Welcome back to The Inspired Edit — and welcome to the final days before Christmas. This time of year can feel many different ways all at once: joyful, reflective, tender, overwhelming, hopeful, heavy… sometimes all in the same hour.

This week’s newsletter is an invitation to pause for just a moment and remember something important: joy doesn’t have to wait for perfect circumstances. It can be chosen gently, intentionally, and honestly — even in the middle of real life.

So grab your coffee, take a breath, and let’s talk about choosing joy on purpose — not as denial, but as an act of self-love and resilience.

I’m really glad you’re here. 💛

I’ve been drinking my coffee and writing all month about the roller coaster that is my life these days. And when the days are low — at the bottom of those hills — I’ve had to remind myself to be thankful for how far I’ve come.

Because sometimes, joy doesn’t come naturally.
Sometimes it takes intention.

It can be hard to feel joyful when your world feels like it’s falling apart. I know that feeling well. But in those moments, I’ve learned that I can’t keep staring at my feet. I have to stand up straight, take a breath, and look over my shoulder at where I’ve been.

I’ve endured so much in my life — things that should have broken me.
But I’m still standing.

I’ve survived 100% of my worst days.
And now, I can look back and smile.

I live my life today striving to be the person that the younger versions of me needed — and would be incredibly proud of. When I look over my shoulder, I can see those versions smiling back at me, waving me forward, reminding me that I still have so much life ahead of me… and they can’t wait to see what I’ll do next.

That realization fills me with joy.
Joy on purpose.

Joy isn’t something you wait for—it’s something you choose.

Joy is often treated like a reward.
Something that shows up when life finally settles down, when the chaos quiets, when the hard parts are over.

But for many of us, that moment never comes.

Life keeps moving. Challenges keep appearing. And if joy depends on perfect circumstances, we end up postponing it indefinitely.

That’s why joy has to be intentional.

Choosing joy doesn’t mean denying pain or pretending things aren’t hard. It means refusing to let hardship have the final word. It means acknowledging what you’ve lived through — and deciding that it doesn’t get to steal your future happiness.

Joy on purpose looks like this:
✨ remembering your resilience
✨ honoring how far you’ve come
✨ letting pride replace shame
✨ allowing yourself to smile without guilt
✨ choosing hope even when the road ahead feels uncertain

When you look back and realize you’ve survived everything you thought might break you, joy becomes less about circumstances and more about perspective.

Joy is found in the truth that you’re still here.
Still growing.
Still becoming.

And sometimes, the bravest thing you can do — especially during the holidays — is choose joy not because life is easy, but because you’ve earned it.

Before the week gets busy, take a quiet moment to reflect on where joy is trying to find you — even if it’s subtle.

Ask yourself:

Joy doesn’t have to be loud or constant to be real.
Sometimes it’s simply the decision to keep moving forward with hope.

There was a time in my life when joy felt irresponsible. Like something I was only allowed to experience if everything was going well — if no one was hurting, if nothing was uncertain, if I had checked every box and earned the right to feel good.

That’s not how I live anymore.

Now, joy feels like an act of self-respect.
A quiet rebellion against everything that tried to break me.

I’ve lived through seasons where simply getting through the day took everything I had. And because of that, I no longer take joy for granted — I choose it. Not because life is always easy, but because I know how hard it can be.

When I allow myself to feel joy now, it’s not denial.
It’s acknowledgment.
It’s saying, “Yes, things have been heavy — and I’m still allowed to smile.”

This version of me understands that joy doesn’t erase the past; it honors survival. It reminds me that I’m still here, still standing, still becoming.

And that’s something worth celebrating — on purpose.

I’ve been quietly working on something for a long time — building, refining, dreaming — and I’m finally ready to tell you about it.

The Inspired Vault officially opens for Vault Key Memberships on December 26th.

This isn’t just another membership.
It’s a growing, intentional space designed to support women in self-love, self-care, and personal growth — without pressure, without perfection, and without feeling like you have to do it all alone.

✨ Immediate Access (December 26th)
When you join, you’ll receive instant access to a full class called
Worthiness Before Goals — a foundational experience designed to help you understand your worth before you start setting or chasing goals.
This class alone is a $50 value, included with your Vault Key.

✨ Monthly Content Drops (Starting January 1st)
On the first of each month, Vault members receive:

✨ Quarterly Bonuses
Exclusive bonus material and/or special offers released throughout the year.

✨ And Over Time…
The Vault will continue to grow into a rich library of self-love, self-care, and personal growth content — thoughtfully created to help you feel:

(My goal is to make this a space you return to again and again.)

The first 30 members will be locked in at $15/month for as long as they remain members.

After that the price increases to $20/month

If you’ve been looking for a place to grow gently, intentionally, and with heart…
The Inspired Vault was created for you.

More details — and your invitation to join — are coming soon. 💛

If The Inspired Vault sparked something in you — curiosity, excitement, a quiet “this might be for me” — here’s the simplest next step.

👉 Visit the Inspired Chapter home page to learn more about what’s coming and get a feel for the space I’m building.

Then, if it feels aligned, I invite you to do one small thing for your future self:

📅 Set a reminder in your favorite app for December 26th
So you can come back and be among the first to enter The Inspired Vault when Vault Key Memberships officially open.

There’s no pressure to decide today.
Just an open door — and the option to return when the time is right.

Sometimes the most powerful step is simply saying,
“I’ll come back to this.”

Joy isn’t accidental.
It isn’t reserved for easy seasons or perfect circumstances.
It’s a decision — one you’re allowed to make even after hardship, even while things are still unfolding.

As you move through the final days before Christmas, remember this:
choosing joy doesn’t erase what you’ve lived through — it honors your resilience.

And every time you choose it on purpose, you’re lighting the way forward — for yourself and for those walking behind you.

As this week comes to a close — and as we head into Christmas — I want to wish you a truly heartfelt Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays.

Wherever you are this season, whatever this time of year brings up for you, I hope you’re able to find moments of warmth, peace, and joy — even small ones. You deserve gentleness. You deserve rest. And you deserve to carry joy with you, not because life has been easy, but because you’ve been strong.

Thank you for being here, for reading my words, and for walking this journey of growth and self-love alongside me. It means more to me than you know.

May your days be filled with love, your heart with hope, and your holiday with joy — chosen on purpose.

Never Forget...

Much Love,
Lady Misty Gebhart