The Journey of Reclaiming Your Sparkle

As a kid, I loved anything that sparkled. Growing up in the 70s that meant disco balls, Superstar Barbie, and being completely mesmerized by the shimmery outfits on Dance Fever. As a teen in the 80s it was New Wave bands and Pretty in Pink — team Duckie, obviously — that scratched that itch. I spent hours going through magazines and catalogues trying to replicate those looks.

9th grade me loved to glimmer!

Even as an adult I've always been drawn to spaces and experiences that felt colorful and alive. So when the color started to fade — not all at once, more like a slow dimming — I noticed. About four years ago, in a moment that should have felt like a fully lit disco ball, I realized I was there but there were no sparkles dancing around me. I just felt numb when I should have been feeling joy.

Have you ever felt like that? Like something inside you has faded and no matter how many pinch-me moments show up, you can't quite feel them? Like you keep reaching for something but you're not even sure what it is? That was me. Craving a deep authentic laugh. Craving the desire to actually shine.

I had lost touch with myself somewhere along the way. My passions. My confidence. My joy. I arrived at midlife feeling untethered, knowing the path I was on felt unsustainable, and having lost every bit of the audacity I used to have.

On joy when the world feels heavy

Here's something I want to say plainly, because I think a lot of us are feeling it and not saying it out loud.

The world is hard right now. The news is relentless. The uncertainty is real. There are days when joy feels almost selfish — like how dare you laugh or plan or sparkle when so much is wrong, when so many people are suffering, when everything feels so fragile.

I've sat with that feeling. I understand it.

But here's what I've come to believe with my whole heart: Joy is not frivolous. Joy is resistance.

Reclaiming your sparkle isn't about bypassing the hard stuff or pretending everything is fine. It's about building the strength and clarity to face what's in front of you. When you're numb and depleted and disconnected from yourself, you can't show up for anything — not for the people you love, not for the causes you care about, not for the work that needs doing.

The world being in pain and you needing your joy back — both of those things are true at the same time. Your sparkle isn't selfish. It's how you keep going. It's how you show up. It's how you resist despair.

What I actually did

When I started trying to find my way back, there was no magic lightswitch. The most important decision I made was to find one small thing I could do to feel the tiniest bit better. Cue the montage of consuming more personal development content than any one person should reasonably consume. It didn't happen overnight. I focused on one day at a time, one small habit at a time. I grabbed what worked and left the rest. I gradually shifted my mindset and routines to match who I was becoming — not who I thought I should be.

By midlife we usually have the wisdom to make intentional changes that actually reflect what we want. The key is to stop rushing and pressuring yourself into doing it all at once. Small daily things. One piece of glitter at a time.

The mean girl

Let me be honest about something. The mean girl in my head is a bitch.

I spent years listening to her — criticizing every mistake, supersizing every concern, narrating every perceived flaw in real time. The more I listened, the smaller I became. Until one day I realized I'd stopped trying new things because I was so terrified of getting it wrong.

What I learned is that she is loud, but she lies.

Self-compassion became my secret weapon. Not the bubble bath and candles version — the real version. The kind where you catch yourself mid-spiral and say: okay, that's the mean girl, that's not the truth, and we're not doing this today. Turns out being kind to yourself actually makes you more likely to change. Not less. Go figure.

Some small things that helped me along the way: journaling for 5-10 minutes in the morning, taking a walk outside, wearing something that brought me joy, pausing long enough to actually breathe. None of it is revolutionary. All of it counts.

Paying attention

I used to rush through my days constantly thinking about what was coming next, letting my anxiety run like a freight train, completely missing the joy right in front of me.

I didn't fix that by meditating for an hour or following some complicated routine. I just started paying attention. Really paying attention. To one moment each day. Sometimes it was my morning coffee. Sometimes it was the way light hit the wall. A random cool breeze on a humid day. The smell of my neighbors gardenias. The sound of laughter from another room.

Small, fleeting, easy-to-miss moments. But the more I noticed them, the more I found.

Your sparkle doesn't live in huge events. It lives in those moments. It's been there the whole time.

On imperfection

For years I thought I needed to be perfect to show my real self. I didn't. Neither do you.

Every time I accepted an imperfection instead of fighting it, I felt a little brighter. Like another piece of glitter added back. Confidence isn't perfection. It's accepting yourself as you actually are and moving forward anyway.

Let's pick it up together

Reclaiming your sparkle doesn't happen overnight and it doesn't happen in one dramatic moment. It starts with small intentional things that add up to something you didn't expect.

And right now, when the world feels like too much, that matters more than ever. Your joy isn't a luxury. It's fuel. It's how you stay strong enough to care, to fight, to show up for what matters. It's how you resist going numb.

I'm here with you. Not ahead of you looking back — close enough to the beginning that I remember every single step of it.

Let's pick up the glitter together.

If you want a place to start, I put together a free guide of some of the small routines that helped me find my way back. Download the Radiant Day Starter Kit — it's five pages, it's free, and it's the first tiny step.

✨ Get Your Free Starter Kit

What's one small act of self-compassion you can do today? Drop it in the comments or tag me with #PickingUpGlitter. Let's remind each other that we're not doing this alone.

With love and a handful of glitter,

Christine ✨

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About Christine

After 20 years in education, I found myself numb, stuck, and completely disconnected from the joy I used to feel. I spent years figuring out what actually works to find your way back at midlife. Spoiler: it's not a total reinvention. It's openness, curiosity, and tiny acts of self-compassion that add up to something that actually feels like you again.

Ready to start? Come find us.