Life Purpose Through Astrology</title>
		<link>https://www.thedianecollective.com/find-life-purpose-through-astrology/</link>
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		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Diane]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Mon, 16 Sep 2024 01:00:25 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Journal]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Astrology]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.thedianecollective.com/?p=86</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[I didn’t really think I’d be able to find my life purpose through astrology when I first came across it. [&#8230;]]]></description>
										<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p class="p1"><span style="font-size: 18px;"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter wp-image-156 size-full" src="https://www.thedianecollective.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/finding-your-life-purpose-through-astrology.png" alt="A person stands on a rock, illuminated by a bright light above, symbolizing the journey to discovering their life purpose through astrology." width="600" height="450" srcset="https://www.thedianecollective.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/finding-your-life-purpose-through-astrology.png 600w, https://www.thedianecollective.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/finding-your-life-purpose-through-astrology-300x225.png 300w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px" /></span></p>
<p class="p1"><span style="font-size: 18px;">I didn’t really think I’d be able to find my life purpose through astrology when I first came across it. And I&#8217;ll be honest, I haven&#8217;t fully realized it yet.</span></p>
<p class="p1"><span style="font-size: 18px;">But, I&#8217;ll be explaining to you why I think my time will come and what I&#8217;m going to do about it.</span></p>
<p class="p1"><span style="font-size: 18px;">To give you some background, I&#8217;ve been trying to leave the job that I hate for the last five years through both entrepreneurship and new employment to no avail.</span></p>
<p class="p1"><span style="font-size: 18px;">So, what gives? What the hell? LOL</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 18px;">I&#8217;m going to tell you more about it right now.</span></p>
<blockquote><p><span style="font-size: 10px;">This </span><span style="font-size: 10px;">blog post may contain affiliate links, which means a commission may be earned if you make a purchase through these links — at no additional cost to you. Please read the <a href="https://www.thedianecollective.com/disclaimer/">disclaimer policy</a> for more information.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 10px;"><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Not Professional Advice:</span> For entertainment purposes only. Please read our <a href="https://www.thedianecollective.com/disclaimer/">disclaimer policy</a> for more information.</span></p></blockquote>
<h1 class="p1"><span style="font-size: 32px;">A Tarot-Fueled Intro to Astrology</span></h1>
<p class="p1"><span style="font-size: 18px;">I want to go back four and half years to that “two-week” lockdown in March 2020.</span></p>
<p class="p1"><span style="font-size: 18px;">My cousins from New York City stayed with us for about six months in semi-rural Maryland. And to be honest, it was one of the best times of our lives because of the weekly charcuterie boards and King of the Hill (and Tiger King) marathons.</span></p>
<p class="p1"><span style="font-size: 18px;">I know we were fortunate. </span></p>
<p class="p1"><span style="font-size: 18px;">During this time, my cousin Lily re-introduced me to tarot through pick-a-card tarot videos by Star Girl the Practical Witch, now called <a href="https://www.youtube.com/@AnitaSirene" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Anita Serene</a>. Star Girl incorporated astrology into her readings and Lily explained all the zodiac signs to me as we watched her videos together.</span></p>
<p class="p1"><span style="font-size: 18px;">I was also trying to start a business with a travel cosmetics bag to leave my job and Star Girl’s videos kept my motivation up. </span><span style="font-size: 18px;">She would tell me that something would go wrong, but that I should push through because success was coming and that kept me going.</span></p>
<p class="p1"><span style="font-size: 18px;">And I know what you’re thinking: “Of course, she’s gonna tell you that.”</span></p>
<p class="p1"><span style="font-size: 18px;">I knew that too! It’s not like I’m not self-aware. </span><span style="font-size: 18px;">But, one thing about me was that I gave up easily and her videos kept me going. </span><span style="font-size: 18px;">When it did end and I closed shop at the end of 2021, I wasn’t sad. I actually was proud of myself! </span><span style="font-size: 18px;">And I do attribute that to Star Girl’s videos throughout that time.</span></p>
<p class="p1"><span style="font-size: 18px;">Seeing something through to the end felt like my biggest accomplishment to date, even if it ended in “failure.”</span></p>
<h1><span style="font-size: 32px;">From one Scorpio to another</span></h1>
