This episode wasn’t what I planned. Showing up when life feels heavy is tough, and lately my energy has been at an all-time low. Still, I wanted to be here with you.
So today I share some reflections about letting go of perfection, honoring our needs, and flipping the script on the capitalistic culture of endless productivity. If you’ve ever felt like you’re not doing enough, I hope these reflections help remind you that existing truly is enough.
🌱 Work with this episode
Sit with this question in the next few days:
How can I acknowledge and celebrate the way I’m showing up for my business, for my creative work, and for my life these days?
🎒 And then, if you’d like support in reconnecting with your personal compass, your key to moving your business and creative work forward with care, joy, and alignment, embark on a FREE audio journey. It includes 5 powerful audios, coaching prompts for each track, a workbook, and 6 self-reflection cards.
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🌿 Links & Invitations
I’d love to keep this conversation going!
You can share your reflections, stories, or questions with me:
- email me at hello@caretoimpact.com,
- or send me a voice note on Speakpipe.
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Transcript
[0:29] Hi there, and welcome back to Inner Impact. Today’s episode is going to be a little different, shorter, more of a check-in than a full exploration as usual, but I wanted to show up for you because I truly cherish the time we quote-unquote spend together here, and I believe there’s so much value in simply being present even when life feels heavy. I want to be honest with you, my energy and capacity are very low right now. You know, the past few weeks have been tough and I’ve been navigating some heavy stuff. And in the midst of that, a question has been lingering in my mind. How can we show up for our businesses, for our creative work and for ourselves too during difficult times? You know, lately I’ve been feeling so overwhelmed that it’s hard to focus. Um, it’s like, you know, have you ever felt that way? Like your brain is trying to make sense of things just to feel you have some kind of control, but in the end you just cannot. Well, that’s where I have been.
[1:42] And in that overwhelm, I’ve had to strip my activities down to a bare minimum, right? I’ve had to prioritize what I truly need to attend to and let go of the rest, at least for now, of course. But here’s the thing, even as I’ve been doing that, and I know I had to do that, I’ve noticed this voice in my head, the one that tells me I am not doing enough. For example, I’ve been beating myself up for not being able to outline and record a quote-unquote proper podcast episode. You know, one that feels polished and valuable, but then I realized something important. I am still here, I am still showing up, and that matters. My personal compass helped me notice that and listen to that. And realize that even in this low energy season, I have been able to show up for my clients during coaching sessions, and I’ve been able to nurture relationships with my business friends and connections. And while it hasn’t been easy, I have been present in the ways that matter most.
[3:07] And this made me think that we often set these incredibly high expectations for ourselves. Expectations about how much we should do, how perfectly we should show up, and how productive we should be. But the truth is that showing up actually means being present. And that is enough and that doesn’t need to be big and that doesn’t need to be flashy and that doesn’t need to be perfect.
[3:42] And I believe that a lot of these high expectations come from the culture we live in. Something that we have internalized, you know, a culture that equates our worth with our productivity. It’s this capitalistic mindset that tells us we always need to be producing, achieving, and extracting value from ourselves. And others for that matters, actually. But what if we flipped that script? What if we focused less on doing and more on being? What if we allowed ourselves to simply exist, to show up in whatever way feels possible, and to trust that it’s enough? And also, what if we reminded ourselves that even if we can’t show up in the way that we want to, we are still worthy. We are worthy. You are worthy. You are worthy of care, of love, and respect, just as you are.
[4:49] So here’s my invitation to you, and to myself too. Take a moment to sit with this question. How can I acknowledge and celebrate the way that I am showing up for my business, for my creative work, and for my life these days? Thank you so much for being here with me today. I’ll check in on you soon, until then keep tuning in to your personal compass.