Posts by Berryy Better

Isn’t it strange how your definition of some of the most basic things you’ve learned over the years shifts as you grow up? I was – and still am – often told that you’re only successful if you’re financially independent enough to buy crazy things and live other people’s dreams.

For a long time, I thought that too.

I imagined success was about ticking those boxes, chasing a life filled with everything they said I should want. But as I came further, I began to realize that there’s beauty and freedom in simply owning your time, doing things you genuinely enjoy, working on something that brings you joy, and—perhaps most importantly—letting go of what others think about how you choose to spend your time, money, or energy.

A lot of you have already asked and might know this too – but since I have been quite disciplined with the luxuries in my life, I decided to jot everything down first thing this morning. These days, my mornings have become something sacred, something intentionally mine. I don’t like the feeling of being in a rush, so I make sure to be ahead of time. I also love the quietness of the morning, along with the birds chirping, with soft waterfall music playing and candles lit in my room. Sometimes I am lucky to spot my favorite Magpies from my window. There’s a sense of calm in that moment, a grounding peace that sets the tone for everything that follows in my day.

Of course, I never start my day without praying, it helps me stay grounded before anything else begins. I also almost never skip my meditation, affirmations, and innercises in the morning too. It’s the best time to reconnect with myself, and to ask myself what I want, who I am in this moment, and what I hope to become.

Then comes my gratitude journal – which I have been writing religiously since the summer of 2019. Every morning (sometimes later during the day), I make a list of ten things I’m grateful for. Some days, that list overflows to a hundred or two hundred; and trust me, there are days when I struggle to write even one or two. But no matter how I feel or where I am in my life, I don’t skip it. This practice has helped me program my mind, body, and soul to find beauty in even the simplest moments.

And yes, I do make an effort to keep away from my phone in the morning – so if you’re waiting on a morning message or expecting an immediate reply, know that I didn’t see it. Please give me a heads-up at least twelve hours in advance if we’re meeting in the morning; otherwise, I’d be at the destination looking at my phone IN TOTAL SURPRISE (but no disappointment) – yes, I rarely check messages between 9 p.m. and 9 a.m. I love taking intentional breaks from screens to simply be in my zone, undistracted – it’s a real luxury.

Evenings, too, I love having beautiful, calming endings to each day. After work and early dinner, I try to do my RESET meditation—letting go of anything I don’t need to carry forward. (Here’s the link if you wanna give a try anytime.)

And as the night settles, I let small, pretty rituals take over: a face massage, a dark room with a few candles lit to soften the space, and a good book that holds me until my eyes grow heavy. I don’t rush here to finish the pages, no urgency to learn something new,  just gentle unwinding. I love practicing being in the moment in these hours.

I do leave social media out of my evenings intentionally, just as I do in my mornings. So, yes, that’s it.

I love the quiet hours, love being in bed by 10, and nothing else is more tempting than following my own evening routine every day.

Do you follow a routine every day? If yes, I’m curious, let me know!

P.S. There are other boring things (not mentioned above) that I don’t skip in the morning, like my coffee (hazelnut these days), making my task list for the day (Yes, I never skip this, not even on a Sunday or Christmas), and doing my skincare.

It’s 1 p.m. on a Sunday afternoon in the autumn of 2024, and I have just finished reading The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho – a book I had started, perhaps, 17 years ago. What a beautiful journey it has been, between the pages of all these years—learning and unlearning, loving and losing, falling and getting up, and all the adventures that words can barely describe.

As I move closer towards the end of this beautiful chapter, I feel a dozen emotions stirring inside me. Always been in the search for treasure, I found that the truest meaning of life is discovering oneself. The treasure isn’t out there somewhere; it lies deep within us. But also, you can’t skip the steps. You have to travel many roads, take countless journeys, and meet many priests, the Englishmen, the fortune tellers, the alchemists, the warriors, and the bakers all along your way. You need to visit crystal shops, cross deserts, navigate oases, and withstand storms— in order to reach the pyramids that hold the final answers. And when you finally stand before the pyramids, you realize that the treasure was always within you. And, you need to get lost to find it – to find the very essence of your being. Nothing outside of you can complete you—everything outside is merely a reflection of what lies inside of your heart and soul.