<p class="p1"><span style="font-size: 18px;">After that chapter in my life closed, I decided to just look for another job. But, this is when all those <a href="https://www.fastcompany.com/90968405/tech-layoffs-tracker-mass-job-losses-update-2023" target="_blank" rel="noopener">tech layoffs in 2023</a> started and there were just too many people with direct experience in need of work. Not-so-funny enough, I kept losing the role to internal hires, so I wasn&#8217;t even competing with those who were freshly laid off.</span></p>
<p class="p1"><span style="font-size: 18px;">I kept applying and networking, but you get tired&#8230; which leads to doom scrolling.</span></p>
<p class="p1"><span style="font-size: 18px;">Eventually, I came across <a href="https://www.instagram.com/evannathanielgrim/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Evan Nathaniel Grim</a>, a digital marketing analyst turned professional astrologer and psychic after getting a concussion at a nightclub, via Instagram reels. </span><span style="font-size: 18px;">I found his straightforward delivery of what to expect during the upcoming transits, how each zodiac sign is impacted, and what you can do during that time to be very educational and informative.</span></p>
<p class="p1"><span style="font-size: 18px;">Lily actually finds him to be kind of scary lol. Maybe because we’re both Scorpios, I find his intensity and bluntness to be very comforting.</span></p>
<p class="p1"><span style="font-size: 18px;">One thing that stood out to me about Evan is how comfortable he is gassing himself up. </span><span style="font-size: 18px;">He always called himself one of the top 10 astrologers in the world even when his business was only two years old at the time. And it’s not because he’s some kind of charlatan. Over time, I did see certain predictions he made weeks or months ago come true.</span></p>
<p class="p1"><span style="font-size: 18px;">But, his confidence and conviction really stood out to me because that’s something I’m not comfortable doing myself. And I wish I were.</span></p>
<p class="p1"><span style="font-size: 18px;">After months of engaging with his content, I had my first birth chart reading with Evan on October 16, 2023.</span></p>
<p class="p1"><span style="font-size: 18px;">He always touted his birth chart readings to be the last birth chart reading you’ll ever need. </span><span style="font-size: 18px;">So, tell me why one of the first things he said to me was that this is not going be my last birth chart reading? LOL — btw it’s because my Mercury and Pluto are conjunct in Scorpio, so I have an insatiable thirst for knowledge and information.</span></p>
<p class="p1"><span style="font-size: 18px;">Anyway, I told him that I’ve been looking for a new job and hadn’t had much luck. Maybe he could give me some ideas as to what type of work I’d be good at and enjoy. </span><span style="font-size: 18px;">And he gave me a lot of great ideas! Some things I would have been too scared to think I could even do, but if the stars told me I could, then why not? Because nothing else had worked so far.</span></p>
<p class="p1"><span style="font-size: 18px;">Of course, the birth chart reading wasn’t all about my job hunt. It was about <img src="https://s.w.org/images/core/emoji/17.0.2/72x72/2728.png" alt="✨" class="wp-smiley" style="height: 1em; max-height: 1em;" />me<img src="https://s.w.org/images/core/emoji/17.0.2/72x72/2728.png" alt="✨" class="wp-smiley" style="height: 1em; max-height: 1em;" /> after all. </span><span style="font-size: 18px;">I will say that Evan told me something about a specific time in my life that was so specific — I was like, “Damn, this shit real.”</span></p>
<p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter wp-image-159 size-full" src="https://www.thedianecollective.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/woman-sitting-on-cityscape-ledge-contemplating-over-life-purpose.png" alt="A woman sits on a ledge, gazing at a city skyline, reflecting on her life purpose discovered through astrology." width="600" height="450" srcset="https://www.thedianecollective.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/woman-sitting-on-cityscape-ledge-contemplating-over-life-purpose.png 600w, https://www.thedianecollective.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/woman-sitting-on-cityscape-ledge-contemplating-over-life-purpose-300x225.png 300w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px" /></p>
<p class="p1"><span style="font-size: 18px;">Another very helpful thing Evan did for me was time this “big wave” that was coming into my life.</span></p>
<p class="p1"><span style="font-size: 18px;">You see, a few weeks prior, I had a spirit guide channeling with Heather Scavetta from <a href="https://schoolofmiracles.ca/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">School of Miracles</a> where my spirit counsel told me that a “big wave” was coming and that I need to be ready for it by building my confidence and standing up for myself.</span></p>
<p class="p1"><span style="font-size: 18px;">But, spirit guides don’t tell you when something will happen because “soon” is relative. </span><span style="font-size: 18px;">Well, Evan said it was mid-March of 2025 lol.</span></p>
<p class="p1"><span style="font-size: 18px;">A bit longer than I would have liked and it didn’t mean that I wouldn’t find a new job by then — just that any job I could find would be just a placeholder, which was fine by me. I simply wanted out!</span></p>
