I want to share something that happened recently that shook me a little bit. I took my mom out for her birthday lunch. You know, one of those special moments you want to make count? Well, we ended up at this hole-in-the-wall dim sum spot in a strip center. Nothing fancy from the outside, but man, those are often the best places, right? It’s not about the flashy exterior. It’s about the experience, the authenticity, the moments you create. And from the moment we stepped in and saw them hand-making the pastries, I knew this was going to be a great experience.
So, there we are, finishing up our meal, sharing stories, having those deep conversations that only seem to happen with the people you’ve known your whole life. And then comes the fortune cookie, or the fortune cookies. Now usually, these things are about as deep as a kiddie pool, right? But this one, this one kind of made me think. It said, “When you see things that pain you, that sadden you, or that make your heart ache, remember, you’re not seeing it all.” I had to read it twice because sitting there with my mom, it hit different.
It made me think about all the times in my life when I thought I could see the whole picture, but I was only seeing a snapshot. You know what I mean? Those moments when you’re so caught up in what’s going wrong that you can’t see what might be going right. Bam! I’ll give you an example. Not long ago, I was talking with a client who had just been let go from her job. Fifteen years of dedication, climbing the corporate ladder, doing everything right, and in one meeting, it all changed. You could hear it in her voice—that mixture of shock and hurt and this deep fear of “what now?” And I could totally empathize with her, having been through something similar after 9/11.
And here’s what’s wild. When you’re in that moment, your brain does this thing. It’s like when you’re standing too close to a painting. All you can see are the dark brush strokes, the mistakes, the mess. You can’t see the masterpiece taking shape, but life always is working on a bigger canvas. We had our session, and things shifted a bit for her, but it didn’t quite change.
Then, during a future session, she told me some amazing news. It was about three months or so later. That job loss, that thing that felt like the end of her world, became the push she needed to finally start her own business. Something she dreamed about for years but wasn’t ready to pursue. She was scared of failing, and she didn’t want to give herself permission to try something different. She liked the stability of her job. And look, I’m not here to sugarcoat pain, because when things hurt, they hurt. I’m not going to feed you that “everything happens for a reason” thing. Sometimes things just happen. But what I am telling you is that pain can be a doorway. It can reveal strength you never knew you had, dreams you’d forgotten, possibilities you couldn’t see before.
And that fortune cookie message, sitting there with my mom, thinking about her journey, my journey, your journey. It’s truth. We’re not seeing it all. Not in the moment. Not when it hurts. Not when we’re scared. So here’s what I want you to do this week. When something hits you hard, and something will, because that’s just how life works, I want you to pause, take a breath, and look at it from further back. Ask yourself, what else could this be besides just pain? What might I need to see if I step back? This isn’t about positive thinking. This isn’t about denying your feelings. This is about being real with yourself while staying open to possibilities you can’t yet see.
Now, in my Expansion Experience, it’s one of the first steps I go into detail on because sometimes what looks like an ending is really just life clearing the way for a new beginning. So inspiring if we can get out of our head a bit. Remember, the struggle might be real, but so is your strength. So is your ability to grow. So is your power to transform. Sometimes the darkest moments are just life’s way of forcing us to find light.
With that said, this is Micah Hill signing off, reminding you that life’s fortune isn’t in the cookie. It’s in how you read between the lines. Take care, and I’ll see you soon.