The love you seek from the world around you, the affirmation you long for, the treasures you imagine to be elsewhere—all of these reside within you. The universe conspires to help you realize that everything you truly need is already within you. It’s about having the courage to look within and believing that it is there. As Paulo Coelho writes, “When you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it.” But it’s never just about the desire—it’s about taking that first step, and the next, and the next. Even when the path gets lonely or all the winds are against you, it’s about trusting THE UNIVERSE.

I remember when Santiago—the shepherd boy—left his familiar fields to seek his treasure. He didn’t know what lay ahead, but he chose to follow his heart. You have to leave the familiarity – time and again in order to reach the next phase. And, each phase has its own beauty and special meaning that it carries within it. As long as you don’t settle – there’s always a treasure ahead. 

But if we silence the whispers of our hearts, we lose sight of our Personal Legend—the unique journey we are meant to undertake.

The Alchemist teaches us that we are the alchemists of our own lives, capable of transforming our dreams into reality, of finding gold within the ordinary. The journey will not always be smooth—it will break you (more times than you can count), challenge you, bring you to your knees, but every heartbreak carries a lesson, every fall pushes you closer to your true self. And so, even when fear haunts you, TAKE THAT STEP. Trust the signs that the universe sends your way, follow the omens, and most importantly, follow your heart.

<3

To anyone and everyone reading this blog or the book that inspired me to write this, I want to whisper: Listen to your heart often. Look for the signs. Follow your intuition, even if it takes you down unexpected roads. And don’t stop—even if you fail each time you start again. Because it’s never about the gold you seek beneath the pyramids of Egypt—it’s about discovering the gems within you.

S.

Love yourself a little more, for you’re the one who you need the most!

For the times when your strength was all you had, and you stood alone.

For when the whole world turned against you, and every voice that drowned you..

Forgive yourself for the nights you couldn’t get through..

Exactly a year ago, when everything changed..

In just a moment, you had to rearrange..

But remember, the shattered pieces wasn’t the end..

But the beginning of something new..

The chance to put your pieces back together again..

Some edges are sharp and the cuts still sting..

But there’s beauty in building, even when the pain persists..

There will be days when your demons still win,

but believing in yourself is where the true healing begins..

You’re not the failure, nor the scars or the tears..

You are the resilience that you have carried through months and months..

You have bloomed in ways you could have never imagined..

Despite the storms, the losses and the battles within..

The little one inside you is still so proud,

of the dreams you carry despite everyone’s doubt..

You are the hope and the light that enters through the cracks

So forgive yourself for all because

only you know what it takes to build it all !

More than a decade ago, when I first decided to move to an unknown place, little did I know what was in store for me – but that was the beauty of it too. The beauty of the unknown – as I had no plans or maps in my head. Even if I did, my sense of direction is too bad that I’d ve followed the wrong path anyway! I believe the secret to your best life is always in the unknown. Unknown places, unknown people, unknown identities of yourself (that you surely discover along the way) and everything that lies in between the unknown pathways.

There were days when I loved the freedom of being on my own, and there were also the days when I was too lost finding my own identity in the unknown places. Despite all the whirlwind of losing and finding myself again and again, I learned a lot traversing the paths ignoring all the possible road signs and just believing in the power of my intuition.

Here’s few lessons that I learned (some a little hard way!) during my journey:

Uncertainty is not really uncertain.

