You know those moments when everything looks fine — until you take a step back, turn off the builder, and realise it’s actually all gone a bit sideways?
Yep. That was my Tuesday.
There I was, thinking I’d finally nailed it — the Growth Nexus blog category pages were coming together beautifully. I’d lovingly crafted a row of stylish buttons to help readers navigate The Growth Nexus with ease. Clean lines. Elegant colours. Very on brand.
And then… poof.
The Divi visual builder giveth, and the blog gremlins taketh away.
Blue borders appeared from nowhere. Button text turned an alarming shade of bog-standard WordPress. “Read More” links rebelled. The layout shifted like it had had one too many espressos. And the Divi builder — usually my trusty companion — just smiled sweetly and pretended nothing was wrong.
But I knew.
I knew because I’ve been here before — not just on websites, but in life.
The Metaphor I Didn’t Know I Needed
As I sat staring at my screen, watching buttons misbehave and layouts rebel, it hit me: this was a perfect metaphor for reinvention.
So often, we think we’ve got things sorted. We build carefully, layer by layer, based on the best information we’ve got at the time. It looks good — it even feels good — right up until something breaks. And we’re forced to look under the hood and admit that maybe, just maybe, things aren’t as aligned as we thought.
And like those pesky blog buttons, sometimes we need to strip it all back to the settings — unassign the templates, check the foundations, and start again from where it actually makes sense.
Chaos Comes With the Territory
This is what they don’t tell you about personal growth or building a business in midlife:
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You will have meltdowns over minor things (usually late at night).
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You will question your tech, your direction, your sanity — often in that order.
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And you will have to learn to sit with the mess long enough to find the message in it.
Because sometimes, the buttons break so you can figure out what really matters.
For me, this little glitch-fest wasn’t about tech at all. It was about control. About letting go of the need to get it perfect before moving forward. About remembering that no one’s going to cancel their subscription to life because my category buttons had a rebellious moment.
So instead of spiralling, I decided to do what I always ask my readers to do:
Pause. Breathe. Step outside. Regroup.
(Also: swear at the screen a bit, then have a cup of coffee. Very healing.)
The Reset We Don’t Ask For (But Probably Need)
So here’s the real takeaway, if you’re still with me:
Reinvention isn’t just a glossy new goal or a Pinterest-perfect vision board. Sometimes it’s just showing up — again — even when things glitch, plans shift, and nothing looks quite like you expected it to.
It’s remembering that just because something was working, doesn’t mean it still is.
It’s having the courage to change direction mid-template.
And it’s giving yourself a truckload of grace when life unravels your careful colour coding.
So if your buttons are breaking (figuratively or literally), know this:
You’re not doing it wrong.
You’re just in the messy middle of something meaningful.
And honestly? That’s where all the magic lives.
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💬 PS — This post ties in beautifully with this blog on boundaries and burnout — a gentle, guilt-free reminder that you don’t have to hold it all together all the time. Sometimes you just need to say no, reset the layout, and walk the dog.
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