<p class="p1"><span style="font-size: 18px;">After my session, I felt pretty invigorated and motivated to zhuzh up my resume and continue my job hunt toward something that would help me catch that “big wave.”</span></p>
<h1 class="p1"><span style="font-size: 32px;">Nailing Down My Life Purpose through Astrology</span></h1>
<p class="p1"><span style="font-size: 18px;">Eight months later… still no job. I did, however, <a href="https://www.thedianecollective.com/how-to-start-a-home-bakery-in-maryland/">start a home bakery in Maryland selling chunky cookies</a> to my friends, which also led me to start writing for The Diane Collective!</span></p>
<p class="p1"><span style="font-size: 18px;">Funny enough, Evan did predict this, not in my session, but in his 2024 yearly horoscopes. He said</span><span style="font-size: 18px;"> I would start a new, unexpected income stream with the encouragement of a friend or mentor, which I did!!!</span></p>
<p class="p1"><span style="font-size: 18px;">So, despite not landing a new job, I was vibing, which was a great start to <a href="https://www.thedianecollective.com/starting-over-in-your-30s/">starting over in my 30s</a>.</span></p>
<p class="p1"><span style="font-size: 18px;">But then, I felt this sudden urge to book another session with Evan.</span></p>
<p class="p1"><span style="font-size: 18px;">This was around March 2024. It really came out of nowhere. My original intention was to get a transit reading in early 2025 to get more info on my year of the “big wave.”</span></p>
<p class="p1"><span style="font-size: 18px;">Nevertheless, I followed my intuition and booked a more in-depth follow-up with Evan on June 21, 2024.</span></p>
<p class="p1"><span style="font-size: 18px;">One thing I forgot to mention was that for my first reading, I didn’t talk much because I wanted to <i>receive</i> messages rather than steer them. So, Evan would say things, like “this could have happened, or that could have been the case” and because I didn’t interject, I developed some questions as to why it was this instead of that.</span></p>
<p class="p1"><span style="font-size: 18px;">I told him that this time around I would talk and talk I did lol. </span><span style="font-size: 18px;">But, this is essentially what he told me:</span></p>
<blockquote>
<p class="p1"><em><span style="font-size: 18px;">Each segment of a birth chart can mean multiple possible outcomes and together there are x number of combinations of life events that could have happened. And because we have free will, our life veers one way or another.</span></em></p>
</blockquote>
<p class="p1"><span style="font-size: 18px;">If there are ten Dianes, then there are three Dianes who would have lived relatively similar lives; the next three would have different lives to the first three but similar lives to each other; and the same with the next three Dianes.</span></p>
<p class="p1"><span style="font-size: 18px;">As for the final, lonesome Diane, her life would have just been so radically and randomly different from the rest. Maybe she’s me &#8211; idk.</span></p>
<p class="p1"><span style="font-size: 18px;">Anyway, </span><span style="font-size: 18px;">I asked Evan about my past lives because your natal birth chart can reveal that and I&#8217;ve been feeling stuck in life, so I thought this would give me some clues as to why that may be. </span><span style="font-size: 18px;">This steered our conversation to my relationship with a father figure who wants me to live my life a certain way.</span></p>
<p class="p1"><span style="font-size: 18px;">Evan bluntly told me that as long as I work for someone else, I am under the thumb of this father figure and my karma is about rebelling against them. He said that I have the chart and ability to run my own business and be my own boss.</span></p>
<p class="p1"><span style="font-size: 18px;">And of course, I would love that. But, why can&#8217;t I do both? Why am I being blocked from having a more fulfilling, well-paying job <em>and</em> running my own business?</span></p>
<p class="p1"><span style="font-size: 18px;">My only answer is that there is no reward without risk. For me, quitting this job for my home bakery or this blog would be a lot for me and my desire for safety and stability through money.</span></p>
<p class="p1"><span style="font-size: 18px;">But, maybe that&#8217;s my purpose: <em>to show people that you can do it too</em>.</span></p>
<p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter wp-image-158 size-full" src="https://www.thedianecollective.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/woman-distressing-over-finding-life-purpose.png" alt="A woman resting her hands on her face while sitting, lost in thought about discovering her life purpose through astrology." width="600" height="450" srcset="https://www.thedianecollective.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/woman-distressing-over-finding-life-purpose.png 600w, https://www.thedianecollective.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/woman-distressing-over-finding-life-purpose-300x225.png 300w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px" /></p>
<h1 class="p1"><span style="font-size: 32px;">Why me?</span></h1>
<p><span style="font-size: 18px;">Our higher selves actually choose our birth charts. So, I chose this. I just don&#8217;t remember why.</span></p>