Embracing uncertainty can be daunting (especially if your MBTI ends in J, mine’s a CAPITAL and bold one!), but it’s where most of the growth happens. When I first moved to this place, I didn’t know the language, nor ate the food, (thanks to my vegan-friendly lifestyle) had no goals in my mind. But over time, I learned that uncertainty is just a canvas waiting for your brushstrokes. It’s the place where you discover your resilience and creativity (was always a mix of both for me). I have had the experience of seeing the best and the worst days that I couldn’t have anticipated, teaching me that what feels uncertain is simply unseen paths waiting to be explored. In fact, it’s within these moments of uncertainty that I find my deepest strengths and magical intuition within me.

You have to lose a lot of pieces to find your true self.

Moving away from everything I knew stripped me of my old identity (which I wasn’t really fond of either). But that also meant that I had to build something from the ground up. In the beginning, a lot of it felt like a loss, but it was a necessary shedding. I had to let go of preconceived notions about who I was and what I wanted (I’m still learning every day!). Of course, it was not always a bed of roses but I have also discovered the strongest most beautiful version of myself after suffering the painful losses of my own identity and my surroundings. By losing a lot of (precious) pieces, I made room for new (more precious) experiences, perspectives, and parts of myself I never knew existed. It was through this continual process of letting go and embracing the new that I began to uncover my true self. Trust me, letting go is one of the most liberating feelings.

Life is full of surprises and that’s what I call magic.

There is something extraordinary magical about the unpredictability of life. Every twist and turn in my journey brought with it surprises that enriched my life in ways I never could have imagined. From randomest spontaneous friendships to unforeseen career opportunities, these surprises became the highlights of my life here in Korea. And, believe me, none of this could have ever made my bucket-list and that’s why it’s called MAGIC. Embracing the unexpected allowed me to appreciate the beauty in spontaneity and the joy in unpredictability. (Yes, hear me out: I have been bullied and called out for my standard of happiness being to low. “Raise your bar”, as they said. Little did I know that I would embrace this side of me that I shushed away for more than an year.) All these beautiful experiences have taught me to live with an open heart, beautiful mind and kind soul – that is ready to receive all the magic and miracles that life had to offer.

All storms are equally important too.

Not every moment was filled with joy, magic, love and excitement (My Instagram says otherwise!). There were many many storms – periods of self-doubt, sadness, loneliness, hardship, struggle and all possible depressing emotions that humans can go through. However, now that I look back, I can proudly say that these storms were so soo crucial. Isn’t it incredible that all of it brought me here to – this version of myself?

I would be lying if I say I knew I always had this strength within me. There have been days that I struggled to survive, but there also have been days that I learned to surf beautifully and stand tall facing the waves! Each storm, though challenging, eventually passed, leaving behind a clearer sky and a stronger, more determined version of myself. I have graciously learned to embrace the storms, knowing that they are an important part of our evolution as humans and in our overall journey of life.

Lastly, be daring enough to take that first step!

The first step is always the hardest, but it’s also the 50% of the game. If you can fight the demons of self-doubt and show up – trust me, you are halfway there! When I decided to move to a new place, it was a leap of faith. I had no guarantees, just a belief that this step was necessary for something beautiful ahead. Taking that first step opened up a world of possibilities and set me on a path of continuous discovery and adventure. It taught me that courage isn’t the absence of fear, but the determination to move forward despite it.

Now, here’s your reminder to keep going.

There have been days, rough and smooth, days with both nice and not-so-nice moments – yet, I embrace it all. Today, I write to you not to complain, but to reflect, to remember, and to appreciate the journey that brought me here today – to this version of myself. And, I couldn’t be more grateful!

Do you recall the heavy mornings when the world seemed too daunting, and the nights when darkness enveloped my mind, body and soul? 

Looking back, it’s beautiful how dots connect – thank you for the giving me this gift of resilience. I never would have discovered a reservoir full of strength within me, if it weren’t for those challenges. Each one was a stepping stone, each setback a lesson in disguise. You showed me that strength is not the absence of fear but the courage to face it. There were also days bathed in sunlight, love, laughter and magic. Those memories are treasures I hold close to my heart. You gave me friends who became family, love that warmed my soul, and experiences that painted my world in vibrant colours.

