This is how I got back up and in the game.

I had a plan for this week’s newsletter. I blocked the time, outlined the theme, and even had a good quote lined up. But then – life.

“Man plans, and God laughs,” as they say.

My plans were dashed. My energy drained. Creativity evaporated.

Some weeks, the outside world refuses to line up with the inner plans, completely ignoring my carefully time-blocked schedule.

Work tasks stretched longer than I’d hoped. Conversations went sideways. The signal got muddy.

And yet, here I am, writing to you anyway. Not because everything’s aligned, but because the practice matters. I committed to publish each and every week, to offer value. So I show up.

This is something I’m learning: a life that’s fully aligned isn’t a constant state. It’s something we return to when we get off track. And that return requires grace. It requires letting go of the perfect version of what we meant to create, and instead honouring what’s true in the moment.

So instead of forcing the original piece I had planned, I’ll leave you with a question I’m sitting with:

“What helps you come back to yourself when the rhythm breaks?”

I’d love to hear what you’ve found.

One resource that helps me: a simple tool I call a TAP — a Trigger Action Plan. It’s a way of designing a personal emotional safety net: a set of pre-planned actions to help you re-centre yourself when things feel off. When life throws me a curveball, I don’t have to figure it out in the moment; I just follow the plan.

You can read more about it here: Navigating Emotional Storms: How to Design an Emotional Safety Net. I know the TAP approach works for me. I shared it with someone just last week when they were feeling anxious, and it resonated with them. Maybe it will help you too.

And a small prompt if you want to take this further: Take ten quiet minutes this week and write down the conditions that help you return to centre. What patterns, spaces, or practices help you re-sync?

We don’t have to move perfectly. We just have to return.

Thanks for walking this imperfect path with me.

Quotation I’ve Been Pondering

“Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.” — Winston Churchill

Journal Prompt

“Where in your life right now are you being invited to let go of perfection?”

Until next week!!

Work and live well.

Tim

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