I had to take my own advice

May and June were difficult for me.

Perhaps they were for you, too.

If you've noticed fewer newsletters, fewer LinkedIn posts, or a little less of me showing up, there was a reason.

If you've taken one of my courses or heard me speak, you know I teach a simple framework: Mindset. Knowledge. Imperfect Action. I believe meaningful change happens when we shift our thinking, learn what we need to know, and then take imperfect action.

So how did that framework help me during one of the most challenging seasons I've experienced recently?

During the past two months, I wasn't teaching that framework. I was living it. A dear friend unexpectedly passed away after only four weeks of illness. Beyond our friendship, we also served together in Rotary leadership. She was our District Treasurer, and I serve as District Finance Chair.

Almost overnight, I found myself stepping into responsibilities I had never expected to carry.

There was an internal audit to complete. Financial reports had to be finalized before the end of Rotary's fiscal year. Reimbursements needed attention. Reports had to be submitted to Rotary International. Bank accounts needed updating. Death certificates had to be delivered. There were deadlines that couldn't wait, even while our hearts were grieving.

To make matters even more emotional, her family generously entrusted me with three years of her treasurer files. Soon those files were everywhere. My office floor disappeared beneath stacks of folders and papers. I literally had to tiptoe my way to my desk each morning.

The hardest part wasn't the workload; it was seeing her handwriting. Every folder, every note, every sticky note reminded me that my friend was gone. Some days I would open another file, pause, cry, and then continue.

That's when I realized my first step wasn't organizing papers, It was shifting my mindset. I needed something to hold onto, and one simple phrase became my anchor:  "And this too shall pass."

I repeated those words countless times. They didn't take away the grief or the stress, but they reminded me that I didn't have to solve everything in one day. I simply had to take the next step.

The second lesson was knowledge. Financial reports and accounting are not my natural strengths. In fact, I usually run from those details. Give me people. Give me strategy. Give me conversations. Accounting records? That's another world entirely.

So I did what I encourage others to do.  I learned and asked questions. I made mistakes. People corrected me, and I stopped letting my pride get in the way and accepted their guidance. Sometimes I'd let out a long sigh... and then take another step.

Then came the third part of the framework, imperfect action; one reimbursement, one report, one email, one folder, one correction. Basically, one more step.

None of it felt extraordinary. None of it felt perfect. But every small action moved me forward. Little by little, a pathway began to reappear across my office floor. The piles became smaller. The to do list got shorter and shorter.

At the same time, life kept moving.

I still had my own work of serving clients, workshops to prepare, events to attend. And yes, some things slipped, like my newsletters, my LinkedIn posts became less consistent, some appointments got missed, and even my evening routines disappeared.

For a while, consistency gave way to necessity. It was never gone... just paused. 

I share this with you because I know many of you are carrying your own piles. Maybe they aren't stacks of financial records. Maybe they're board meetings, fundraising goals, grant deadlines, staffing shortages, donor calls, family responsibilities, or simply the emotional weight that comes with leading a nonprofit.

Sometimes it feels like everyone needs something from you at the same time. Sometimes it feels as though you're making no progress at all. But maybe... you are.

Today we're in July. The financial deadlines are behind me. The office floor is visible again. And yes there are still some items to complete. 

Looking back, I certainly didn't manage everything perfectly. Yet I honored a dear friend. I fulfilled responsibilities I never expected to carry. I learned things I never imagined I'd need to know. And once again, I proved to myself that one imperfect step really does lead to another.

So if life feels especially heavy right now, remember: You don't have to have all the answers today. You don't have to see the entire path. Because one day when you look back, just as I am today, you'll realize that while it didn't feel like progress in the moment, you were moving forward all along.

Remember...

Shift your mindset.

Learn what you need to learn.

Take the imperfect step.

I'm cheering you on every step of the way...