<p class="p1"><span style="font-size: 18px;">I&#8217;m at a point in my life where I don&#8217;t take anything too seriously anymore and <a href="https://www.thedianecollective.com/starting-over-in-your-30s/">I&#8217;ve radically accepted that I&#8217;m starting over in my 30s</a> after &#8220;failing&#8221; so much in my younger years.</span></p>
<p class="p1"><span style="font-size: 18px;">Reflecting on my second session with Evan, I thought about what it is people like about me. Lately, people have told me that they love how <a href="https://www.thedianecollective.com/about/">I have so many hobbies and work very diligently to get better at all of them</a>, which if you don&#8217;t know, I do three martial arts, sew my own clothes, bake desserts, practice astrology, read up on tarot, and write for this blog.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 18px;">And maybe it just starts there. Showing people that you can find joy in your hobbies could very well <em>not</em> be my life purpose. But, it&#8217;s a start.</span></p>
<h1>My Concluding Thoughts on Finding Your Life Purpose Through Astrology</h1>
<p><span style="font-size: 18px;">Listen, you don&#8217;t have to book two astrology readings (and a spirit guide channeling or a <a href="https://www.thedianecollective.com/starting-over-in-your-30s/#Do_it_for_your_future_selfselves">past life regression</a>) to find your life purpose. As much as Evan touted that I&#8217;m supposed to be some type of healer in this world by going off on my own, it&#8217;s still up to me to figure out how I want to do that.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 18px;">This story is still writing itself.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 18px;">But, I&#8217;m starting somewhere.</span><b></b><b></b></p>
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		<title>Starting over in your 30s again (again)</title>
		<link>https://www.thedianecollective.com/starting-over-in-your-30s/</link>
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		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Diane]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Fri, 30 Aug 2024 12:00:55 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Journal]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Astrology]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.thedianecollective.com/?p=64</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[Starting over in your 30s isn&#8217;t so bad when you&#8217;ve done it so much in your 20s. But, I&#8217;ll be [&#8230;]]]></description>
										<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter wp-image-78 size-full" src="https://www.thedianecollective.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/starting-over-in-your-30s-again.png" alt="A person leaning over a balcony, overlooking a coastal city with modern buildings and the ocean in the background. The bright, sunny day contrasts with the pensive posture, reflecting the journey of &quot;starting over in your 30s&quot; and the introspection or longing that can come with it." width="600" height="450" srcset="https://www.thedianecollective.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/starting-over-in-your-30s-again.png 600w, https://www.thedianecollective.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/starting-over-in-your-30s-again-300x225.png 300w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px" /></p>
<p><span style="font-family: Lato; font-size: 18px;">Starting over in your 30s isn&#8217;t so bad when you&#8217;ve done it so much in your 20s.</span></p>
<p class="p1"><span style="font-family: Lato; font-size: 18px;">But, I&#8217;ll be honest and admit that I&#8217;m not <em>happy </em>about it.</span></p>
<p class="p1"><span style="font-family: Lato; font-size: 18px;">While I&#8217;m a little dejected, I&#8217;m more so radically accepting that <a href="https://www.thedianecollective.com/find-life-purpose-through-astrology">I haven&#8217;t found my life purpose in my 20s</a> and will be doing it later than I would have liked.</span></p>
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<h1><span style="font-size: 32px;">What does finding your purpose even mean?</span></h1>
<p><span style="font-size: 18px;"><span style="font-family: Lato;">I think when life starts accidentally working out, you&#8217;ve found your purpose. </span><span style="font-family: Lato;">And, things just haven’t worked out for me.</span></span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 18px;">I&#8217;d try something new and it led nowhere. And we&#8217;ll get to the &#8220;it&#8217;s the things we&#8217;ve learned along the way&#8221; bit later lol.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: Lato; font-size: 18px;">This is actually my <em>fourth</em> blog.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 18px;"><span style="font-family: Lato;">I started </span><span style="font-family: Lato;">my first blog in 2020 about how to solo travel as a woman so I could promote a crowdfunding campaign to launch a travel makeup bag I had designed. The second blog</span><span style="font-family: Lato;"> was about how to sew as a beginner. My third blog was about digital marketing so I could &#8220;make myself stand out&#8221; to employers, but with this shit economy, I still haven&#8217;t found another job.