How To Tell if You're on The Right Path

Welcome to Gratitude Driven, a weekly newsletter where I share practical ideas and insights across personal growth, professional development, and the world of AI and data science.

In This Newsletter

• How To Tell If You’re On the Right Path

• I’m on a billboard in Times Square

• AI Engineering Papers & Quiet Time in the Forest

How To Tell If You’re On the Right Path

This week has been one of the hardest of my life.

All because of a puppy.

I wildly underestimated how much work this would be. I knew it would be hard, but the level of stress and effort is much higher than I expected. I haven’t slept well in a week and it’s basically impossible to get work done. My husband and I have seriously considered if we are up for the task at this moment in our lives.

When you're in the thick of something like this—something you thought you wanted, but that's turned out to be harder than you imagined—how do you know if it's worth it? How can you tell if you're on the right path?

I think a lot about finding meaning in suffering and challenge, but that doesn’t mean that ALL suffering is inherently meaningful, or all challenges are inherently worthwhile. Sometimes, pain is just pain.

In those moments when you’re considering quitting, here are some prompts to help you find some clarity:

• Why did you want this in the first place? Go back to your original reasons. Were they sound? Were they yours, or someone else's expectations?

• Do those reasons still hold true? Now that you're facing the reality, does this still align with what you deeply believe in? Or were you chasing an idea rather than the thing itself?

• What would future you want? Imagine yourself a week, a month, a year from now. What would that version of you have wanted present you to do in this moment? Which choice would they thank you for?

• What choice will make you proud? Not what looks good to others, but what will let you respect yourself.

• What choice serves others, not just yourself? Sometimes the right path is the harder one because others are depending on you.

We got a dog to test how we would do with caring for a small creature. And every day is getting a little better.

I can't say yet how this will shape our future decisions, but I know it's making me a better person—one more prepared for whatever comes next. The truth is, I rarely face real difficulty, and in the grand scale of what people endure in this world, this is teeny tiny. So I'll use this as an opportunity to push myself outside my comfort zone, hoping that next time I'll be better prepared to handle stressful situations.

And maybe that's how you know you're on the right path; Not because it's easy, but because even in the hard moments, you can feel yourself becoming someone stronger.

I’m on a billboard in Times Square

Something surreal and unexpected happened this week.

I randomly got an email with photos of me on a billboard in Times Square:

Evidently I’ve landed in the top coaches on Topmate!

In the last year I've done over 100 coaching calls with >99% five-star reviews. It's been a pleasure meeting (and hopefully helping) so many of you. 🧡

Btw, if you'd ever like to chat, you can book time with me here.

AI Engineering Papers & Quiet Time in the Forest

This week’s video on my tech channel is a breakdown of the top 10 papers every future AI Engineer should read.

There’s a blog version as well.

I also posted a totally different kind of video on my mindset channel last week. This one was an opportunity for me to try to learn more about videography. Check it out for something more personal/vibey.

Want to chat 1:1? Book time with me here.

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