One Phrase That Can Instantly Change Your Day

 We all know what it feels like to carry the weight of life—the heaviness, the waiting, the uncertainty of not being where you want to be yet. But what if one simple shift could change how you carry it? Let me share this with you: No matter how real the pain or worry might be, nothing can stop you!

In this episode, I open up about what it takes to move forward when the road feels long and the season feels dry. You’ll hear how you can rise up in the middle of struggle, how perspective can turn heaviness into hope, and how the smallest moments can lift your spirit and give you strength for the journey.

If you’ve been searching for a lighter way to walk through your day, this conversation will remind you that you’re closer than you think. 

Chapters

• 0:00 Introduction to One Degree to Victory
• 0:21 The Power of Noticing Small Joys
• 1:16 Joy as a Spiritual Elixir
• 2:45 Moving Forward Through Difficult Seasons
• 5:43 Closing Thoughts on Progression

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:00

You're listening to One Degree to Victory, the space where stories, strategies and soul connect Together. We take one small step each week toward the life you know you're called to live. I'm your hostess, nalita Hollis, and today's story and conversation just might change your life. You know, when we take a moment to notice the small joys, the little blessings in our lives, something happens. Our perspective shifts, our hearts get lighter and suddenly the world feels a little brighter. Even on the cloudiest of days, when the weight of life feels like too much to carry, that simple practice of appreciation can be the sunshine breaking through. Now I'm not talking about ignoring pain or pretending like everything is perfect. I'm talking about opening your eyes to the glimmers and the small shimmers, the reflections, the reminders that even here, even now, something good is still possible. When words fail, when your spirit feels dry, when your soul is tired, joy still finds a way. Joy is not abstract, it's not unreachable. You can actually experience it. You can feel your heart flutter when you whisper to yourself I may not be where I want to be, but thank God, I still have the opportunity to get there. What does that do for you? When you say it? Doesn't it make you feel a little lighter, like a weight just shifted off your shoulders. It does for me. Even if you don't know how, even if the destination feels far, you still have the opportunity. You can take one step closer.

Speaker 1: 2:01

Sister girl, I'm going to tell you the road is long. I'll be the first to tell you the road is long. I'll be the first to tell you the road is long. Some stretches are dry, some stretches feel barren. But here is the good news that I want to share with you today there are oases along the way, and they are not mirages. They are real places where joy bubbles up. That is your perspective shift. Think about this In the middle of hardship, conflict and trauma, you are one phone call, one thought, one phrase, one sentence away from moving closer to where you want to be. Unsentence away from moving closer to where you want to be. When you realize that you might catch yourself smiling, come on, maybe even a little chuckle slips out, because you can't believe how simple it is the wonder of the here and now, the gift of the present moment.

Speaker 1: 3:00

Joy spreads, sister girl, it multiplies, it doesn't, it cannot stay locked inside. Joy is a spiritual elixir, just like our bodies need water to hydrate, to cleanse, to sustain. Our souls need joy to replenish, to nourish and to energize us. Without it, we dry out inside us. Without it, we dry out inside. With it, we thrive. Now, here's the truth.

Speaker 1: 3:30

Joy often starts with a seed of gratitude, and even if you don't have the words, you can still carry that seed in your heart. Sometimes life is too heavy to articulate. The words just won't come, the pain doesn't fit neatly into categories and the worry can't be explained. Sister girl, it's in those moments that you let your spirit speak for you. You just breathe, you just hold on to the thought that there is a solution. You may not see it, you may not have it in your hands, but thank God, you're still moving toward it.

Speaker 1: 4:02

You know what kept me going in my hardest season? My memories, the laughter of my kids, the sound of their voices, the visions of their smiling faces. That joy became my anchor. Sometimes it's the smallest moments that keep you alive. And here's another thing Catch a vision.

Speaker 1: 4:23

Imagination is powerful. It's the vision board of your soul. What you envision directs your steps. So make sure that what you're imagining is healthy, life-giving, because your joy feeds that vision. Joy makes moving toward it possible. It possible, sister girl. You may not be where you want to be yet, but there is nothing, absolutely nothing, that is stopping you from moving closer.

Speaker 1: 4:59

Yes, the pain is real. Yes, the worry is real, but you can move past that. Joy is not some far-off dream. It is here in the smile of your children, the sound of the laughter, the memory of love and the hope of tomorrow. It is in the quiet confidence that, no matter how heavy, today feels, tomorrow carries possibility. Today feels Tomorrow carries possibility. I encourage you to take those steps. Breathe them in Smile when you don't feel like smiling, hum when the silence feels too loud, and let joy water your soul like rain on dry ground. Until next time, sister girl, keep moving forward, keep holding on to joy. I love y'all. One degree to victory is about progression, not perfection, and that involves choosing a life that works for you now, in this season, and building from there. And, sister girl, it's going to take more than loving yourself. It's going to take vision for where you're going, hope to believe it's possible, action to make it real and love for your family to fuel every step. Take one degree forward this week and I'll see you in the next episode.