Stepping up without taking it all on

#WeeklyNRG – A Snapshot of All Things #NRG

This week’s theme? Stepping up without taking it all on.

Being someone who makes things happen is a strength. But last week left me asking a slightly uncomfortable question: when does stepping up become taking on too much?

The Weekly Debrief

Last week was a roller coaster. The high point was launching a new support programme for female founders in Wales. The launch went brilliantly, with great feedback and that lovely sense of being involved in something that can make a meaningful difference.

It was a reminder of why I love this work: helping people move their ideas forward and supporting them to build something important.

Elsewhere, the week was more challenging. A few appointments didn’t go ahead as planned, and some uncertainty around responsibilities meant I picked up additional work. Nothing individually enormous, but together those moments took more time and mental energy than I had anticipated.

I noticed an unfamiliar feeling: disappointment. Not something I particularly enjoy admitting, but worth paying attention to rather than simply working through it.

There were lighter

 moments. I managed an afternoon off on Tuesday and a massage, plus some time away from work after Thursday’s launch. Book club was unusually brief: the book had sent me to sleep, and nobody else had finished it either. A first for us — although perhaps not the glowing review the author was hoping for.

By Friday evening, I was tired. Not just “busy diary” tired, but mentally ready to put everything down. Saturday morning still involved some ILM coursework, so last week’s plan of focused mornings and free afternoons was, shall we say, only partially successful.

The Week Ahead

This week, I want to look at what that experiment has taught me, rather than dismiss it because the week didn’t go neatly to plan.

Where do I need clearer agreements? Which commitments genuinely need my involvement? And when something unexpected appears, what needs to move rather than simply being added?

I also want to protect space to enjoy being here in Cyprus with Kyle. Not as a reward once every task is finished — because that is a finish line with a habit of moving.

Lessons Learnt

I know I can step up, bring people together and get things over the line. Those are strengths I value. But I don’t want making things happen to become automatically making everything my responsibility.

Before stepping in, I want to pause and ask:

• Is the responsibility clear, or are we all making different assumptions?

• Does someone need support, or am I about to take over?

• Have I explained the impact on my own time and commitments?

• If I pick this up, what am I choosing to put down?

There will always be occasions when helping out is exactly the right thing to do. Equally, there are times when the better contribution is a clear conversation, an agreed owner and the space for someone else to deliver.

My disappointment is something to reflect on, not a reason to assume the worst about anyone — myself included. I can acknowledge a successful launch and still recognise that the way the week unfolded wasn’t entirely sustainable.

Here’s to celebrating what went well, being honest about what needs to change, and remembering that dependable doesn’t have to mean endlessly available. Just the right dose of #NRG.

How do you recognise the difference between stepping up and taking on too much?