</span></span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 18px;"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="wp-image-77 size-full aligncenter" src="https://www.thedianecollective.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/finding-your-purpose-in-your-30s.png" alt="A person with long hair looking up at the cloudy sky with mountains in the background, embodying the theme of &quot;starting over in your 30s.&quot; The scene captures a reflective moment, symbolizing the contemplation and search for clarity that often accompanies life transitions in your 30s." width="600" height="450" srcset="https://www.thedianecollective.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/finding-your-purpose-in-your-30s.png 600w, https://www.thedianecollective.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/finding-your-purpose-in-your-30s-300x225.png 300w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px" /></span></p>
<p class="p1"><span style="font-family: Lato; font-size: 18px;">The problem with being <a href="https://www.thedianecollective.com/about/">a girl with too many hobbies</a> is that there isn&#8217;t enough time to do all of them!</span></p>
<p class="p1"><span style="font-family: Lato; font-size: 18px;">When something else like <a href="https://www.thedianecollective.com/how-to-start-a-home-bakery-in-maryland/">selling cookies</a> or mixed martial arts becomes my next fixation, things naturally fall by the wayside and those blogs just sat there, now defunct.</span></p>
<p class="p1"><span style="font-size: 18px;"><span style="font-family: Lato;">That’s why I’ve set up this personal lifestyle blog about my <em>collection</em> of hobbies. </span><span style="font-family: Lato;">So, when something else naturally piques my interest and is that season&#8217;s obsession, I can still write about it!</span></span></p>
<p class="p1"><span style="font-family: Lato; font-size: 18px;">I know it goes against all conventional wisdom that mandates niching down in order to build a dedicated audience, but overcoming challenges sometimes requires you to go against the grain.</span></p>
<p class="p1"><span style="font-size: 18px;"><em><strong><span style="font-family: Lato;">Consistency over everything else. </span></strong></em><span style="font-family: Lato;">At least I think so for now.</span></span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 18px;">I know wandering with no purpose is just as bad but that&#8217;s not my particular problem so that&#8217;s not my particular solution!</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 18px;">This time around, I&#8217;m just fucking around to find out. I have no expectations on this leading anywhere besides meeting other people who maybe feel the same and want to do shit to make life a little better.</span></p>
<h1><span style="font-size: 32px;">The meaning of success in your 20s</span></h1>
<p class="p1"><span style="font-family: Lato; font-size: 18px;">As annoying as starting over in your 30s after a setback (or five) in your 20s is, starting fresh feels more focused on personal growth than anything else.</span></p>
<p class="p1"><span style="font-family: Lato; font-size: 18px;">Because to be honest, I&#8217;ve sort of given up on what it means to be successful i.e. make a lot of money lol.</span></p>
<p class="p1"><span style="font-family: Lato; font-size: 18px;">&#8220;Giving up&#8221; sounds kind of bad.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 18px;">What I&#8217;m really trying to say is that starting over in my 30s is about <em>radically accepting</em> that<span style="font-family: Lato;"> things just didn&#8217;t fall into place in my 20s as I had hoped and it just is what it is.</span></span></p>
<p class="p1"><span style="font-family: Lato; font-size: 18px;">I have friends and family members who did seemingly stumble into their lucrative careers in their 20s and even say they&#8217;ve found their purpose in life, but are still lost — just in different ways.</span></p>
<p class="p1"><span style="font-family: Lato; font-size: 18px;">While it doesn’t <em>really</em> make me feel better per se, it makes it easier to accept what is for me.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 18px;"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter wp-image-80 size-full" src="https://www.thedianecollective.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/the-meaning-of-success-in-your-30s.png" alt="A person working on a laptop at a cozy, well-lit workspace with a bowl of breakfast on the table. The scene captures a productive moment of &quot;starting over in your 30s,&quot; conveying a sense of comfort, focus, and the determination to rebuild or reshape one's life." width="600" height="450" srcset="https://www.thedianecollective.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/the-meaning-of-success-in-your-30s.png 600w, https://www.thedianecollective.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/the-meaning-of-success-in-your-30s-300x225.png 300w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px" /></span></p>
<p class="p1"><span style="font-family: Lato; font-size: 18px;">Maybe in my next life things will be “easy” and I’ll be rich in all the ways that I wanted to be in my 20s and aligned with my purpose sooner rather than later too.</span></p>
