Over the past few weeks, I worked hard to put the final pieces of my business puzzle in place—especially around building a consistent strategy for my blogs and emails. I felt proud, focused, and intentional.
My word for the week, based on the blog I shared last Sunday, was peace. And I walked in it. I breathed it in deeply, trusting that I was finally settling into the rhythm I'd been working toward. Because while I love talking about templates and SEO strategies, what matters most to me is that we're building businesses that honor our humanity—not consume it.
But then—tragedy after tragedy hit. And peace… slipped away.
What Happens When Everything Falls Apart?
When I learned about the devastating flooding in Texas and the heartbreaking loss of life—including those young lives lost at Camp Mystic—something inside me broke. My emotional bottom fell out. I couldn't write. I couldn't focus. I couldn't produce.
And in the stillness that followed, the guilt crept in.
The guilt of not hustling. Of not "pushing through." Of not being productive when I had so much to do. That guilt spiraled into a familiar, self-defeating cycle—one I know too many entrepreneurs live with silently.
I couldn't get the blog written. I couldn't send the email. I couldn't even bring myself to choose a new word for the week.
But then, something shifted.
Instead of mentally beating myself up for not getting everything done, I chose to move differently. I chose to accept grace.
Grace—a soft, holy kind of strength that says, You're still enough, even if you do nothing else today. Grace is unearned kindness, gentle acceptance, and compassion in motion. It's the opposite of the harsh inner critic that tells us we're falling behind. It doesn't require perfection. It simply offers presence.
And with it, peace returned.
I began to remember: we won't always get it all done—and that's okay. We can slow down. We can breathe. We can rest. And we can still be whole.
As I sat with this experience, I realized how often we as entrepreneurs face this same guilt - maybe not from tragedy, but from life simply happening. A sick child, a family crisis, our own exhaustion, or sometimes just the weight of carrying so much alone.
Why Do We Feel So Guilty?
Entrepreneurs are expected to wear every hat in the business: visionary, designer, copywriter, marketer, strategist, customer service rep, tech support—and sometimes, all of them in a single afternoon.
The world often celebrates this hustle. It tells us that if we're not working around the clock, we must not want it badly enough. That if we pause, we're falling behind. That success only comes from staying "always on."
But that expectation is not only unrealistic—it's harmful. It leads to burnout, resentment, and the quiet erosion of our creativity and mental health.
I know what you might be thinking: "But Christina, I can't afford to slow down. My business will suffer. My clients will leave. My competitors will get ahead." I know that fear intimately. But forcing productivity when you're grieving or overwhelmed doesn't actually move your business forward—it just creates the illusion of progress while you slowly burn out.
What If There Was Another Way?
This constant pressure to be productive, to never stop moving, is a myth. A dangerous one. And grace interrupts that myth with truth: You can rest without failing. You can pause without losing your momentum. You can choose grace without sacrificing your goals.
Let me say this clearly: there will be seasons in your business—and in your life—when you simply cannot do it all. When tragedy strikes, when grief visits, when life becomes overwhelming, it is not only acceptable to slow down—it's necessary. It's not a business failure; it's human wisdom.
The pressure to be always "on" isn't just unrealistic—it's unsustainable. And when life demands our attention, our hearts, our tears, trying to maintain that pace becomes impossible. In those moments, slowing down isn't a choice we get to make—it's a choice we must make for our own well-being.
Giving yourself grace isn't about letting go of your dreams. It's about letting go of the unrealistic expectations that weigh them down.
Grace as an entrepreneur means learning to forgive yourself for not getting everything done. It means moving forward even when the plan didn't go perfectly. It means accepting that being human is not a flaw—it's your superpower.
Last week, when I couldn't keep up with the content plan I had worked so hard to build, I felt like I had failed. But grace met me in that moment. And grace said: You are still valuable, even when you're not producing.
The moment I accepted grace, I felt something I hadn't felt in days: relief. Not because my workload had changed—but because my mindset had.
And that changed everything.
How Grace Changes Everything
Here's the truth many of us were never taught: grace is strategy.
This might sound counterintuitive in a business context, but grace isn't soft—it's strategic. It protects your most valuable business asset: you.
Grace invites us to rest not as a reward, but as a rhythm. It teaches us that slowing down isn't a setback—it's a setup for clarity, alignment, and deeper creativity.
When you slow down, you hear yourself more clearly. You reconnect with your why. You make space for better decisions.
And here's the beautiful thing: you often move more powerfully after the pause.
Choosing grace disrupts the hustle narrative. It creates space to think, breathe, feel, and be. That space doesn't delay your progress—it strengthens your foundation.
Rest is not laziness for entrepreneurs. It's leadership. It's sustainability. It's legacy.
What Would Grace Look Like Today?
Here are a few gentle practices that can help you make grace a lived experience:
- Let something be undone. Not everything needs to be crossed off today. Leave space for tomorrow—or for never.
- Redefine what success means. Success might mean showing up gently, not perfectly. It might mean resting when you need to, not just when you've "earned it."
- Begin your day with a grace question. Ask: What would grace look like today? Then build your to-do list from that space.
- Offer yourself the kindness you give so easily to others. When your energy is low or your timeline slips, resist the urge to scold yourself for not doing more. Instead, breathe. Pause. Choose gentleness.
You are building something beautiful—but building takes time, and heart, and space to recover.
You won't always hit every goal. You won't always send the email. You won't always show up on schedule. And that's okay.
Grace makes room for life. It makes room for grief, for transition, for doubt, and even for silence. It reminds you that you are not falling behind—you are simply human.
If you've been feeling like you can't catch up or like you'll never reach your goals because you can't get it all done, let me tell you: you are not alone. And you are not failing. You are feeling. You are navigating. You are doing your best.
And your best is enough.
This week, give yourself permission to miss the mark. To move slower. To be still. To rest and rise again later—restored, not rushed.
Grace isn't just a mindset. It's a lifeline. It protects your well-being, your creativity, your purpose.
So let grace meet you here. Not because you've earned it— But because you've always been worthy of it.
Need a little more encouragement as you find your rhythm again?
Here are a few resources to support you when grace feels hard to choose:
- This Weekly Reset blog post offers a simple rhythm to help you pause, reflect, breathe, and begin your week with intention.
- If content creation feels overwhelming right now, these prewritten blog posts can lift something off our plate while you rest and restore.
Let whatever you choose be guided by grace, not pressure. Rest well. Rise gently. Grace will meet you there.
