Rome wasn’t Built in a Day: Why Devotion is the Least Sexy Part of the Journey and the Most Important

I talk about daily habits and commitment often. As someone born with Saturn in Capricorn at 0 degrees in the sixth house, it’s a huge theme for me. I know that my soul chose to ensure that I experienced really important lessons around Saturnian themes like discipline and commitment. In the sixth house, this often manifests in how I show up for others, service to others, not just myself.

I spent several years on the sidelines, hesitant to reveal myself to the greater world. I didn’t feel safe enough to publicly express my truth, let alone acknowledge that I read tarot and all the other fun woo-woo stuff–cue the bookshelves full of oracle cards, crystals, and other fun technologies and tools.

Finally, it was during Virgo season in 2020 that I metaphorically busted through the closet door, where I had been hiding a majority of my passion and spirituality. I was tired. I was worn out and exhausted from resisting the call of my own soul’s journey, one that required I own my gifts and get down to the part where I would start showing up in the way I had always wanted.

And one thing I had to really do was stop comparing myself. My path is my own, and it would be an act of cruelty to compare my progress or current state to anyone else’s. There are times where I even fall into that, but nowadays, it’s less about comparing myself to others, and rather, it’s about comparing myself to where I want to be. Once you get past the game of comparing yourself to others, then the real competition begins when you realize that the only real competition is against yourself. You are the only player worth beating.

One of the perspectives that helped me solidify this shift came from Simon Sinek’s work. I think everyone needs to do some self education around leadership because even if you never take a public role as a leader in an organization or business, if you can learn how to lead yourself then at the very least you’ll learn how to ride the waves that inevitably come up during your life journey. He’s a powerful voice in the self-development and executive leadership field, and his work deeply influenced mindset shifts that helped me reframe those patterns of comparison. Suddenly, it wasn’t about what other people were doing–it was about what I was doing. How far had I come? Was I showing up better than I had three months ago, two weeks ago, three hours ago? As someone with a Virgo south node, I know a little bit about the internalized hypercritical voice that can sometimes cut us off at the knees and leave us sobbing in a puddle of grief feeling like we’re failing ourselves and others because we aren’t already 10000% perfect or exactly where we want to be.

Devotion is the next level above those basic habits, and over 2025, I’ve been practicing self-discipline. I’ve been learning how to organize my social media, how to actually complete courses, and get things done. I’ve realized just how powerful it is to keep a promise to myself, how it feels to make myself feel safe because I actually followed through and did what I said I would do. But, what happens when all this new action doesn’t lead to visible results—when engagement is low, when it feels like you’re screaming into the void? Self-discipline is an element of the basic habits you need to achieve any goal, but what happens when doubt and uncertainty creeps in? What happens when you ask yourself, am I on the right path with all of this? Am I sure that this is what I’m really meant to do with my life? 

For me, the answer was devotion. If our daily habits are what help us create structure and form of the plant, then devotion is the water that nourishes the roots. I had to love something so much–so passionately–that any frustration, fear, uncertainty, or anger would be eclipsed by that love. I honestly had to spend some time asking myself, can I walk away from this? What would my life be like if I turned the ship? I briefly imagined what my life might look like if I just threw in the towel and said, nah. My entire body became one painful throbbing ache, and I felt a howling sobbing scream wanted to rise up from my gut. It was visceral and real, and I realized very quickly that it would feel like the deepest form of betrayal against myself by walking away from my soul’s path.

Now, I’m all for course corrections. I believe that it’s important to pay attention to what’s working just as much as what’s not working. Anyone who has ever built a thriving successful business will tell you that it was because they paid attention to the feedback that the Universe was giving them that they were able to pivot in a way that allowed them to create even more success and resilience in their business. However, without being willing to feel the full truth of our experience, we miss the data we need to make better decisions. And in spiritual spaces, that’s where some of the old age/new age manifestation advice can lead us astray.

There are lots of beliefs being publicly shared about manifestation floating around, and when you’re trying to build a business in spiritual spaces, it’s unavoidable. Some of it is useful–until it’s not. When it’s used to bypass the real human feelings of bitterness and frustration, we can unintentionally create cycles that keep us trapped and impede our growth. We have to allow ourselves to create the space to feel what we need to feel in order for it to move through us. Otherwise, if we stuff these emotions down, they will only come back harder, demanding to be felt. Emotional bypassing doesn’t build resilience–it robs us of it, leaving us unprepared when life inevitably knocks us down. 

So, giving up? Walking away from clients? Closing the temple doors? I can’t—and having that real, honest conversation with myself made all the difference. Yes, some days kind of suck. And those are exactly the days when devotion—not just discipline—keeps me moving forward. It’s not all rainbows and butterflies, but I can control my mindset and work with these feelings. I can acknowledge the suck–and give it space. Sometimes that means a full-on grown up temper tantrum because the gap between where you are and where you know you’re meant to be can feel sharp, cruel, and almost unbearable. So when those feelings surface, I don’t silence them anymore—I let them speak, fully and unapologetically.

If self-discipline is what helps you show up for the daily grind, then devotion is what fills your cup when things get unsteady and you doubt the direction of your north star. The love and passion you feel for your purpose and goals must eclipse any doubt, fear, anger, uncertainty, or frustration if you are to move forward. No one sees the 1000s of hours athletes spend training or the time master artisans devote to studying color and light—only the perfect shot, the flawless landing, or the breathtaking masterpiece. When they break through, when the scale tips and reality and life conspire to bring them all the things they’ve been building and preparing for, it is always worth it.