One Step At a Time.

Feeling what you need to feel is a process, as is finding the language to express those feelings. Wherever you can, take the pressure off yourself to find “the right words.” Sometimes, just being here and just breathing through each moment is all we can do, and that is more than enough. This too, is a form of release, a form of letting go of the expectation of always needing to be “on” and “ready”. 

-Morgan Harper Nichols

I have been quiet. Things have been challenging for me both personally and professionally since November. I have been in self-preservation mode because I could feel myself teetering on the edge of burnout again. 

As 2024 rolled in, I really pushed myself to try to write a post for the new year. I was feeling this pressure to post something aspirational. I mean I am trying to become an entrepreneur… surely I needed to be out there on social media. Didn’t I need to follow the trend of sharing my thoughts on what the New Year could bring like everyone else I saw? 

I just couldn’t bring myself to do it. It felt completely inauthentic and it did not align with where I was. Work was tough. Things on the homefront were even harder. So instead, I turned inward. I sat with it, all my messy emotions and tried to navigate my feelings to figure out what I needed.

When I am overwhelmed, I get stuck. I get consumed by all the things. Instead of focusing on one thing at a time, I start a laundry list of everything and anything I can think of. Lists that would take years to accomplish. I end up feeling defeated before I can even begin. 

This time it was different. This time I went back to my own coaching practice and thought about what I would tell a client. I was not in a position to start a ten year plan. Life was too tumultuous (also ten year plans?!?!). What I needed were my one to two next best steps. 

Once those next steps were accomplished, the next ones were perhaps more obvious yet slightly more daunting. I still struggle with not having all the answers and knowing how everything will unfold (yes, this says so much about me). But I have enough to keep moving forward. Concentrating on these small, actionable steps keeps my overwhelm at bay. It also allows me to focus on the people in my life that I need to right now.