Our Hearts Lead the Work… and Sometimes Get in Our Way

We don’t usually become helpers because we love spreadsheets. 🤷🏻‍♂️

We become helpers because our hearts pull us toward people, toward healing, toward creating something better than what we had. As practice owners, we see the vision for what the world could look like, and we build the teams that we know that world most needs.

Our hearts are what got us here, and they’re what keep us here when things get messy.

They’re also the reason so many of us are holding on so tightly, trying to keep everything together.

Because sometimes keeping a tight grasp on things feels like loving it well.

“I’m the one who knows how to do that task best, so I’ll just do it!” (when you’re already overworked and it’s technically in someone else’s job description)

“Well, I’m the owner so all the decisions should be run through me.” (while you’re also trying to give your leadership team wings or step back from your too-many responsibilities)

“Delegating takes too much time to explain and train — I can do it myself” (while you pay yourself pennies and never get to see your friends & family)

I get it! Your business is your baby! It’s hard to loosen the reins or imagine someone else doing things differently (or worse) than you.

Your heart can be both your greatest asset and the thing that quietly burns you out.

Image via unsplash.

When you care deeply, it’s easy to slip into doing more than is sustainable. You answer emails at midnight. You say yes to things you don’t have time for. You carry the emotional load of your team and the operational load of your business.

Caring becomes control.
Control becomes clenching.
And clenching keeps you from breathing, resting, or leading with clarity.

The irony is: our work needs our hearts, but it needs them intact. Not wrung out.

So how do you loosen your grip without losing your heart?

Letting go doesn’t mean you care less. It means you care enough to build something that lasts.

It might look like letting someone else handle a piece of the work, even if they’ll do it differently than you. Building systems that support your values so you can stop reinventing the wheel every week. Giving yourself permission to be unavailable sometimes, because leaders need rest, too.

None of this makes you less committed. It makes you more sustainable.

You don’t have to hold it all alone. In fact, you’re not meant to.

Our hearts got us here, but they don’t have to carry everything by themselves.
We can still lead with heart while sharing the weight of running a business.

Ready to stop being the one holding all the pieces together?

I can be your extra set of hands (and brain) as a fractional COO, so you can finally exhale.

Book a free chat or email me and let’s see what breathing room could look like for you.

Hey! I’m Charlie — Your Practice Partner.
I help human-centered group practices thrive. More about me.