I was successful in music, my dream job. Then the pandemic came, and gradually, with illness and vaccines, I found myself feeling more and more distant from who I was. I lost all my gigs, and eventually, I became homeless, sitting on a bench. It was surprising, especially since I lived in the most affluent social democracy in the world, yet there was no help to be found. There were times when I didn’t have money for food. I thought I had hit rock bottom, but it got worse. The storage facility where I had kept all my belongings called to inform me that everything had been ruined in a flood.<\/p>\n
So there I was, sitting on a bench with just my purse. I didn\u2019t know whether to laugh or cry. Eventually, I managed to find a small place to stay and realized that I needed to make a change. I entered what I call the \u201cGratitude Universe\u201d and discovered that the key to turning my situation around was myself. I started watching videos and reading books for up to eight hours a day. I took extensive notes, journaled, and did various exercises. One day, I found myself in a gratitude prayer, completely lost in the moment without having to think about it. This was a breakthrough for me; it was no longer just a forced activity on my calendar but a part of who I was\u2014a place I wanted to be.<\/p>\n