One Step At a Time.

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.