Carry What
You Need

What saves us is the next step.

A quiet reminder for when you feel stuck or overwhelmed. 

21 July 2025

Lately, I’ve felt the weight of the world like a low hum in the background of everything I do.

Sometimes it’s loud—the headlines, the noise, the grief, the relentless momentum of things falling apart in the world.

Sometimes it’s quieter—a kind of emotional fog, stemming from leaving an old dream behind and closing a personal chapter I had envisioned and hoped would unfold differently.

It’s weirder still when you’re trying to build something.
A business.
Not just a business—a thing with your actual heart in it.

Quicksand. That’s the image that comes up. Shoes full of lead.

You try to begin.
You want to move.

But—
You sit.
Open the document.
The cursor blinks.

(Like it has been for this blog, to be honest—one I’ve been meaning to start since March, but haven’t.)

Writing and storytelling are my schtick.
No shortage of ideas I could write about—and yet, my own voice felt miles away.
Faint as a radio station running out of range.

No one tells you this in the startup manuals, do they?

They talk about hustle and vision boards—but not about how:

Sometimes the hardest thing isn’t starting.
It’s starting again.
Getting out from under. Getting unstuck.

It happens to all of us.

I don’t have a secret formula. I wish I did.
But what I do have is this one line I keep returning to.
A kind of lifeline, honestly:

“What saves a man is to take a step. Then another step.”
— Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, Wind, Sand and Stars

(Of course, the quote applies to men, women, and everyone in between.)

That line? I’ve sent it in texts.
Scribbled it on Post-its.
Pinned it on my bathroom mirror.

A reminder that it’s okay to struggle.
It’s okay not to have all the answers.
It’s okay to feel stuck.

Because sometimes, when it’s dark or heavy or just unclear, that’s all you can do:

One step.
Then another.
Then maybe another.

“When you start to walk on the way, the way appears.” — Rumi

But sometimes, even one step feels impossible.

When that happens, I ask myself:

Do I actually need to move right now, or would I be better off pressing pause—even just for two breaths?

Because yes—movement brings clarity.
But so does stopping, if it’s intentional.
(Not the “I’ll just scroll for five minutes” kind. We all know how that ends.)

A few weeks ago, I listened to a powerful conversation between Ryan Holiday and legendary coach George Raveling on The Daily Stoic podcast. They spoke about clarity, decision-making, and how to move forward when life feels overwhelming. Coach Raveling shared a simple but profound habit that stayed with me: “I write on a Post-it the three most important things I need to do tomorrow. That’s it. And then I do them.” Not ten, not twenty—just three. It’s a practice of focused action, not noise.

It sounds so small.
Almost too small.

But sometimes, the smallest things cut through the thickest fog.
Like a single match in a dark room.

You don’t need to see the whole path.
You just need to light up the next six inches.

In Discipline Is Destiny, Ryan Holiday puts it plainly:

Action is a form of courage.

And clarity? It rarely shows up first.
You earn it by engaging with the moment—not waiting for the perfect one.

While I personally suck at meditation, I was introduced to the Happier app by a dear friend—and it’s been a game-changer. The short, guided sessions are exactly my speed, and I devoured Dan Harris’s Meditation for Fidgety Skeptics in one sitting. (If that title speaks to you—you’re my people.)

One teacher I keep coming back to is Joseph Goldstein.
If you use the app too, you probably know his calm, grounded voice.
His meditations feel like a quiet hand on your shoulder—especially when your mind starts sprinting in five directions at once.

He has this line I carry with me everywhere:

“You haven’t failed when your focus drifts. You simply notice… and return.”
Begin again.

Not with shame.
Not with judgment.
But with gentleness. With breath. With grace.

And honestly? I’ve come to believe this isn’t just meditation advice.

It’s life advice.
It’s business advice.
It’s healing advice.

For a long time, I thought losing focus meant I was doing something wrong.
Proof I lacked discipline or clarity or commitment.

But now I know better.

The real practice isn’t about staying perfectly focused.
It’s about returning.

Over and over again.

Begin again when your mind drifts.
Begin again when a dream stalls.
Begin again when your plans fall apart, or your confidence tanks.
Begin again when the world feels like too much.

Because no matter how many times you lose your footing, you’re always allowed to come back:

To yourself.
To your breath.
To your work.
To the next small, honest step.

And that, I think, is what saves us—more than discipline, more than strategy:
the quiet courage to begin again. To step back into the arena.
Tired, sweaty, marred—but unbroken.
As often as it takes.

What I’m Learning (Again and Again)

Especially on the days I feel like I’m failing before I’ve even begun
(and yes, those days still show up regularly—even though I know I’m on the right track):

• You’re allowed to pause. Rest isn’t quitting.
• But be careful—don’t turn stillness into hiding.
• Don’t dress up being stuck and call it discipline.
• And when your mind starts spinning or shutting down or talking you out of things—that’s not the end.
  That’s your cue.

Try This

If you’re stuck—creatively, emotionally, existentially—I see you. Truly.

Try this:

1. Take a Post-it.
2. Write down one thing that feels real and possible:
   • • Write the first sentence.
     • Email that person back.
     • Take a walk.
     • Ask for help.
3. Do it—with presence, not pressure.
4. And when you’re done? Celebrate it. Even a little.
   Write it in your journal. Check it off your to-do list.

Because That’s What Saves Us

The step.
Then another.

That’s what makes a path.

What you’re building—this business, this life, this version of you that feels more like you than anything before—

If this resonates, and you’ve also been feeling stuck, scattered, or just a bit off-center lately — I recorded a podcast episode that might help.

It’s called Mens Sana — Latin for “a healthy mind.”

In it, I share some of the very real struggles entrepreneurs face when trying to focus, find direction, or simply start — and how mental clarity isn’t something we stumble into, but something we can slowly rebuild.

You can listen to it here — and maybe, like this post, it’ll offer you your own next step.

It won’t come from waiting until you’re certain.

It will come from moving.
From showing up. Making mistakes. Falling down. Getting back up.
From beginning again, and again, and again.

So go ahead.
Take the step.
You already carry what you need.

With heart and gratitude,

Susan