I have always believed that life is a symphony. At times, it is light and melodic, filled with joy and celebration. Other times, it is a slow, mournful ballad, echoing the pain of our deepest hurts.

As a life mastery coach, I have witnessed people dancing through life when everything is in harmony and trudging along when things fall apart. What I have come to realize is that, just like with music, our understanding of life deepens when we have walked through both the highs and the lows.

When you are happy, the music carries you. It sweeps you off your feet, gives you wings, and makes the mundane moments feel magical. You don’t question the rhythm or the beat—you just move with it. In joy, we let go, we release, we trust. It is as if the universe is playing our favorite song, and all we have to do is show up and dance.

But when you’re sad, when the heartache hits, that is when you begin to understand the lyrics. It is no longer just a song. It is a message…a lesson…an awakening. Those words speak to your soul in ways you couldn’t comprehend before. You start to see the layers, the stories, and the history behind the melody. In sadness, we are given the opportunity to sit still, to reflect, to feel—and in that stillness, we uncover truths we were blind to before.

I think back to the times in my life when I danced freely, oblivious to the deeper meaning, riding the wave of my own joy. But I also think of those moments when I sat in my own pain, listening, truly listening to the words of life. In that listening, I began to understand not just the music, but myself…my choices…my patterns…my wounds.

You see, life mastery is not about always being happy or always avoiding the hard stuff. It is about embracing both—the dance and the stillness, the joy and the sorrow. It is about learning to listen to life’s lyrics when the music stops. Because it is in those lyrics that the real transformation happens.

When we allow ourselves to sit with our sadness, to acknowledge it, we start to see that our pain is not here to punish us but to teach us. Pain is a wise teacher. It strips away the superficial and leaves us with what is real, raw, and true. And while it is uncomfortable—oh, do I know how uncomfortable it can be—it is also where the deepest growth happens.

One of the greatest gifts we can give ourselves is the permission to feel fully, not just the good but also the bad, too. The tears, the anger, the confusion—all of it is valid. All of it is necessary. When you give yourself permission to understand the lyrics of your life, you begin to see the patterns, the cycles, and the stories you have told yourself for years. You begin to understand what has been holding you back, what needs healing, and what no longer serves you.

And once you have that understanding, you can shift. You can start to dance to a new rhythm. You can create a new melody for yourself—one that honors both your joy and your pain.

Life mastery is about learning to be both the dancer and the listener. It is about showing up for yourself in every season, whether you are gliding through life with ease or sitting in the stillness of your own sorrow because both are necessary. Both are sacred.

So, the next time life feels like it is spinning out of control or when you feel like you have lost the rhythm, I want you to stop. Listen. What are the lyrics trying to tell you? What truth have you been avoiding? What lesson is waiting for you to learn?

When you are happy, enjoy the music. Dance. Laugh. Celebrate. But when you’re sad, don’t turn away from the lyrics. Embrace them. Understand them. Allow them to guide you into the next chapter of your life. I promise you, after every ballad comes another song. You will dance again.

And this time, you’ll know the words.