Presence Over Perfection

𝐅𝐨𝐫 𝐲𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐬, 𝐈 𝐦𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐮𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐦𝐲 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐡 𝐛𝐲 𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐦𝐮𝐜𝐡 𝐈 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐣𝐮𝐠𝐠𝐥𝐞 - 𝐚𝐭 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤, 𝐚𝐭 𝐡𝐨𝐦𝐞, 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞.

I used to believe that if I wasn’t everywhere, for everyone, all the time - I was somehow failing.

At work, I chased “available” like it was a virtue.
At home, I measured myself against highlight reels and half-truths.
I held myself to standards no one else had even set.

When my son was little, I poured that pressure into motherhood, too.
The perfect birthday parties.
The hand-crafted valentines.
The constant need to be 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑡 mom...the one who never missed a moment, never let her kid down, never dropped a single ball.

Looking back, I wasn’t chasing excellence.
I was chasing 𝑒𝑛𝑜𝑢𝑔ℎ𝑛𝑒𝑠𝑠.

And then I learned: it’s not perfection that creates impact.
It’s 𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞.

Presence in the meeting where a hard truth needs to be named.
Presence on the sidelines, even when the inbox is overflowing.
Presence in the quiet moment when someone just needs to be seen.
Presence on the field trip with 100 sweaty sixth graders... or piggybacking under ballpark lights at the end of a long day.

Leadership isn’t about doing it all.
It’s about choosing what matters - moment by moment.
It’s about letting go of balance and learning to live with integration.
About choosing with intention - not pressure or perfection.

To stop 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘨 leadership and start 𝑝𝑟𝑎𝑐𝑡𝑖𝑐𝑖𝑛𝑔 it.
To be fully where your feet are - at the table, on the field, or on the floor with LEGOs.
To redefine good as honest, whole, and human.

So if you're navigating the tension between roles, expectations, and your own inner compass...
You're not alone.
𝐘𝐨𝐮'𝐫𝐞 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐟𝐚𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠.
You're not behind.
You're leading.

𝐏𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐟𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧. 𝐀𝐥𝐰𝐚𝐲𝐬.