In times of sorrow, you were a silent companion, reminding me that even in the darkest hours, there is a sliver of hope. You whispered that it’s okay to cry, to feel lost, to stumble and fall. And when I did, you were there, urging me to rise again, to move forward with a heart made stronger by every tear shed. You’ve witnessed my dreams, my aspirations, and my failures. You were there when I dared to reach for the stars, and when I fell back to the earth. Each fall taught me to dream anew, to strive harder, to believe in myself more fiercely.

Dear Past, you are a mosaic of moments that have shaped who I am today. The good and the bad, the joyous and the painful – every piece has its place, creating a picture that is uniquely mine. 

You are my story, written in the ink of time and sealed with the stamp of experience.

As I pen this letter, I feel a sense of peace. I understand now that every moment, every experience was a necessary thread in the fabric of my life.

You are a part of me, and I am grateful for every second of our journey together.

Here’s to you, my past, for making me who I am today.

With love and gratitude, I embrace you fully, looking forward to the future with hope and an open heart.

Forever with love,

S.

Oh my god, I can’t begin to tell you how much I love making lists.

But why am I telling you this? I want to spill some beans. The more things you add to your list, the more you will accomplish anyway. And by accomplishing, I don’t mean just your goals. I mean experiencing life in many beautiful and different ways. Lists, for me, are like tiny adventures waiting to happen. They encourage me to step out of my comfort zone and seize the day. When I look back at my diaries or journals filled with lists, I see a tapestry of incredible experiences and unforgettable moments.

If I pull out any of my diaries or journals, which have my lists, I can go on and on about them. There are so many amazing, crazy experiences I’ve had in the last ten years of my life in Korea. I jumped into the ocean without knowing how to swim, quite literally. I have climbed some crazy mountains, which I still hate. But thanks to the people who took me and helped me come back safely, I have experienced a crazy number of things. Lists have pushed me to do things I never thought I would or could do. They act as a constant reminder to live life fully.

Wait, I need to open my list to check what I want to write further. But I’ve been to unknown places, travelled solo, written books, been on television, written articles in the press, met some amazing people, and made a lot of memories. None of that would have been possible if I did not make lists. Lists are my way of making sure I don’t let life pass me by. 

“Lists turn ordinary days into extraordinary ones and keep the spirit of adventure alive.”

Making lists isn’t just about organization for me; it’s about intention. It’s about making a conscious effort to fill my life with diverse and rich experiences. It’s about setting little challenges and achieving them, one by one. Every item crossed off my list is a proof to living boldly and authentically. So, if you haven’t already, I encourage you to start making your own lists.

Who knows where they might lead you?

Remember, lists are not just about ticking off tasks—they’re about making your journey through life as colourful and fulfilling as possible. So, go ahead, jot down your dreams, your plans, your little whims. You might just find yourself living a life you never imagined.

How Lists Have Changed My Life?

Lists are more than just a productivity tool for me; they are a way to curate a life filled with purpose and excitement.

Here’s how lists have specifically enriched my life:

1. Cultivating New Habits

By listing new habits, I want to adopt, I’ve been able to integrate positive changes into my daily routine. From practicing gratitude to maintaining a consistent dance routine, lists have helped me stay accountable and track my progress.

2. Fuelling Creativity

Lists have sparked my creativity in unexpected ways. By jotting down random ideas, potential projects, or even books I want to write, I’ve found a wellspring of inspiration that keeps my creative juices flowing.

3. Building Relationships

Believe it or not, lists have also helped me build and strengthen relationships. I make lists of people I want to reconnect with, friends I need to check in on, and even new acquaintances I want to get to know better. This intentionality has enriched my social life and fostered deeper connections. And, ofc, not to forget the list of people I love sending out letters every year!

