Have you ever had one of those seasons where you can see exactly where you want to be, but somehow you’re still standing knee-deep in everything that came before it?

That’s exactly where I am in my life right now.

There are too many things on my plate. Too many decisions. Too many little responsibilities that individually aren’t that big, but when you stack them all together, suddenly it feels like you’re carrying about 5000 lbs of bricks on your back.

The most frustrating part is, I know what I want next. I can picture it. I can see the next chapter.

The main problem is, life hasn’t decided to catch up yet.

There’s still work to do. Loose ends to tie up. Decisions that can’t be rushed. Things that need to happen in a certain order whether I like it or not.

And honestly this in-between space is absolutely exhausting. Especially mentally.

I mean once your heart has moved forward, it’s hard to keep showing up fully in a season you already feel yourself outgrowing. So what do you do when you feel completely over your head?

I’m learning that sometimes the answer so simple. Sometimes you have to stop trying to carry everything equally. You decide what actually matters the most right now.

You handle the truly urgent things and you let some things wait.

You learn to give yourself permission to change your mind about commitments that no longer fit just right. And maybe you stop treating every unfinished task like proof that you’re failing.

Overwhelm has a funny way of making everything feel extremely urgent. Every email. Every meeting. Every decision. Every thing you feel you “should” be getting done.

But not everything deserves the same amount of energy.

Sometimes the most productive thing you can do is simplify.

Sometimes progress looks like saying no. Sometimes it looks like closing a few doors so you actually walk through the things that matter most.

And sometimes you just have to accept that the next chapter isn’t late.

You’re simply in the part where the pages are still turning. Albeit very slowly, but they are turning.

I don’t have everything figured out yet. Far from it in fact. Apparently, I’m still smack dab in the middle of it.

But I do know this: I’m ready for what’s next. ( so ready)

And until life catches up, I’m going to keep taking the next step — even if that step is simply taking some stuff off my plate.

Maybe you’re here too.

If you’re feeling overwhelmed, stretched thin, or ready for a change you can’t quite make yet, maybe today is a good day to ask yourself:

What can I stop carrying?

Because sometimes the next chapter doesn’t begin with adding something new.

Sometimes it begins with finally putting something down.