I had called on Friday to request money out of an investment account. It should have gone through on Monday. That same day, a text arrived with a one-time verification code, along with an explicit instruction not to share that code with anyone. Not long after, a voicemail came in from someone saying there was a security measure to take care of, and asking me to call back.
A second voicemail followed two days later, about the same wire. Both felt off, like something was not quite right.
This month, I am exploring Faith, not in the religious sense, though I hold my own convictions there too, the kind that asks you to move forward without knowing exactly how something will unfold. I did not expect the first lesson to arrive before I had even finished writing about it.
Researchers recently found that people can tell a cloned voice from an authentic one only a little more than a third of the time. That is the world we are moving through right now, where verifying takes real effort. I emailed my account advisor to ask if the message was legitimate. When I did not hear back from them, the doubt started to spread beyond the text and the voicemail to the whole transaction itself.
Instead of waiting inside that widening doubt, I called my account advisor directly.
What actually convinced me had nothing to do with a feeling. The text specifically said, “do not share this code with anyone.” The voicemail was asking for exactly that. A legitimate call does not contradict its own instructions. At least, you would not think so.
Reacting right away might have felt like the deepest kind of Faith. Real Faith asks you to notice when something feels off, and to go looking for the fact underneath the feeling, rather than freezing in suspicion of everyone, or complying out of fear.
This is the Faith I want to explore with you this month. Faith that asks you to stay curious enough to check and still stay open enough to trust the answer when it comes.
PHOTO OP + ACTION OPPORTUNITY
A Faith Practice: The Discernment Check
Personal Reflection
Think back over the last several days. Was there a moment when something asked for your trust, maybe a message you received or an unusual request, and some part of you hesitated? Sit with that hesitation before you decide what it meant, then write about what comes up.
Photo Op
Photograph something you decided to check before trusting it this week. Maybe a message you paused over, or a request you wanted to confirm first. Let the image hold that pause, the moment before you knew for certain. Notice what your discernment looked like while you were still deciding.
Action Opportunity
Look at your photograph and write about what it brings up. What was your instinct telling you in that moment, and what did you do with it? Let the writing carry you into what the image is really showing you about the way you trust. Save your photograph and your words to the Take a Shot at Happiness App, and watch your discernment sharpen across this month of Faith.
The money had already gone through by the time I checked, thankfully.
What I know is that I did not have to choose between naive trust and permanent suspicion. I made the call and asked the question, then let myself wait for a real answer instead of manufacturing one out of fear. That is Faith this month, acting on discernment, then releasing what I cannot control.
Keep exploring
This month, I am continuing the conversation on Faith through the Sojourn Explorers journeys below, this month's Best Holistic Life article, and the podcast conversation waiting for you.
Sojourn Explorers
Wellbeing Travel Experiences
Faith is not only the practice that shows up when trust gets tested. It is also what carries you toward experiences you have not had yet. Choosing to step toward a place you have never been, trusting it will give you something you cannot yet name, is its own act of Faith. You do the homework, and then you trust what you find. This is one of the journeys currently asking for that same kind of Faith.
NEW DATES!
Take a Shot at Happiness: Southeast Asia
November 18 – December 2, 2026 | 15 Days
Fifteen days through Vietnam, Cambodia, and Thailand. You watch the sun rise over Angkor Wat before the crowds arrive. You cruise the limestone islands of Lan Ha Bay from a boat with floor-to-ceiling windows. You fold silk lanterns beside the artisans who have made them for generations in Hoi An, then cook alongside a master chef after walking the market where the ingredients were picked that morning.
In Thailand, a long-tail boat carries you along the old canals to Wat Arun, and you stand at the Maeklong Railway Market as vendors sweep their stalls aside seconds before the train roars through. There is a three-hour meditation inside a working temple, and a night of Michelin-guided street food by tuk-tuk. The journey closes on Koh Samui, where two private reflection sessions I lead give you room to sort out what you want to carry home and what you are ready to set down.
Throughout, I guide the photography and journaling practice from my book, the work that teaches you to trust your own eye again. Early rate of $8,500 per person through August 1st.
In Take a Shot at Happiness: How to Write, Direct & Produce the Life You Want, Faith is one of the eight Happiness Essentials. Through reflective writing, camera phone photography, and guided prompts, the book helps you see where Faith is already at work in your life, often where you least expect it.
The companion app gives you a place to save your images, keep your reflections, and return to the moments that show you what supports your wellbeing.
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I have read many books about the topic, but this one expands it in an unforeseen way that was truly inspiring.
★★★★★
Fredrik Sträng · Goodreads review of Take a Shot at Happiness
If this work has supported you in any way, I would appreciate it if you could share your experience with others on a platform you trust.
In my latest Best Holistic Life, I am writing about how to read small signs from the universe. These are subtle inner reminders that you are being guided and everything will be okay. If you pay attention, you will come to know everything needed to support you. “Lessons always arrive when you are ready.”
On The Lindsay Hadley Podcast, Maria sits down with Lindsay to discuss ways to experience a journey redirected to joy, with all sorts of tools that can improve your well-being. A profound conversation to understand your inner-self.
Until next time, when I will share what happens when Faith gets tested and does not resolve the way you hoped, and why that does not mean the practice failed.
Got a code like this on your phone? Forward it to a friend who needs the reminder: you can question it and still keep the Faith.
If you are that friend, welcome — you can sign up to receive these reflections each month:
These reflections are part of Take a Shot at Happiness, a living exploration of how you think, feel, and choose your way through life. They sit alongside my work designing Sojourn Explorers experiences, where the same values are explored through place, reflection, and meaningful travel.
Sign up for Maria Baltazzi’s Take a Shot at Happiness newsletter for practical ways to bring more happiness and meaning into your life. An award-winning author and happiness explorer, Maria shares science-backed tools to shift unproductive thoughts, stay inspired, and grow in fulfilling ways. Her book, Take a Shot at Happiness, has won multiple awards, including the Independent Press, NYC Big Book, and Nautilus Book Awards. She uniquely integrates camera phone photography and journaling as tools for self-reflection and personal growth. Each issue offers insightful advice, uplifting quotes, and simple ways to enhance your wellbeing. Join a community that values purpose, creativity, and happiness.