4. Exploring New Places

Whether it’s a list of vegan places to try (Thanks to Gwen for organizing this for me.), hiking trails to explore, or countries to visit, my lists have turned me into an adventurer. They’ve pushed me to step out of my comfort zone and embrace the unknown, leading to countless memorable experiences.

5. Achieving Personal Goals

From professional aspirations to personal dreams, lists have been my roadmap to all what I have achieved so far. By breaking down big goals into manageable steps, I’ve been able to make steady progress and celebrate small victories along the way.

Here are few tips for you to start organizing your life in a better way:

Be Specific: The more detailed your list, the easier it will be to take action. Instead of writing “exercise more,” try “Pole dance every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.”

Prioritize: Not all items on your list will have the same level of importance. Highlight or mark the top three priorities for the day, week, or month to ensure you focus on what matters most. For example, my three top-most priorities today are:

• Publish this blog
• Restart Yoga
• Take a walk in the nature
• Restart Reading!

Keep it Visible: Place your lists where you can see them regularly. Whether it’s on your desk, your phone, or your bathroom mirror, keeping your lists in sight will remind you of your intentions. I KEEP MINE ON NOTION, always!

Review and Reflect: At the end of each day, week, or month, review your lists. Reflect on what you’ve accomplished, what you’ve learned, and what you still want to achieve. This practice will keep you motivated and help you adjust your goals as needed. I do my monthly self-reflections, religiously and I love this the most!

Stay Flexible: Life is unpredictable, and it’s okay if you don’t complete everything on your list. Take it easy and never be too rough on yourself! Add more “Do-Nothing” days and moments to your lists once in a while and see the magic in recharging your mind and soul.

Finally, lists are not just about ticking off tasks—they’re about making your journey through life as colourful and fulfilling as possible.

So, go ahead, jot down your dreams, your plans, your little whims. You might just find yourself living a life you never imagined.

It’s never too late to start what has been going on in your mind or some list you have made or the dreams you had when you were a child. Let me tell you from my experience and journey that it’s never too late to start.

I remember that I wanted to pen my thoughts since past ten years. I wanted to write my blogs, but I was always concerned. Oh, how do I let my emotions out? What are readers gonna think of me? Are there any readers? What are people around me gonna think of me? Oops, I’m vulnerable. Oops, I’m scared today. Oops, I’m afraid of all these things. But yeah, finally, one of my goals before turning 30 was to launch my blog.

And finally, here I am..

So, if I can do it, here’s your reminder not to wait too long. Don’t wait as long as I did. Make memories, take risks, do things you wanted to do. Don’t think too much about the what-ifs and what are people gonna say. Just follow your heart sometimes, if not always. Life is not too long. It’s very, very short. Just do it today. There might not be as many tomorrows as you think.

Starting something new will be scary for sure, but remember, every expert was once a beginner like you and me.

 The first step is always the hardest, but it’s also the most important.

Think about the dreams and goals you have had as a child. Maybe you wanted to become an artist, a writer, or a dancer. Maybe you dreamed of traveling the world or starting your own business. Luckily, these dreams don’t come with an expiration date. They are still within your reach, waiting for you to take that first step.

I’ve learned that it’s okay to be afraid – we all are.

It’s okay to feel vulnerable, too.

These emotions are part of the journey. They make the achievements even more rewarding. And guess what? People are more supportive than you think. Real friends will admire your courage and authenticity.

So, take that first step today. Write that first sentence, take that first lesson, plan that first trip, or whatever it is that calls you. As they say, “the journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.” Don’t let fear hold you back. Embrace the uncertainty and take the leap. You might surprise yourself with what you can accomplish.

The best thing I heard during a lecture was – “The best time to plant a tree was twenty years ago; the second-best time is now.”

So go ahead and make your mark. Your future self will thank you for starting today.

Because it’s never too late.