<p class="p1"><span style="font-family: Lato; font-size: 18px;">But, I know the human experience will always involve struggle. I’ll probably have the same low vibrational experience in some other aspect of my life and I’ll be wishing that I wasn’t going through this and that I would rather give up everything that I have to not be going whatever problem I’m going through.</span></p>
<p class="p1"><span style="font-size: 18px;"><strong><span style="font-family: Lato;">So, what the hell is a girl supposed to do if life just sucks period?</span></strong></span></p>
<h1><span style="font-size: 32px;">Starting over in your 30s by living in the moment</span></h1>
<p class="p1"><span style="font-size: 18px;"><span style="font-family: Lato;">Based on all the soul-searching that I’ve done this year, the only answer that I can give you (because it is the only answer that I have been given) is to live in the moment and f</span><span style="font-family: Lato;">ind joy in something, anything simply for the sake of it.</span></span></p>
<p class="p1"><span style="font-family: Lato; font-size: 18px;">Because if you don’t live in the moment now, you won’t live in the moment when you have everything.</span></p>
<p class="p1"><span style="font-family: Lato; font-size: 18px;">And let’s say worst-case scenario you never achieve anything. Now you’ve fucked yourself over twice.</span></p>
<p class="p1"><span style="font-family: Lato; font-size: 18px;">It’s objectively better to have lived an uneventful, mediocre life happy than to have lived an uneventful, mediocre life miserable, no?</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 18px;">Easier said than done, but it does help when it does lol.</span></p>
<h1><span style="font-size: 32px;">Do it for your future self/selves</span></h1>
<p><span style="font-size: 18px;">I&#8217;ve been exploring the concept of past lives this summer to figure out why I feel like a loser, which to be clear, for me, the definition of a loser is someone who sets goals and does not achieve them.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 18px;">I&#8217;ve been looking for a new job for the last three to five years ㄱ.ㄱ</span></p>
<p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter wp-image-76 size-full" style="font-size: 18px;" src="https://www.thedianecollective.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/how-to-start-over-in-your-30s.png" alt="" width="600" height="450" srcset="https://www.thedianecollective.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/how-to-start-over-in-your-30s.png 600w, https://www.thedianecollective.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/how-to-start-over-in-your-30s-300x225.png 300w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px" /></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 18px;">After doing some research, I did a past life regression with Fiona Harris of <a href="https://www.clearpathhealing.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Clear Path Healing</a> and she explained that we are but a tentacle of a giant octopus that is our higher self.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 18px;">So, our past lives are living their lives in tandem to ours (sort of) and we can tap into their energy as well. To me, this also means our next life is a new tentacle that we&#8217;re living simultaneously <em>after</em> this one (?).</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 18px;">But, more importantly, what we learn in this life will help our next life.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 18px;">And, I want to do my future self (in this life and next) a favor by re-wiring my brain to focus on finding joy or peace in everything I do, no matter how small or mundane. It&#8217;s the best way to enjoy the bigger things that will come along and you will feel so much inner satisfaction without attachment to the external.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 18px;">This was the strongest message I was given in my session with Fiona.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 18px;">If this blog never goes anywhere, if I never find another job, if my bakery never gets accepted to the farmer&#8217;s market, then the least I can do is just vibe and get really good at it.</span></p>
<h1 class="p1"><span style="font-size: 32px;">Concluding thoughts on starting over in your 30s</span></h1>
<p><span style="font-size: 18px;">I have no idea if this is helpful to anyone else but me LOL. If you&#8217;re not into woo-woo witch talk, then I&#8217;ll leave you with this:</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 18px;"><strong>Don&#8217;t focus on <em>reinventing</em> yourself when starting over in your 30s</strong>. <strong>Focus on <em><span style="text-decoration: underline;">rediscovering</span></em> yourself instead.</strong></span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 18px;">There&#8217;s a saying that children are closest to god and we slowly get cut off from that source as we age. Since we were all once children ourselves, we were also once pure and close to god/source/the universe.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 18px;">We are not becoming &#8220;new,&#8221; but going back to &#8220;old.&#8221;</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 18px;">I hope this was helpful!</span></p>
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