When You Want to Thrive but You’re Already Full

A journaling invitation for the women doing it all (even when it’s invisible)

There’s a part of me that still dreams about what I want to build. (Arbonne business, Etsy Shop, Online Course, .. a novel!)

The ideas haven’t stopped. The pull to create something meaningful still shows up—quietly, but consistently. I have a vision for more. More growth. More purpose. More impact.

But lately, I’ve also had to admit something:
I’m already full.

Not in a bad way—just in a real way.
Full of noise and crumbs and little feet running around.
Full of deep love and exhaustion.
Full of requests, responsibilities, and the constant motion of motherhood.

Before motherhood, I was a builder.

I ran an Irish dance studio for a decade. It was a full-time creative business that gave me so much to pour into—teaching, choreography, costume design, classroom management, parent communication, marketing… and even fixing toilets. I was all in.

After my son was born, I knew it was time to pivot. The studio no longer lit me up, and I didn’t want to split my energy between a business I had outgrown and a baby who needed everything I had to give. So I let it go.

But the drive didn’t go anywhere. That spirit of entrepreneurship still lived in me.
I even got my real estate license when my son was just five months old and worked as a Realtor for two years—because I needed something that felt mine again.

So now, in this season of raising two young children, I’m holding both truths:
I want to thrive.
And I want to stay close.

This season is… a lot.

It’s beautiful, but it’s also relentless.
The work I do now doesn’t always produce something I can point to at the end of the day. There are no invoices, no stats, no reportable wins. But it’s real work. Emotional work. Invisible work. Heart work.

And it’s challenged so many old beliefs—especially the one that says I have to earn money to be valuable.

I’m slowly letting that go.
I’m practicing a new way of measuring worth—one that isn’t based on output, titles, or income, but on presence, alignment, and what feels good in my body and soul.

I’m learning that thriving doesn’t have to be loud.
It can be quiet and slow and built over years.
It can look like being here.

A journaling invitation:

Take this to your notebook, your phone notes, or a quiet 5 minutes with a warm drink.

✍️ Journal this:

Where in my life do I feel like I need to “prove” my worth through productivity or income?
What would shift if I believed I am enough—even in the pause, even in the mess, even in the moments no one sees? How would I feel? What would I do differently?

Let your answers be honest. No judgment. Just curiosity and compassion.

A gentle affirmation:

I carry both vision and presence.
I am allowed to build slowly.
I am allowed to be enough, even when there’s nothing to measure.
My work—seen and unseen—is valuable beyond words.

If this resonates with you, I’d love to hear about it. Leave a comment or share with a friend who’s also in the middle of motherhood and meaning.

We don’t need to rush.
We’re already becoming.