Have you felt under the gun lately?
Like you are taking hits from all directions? Like the smoke is thick, the noise is loud, and you are trying to keep moving even though you are not sure you are still pointed where you want to go?
I know that feeling.
A few years ago, I had one of those years full of lovely highs and tush-kicking lows. If I judged that year only by what went wrong, I would still be in a permanent state of whine-one-one.
There was good in that year. A lot of good.
But there was also stress, pressure, and too much hurtling through the days without stopping to check my emotional health.
I kept telling myself I was fine.
And I was.
Fine, while heading toward a cliff.
That is not the kind of fine anyone should ignore.
When Gratitude Is Good, But Not Enough
I believe in counting blessings.
Gratitude can shift perspective. It can help us step back from the storm and remember that hard things are not the whole story.
But gratitude is not always a one-size-fits-all solution.
You can be grateful and tired.
Grateful and overwhelmed.
Grateful and stretched too thin.
Grateful and still in need of rest, quiet, help, or a serious change in direction.
That was the lesson I had to learn.
I had been so focused on pushing through that I forgot to stop and ask myself how I was actually doing.
Stopping Is Not Quitting
The first wise thing I did was stop.
Not forever.
Not dramatically.
No sweeping music played. No one handed me a blanket and a mug of tea, though I would not have objected.
I simply stopped long enough to ask three important questions.
Where am I?
Where am I heading?
Is this where I want to go?
Those questions sound simple, but they can change everything.
They force you to look past the noise and see the direction of your life, your work, and your choices.
Reassessing Priorities
At the start of that year, I had set some high goals for myself.
I still believe in aiming high.
But high is high.
Goals need to be checked against real life, real energy, real responsibilities, and real limits.
It is easy to let other people set our priorities. It is easy to let someone else’s urgency become our emergency. It is easy to chase the wrong thing because it looks shiny, popular, or expected.
Sometimes an urgent thing really is urgent.
If the Hubs is having chest pains, that is a priority. No debate. No spreadsheet. No inspirational quote. Move.
But many things that feel urgent are not.
They are noise.
They are comparison.
They are pressure.
They are the little voices that say you should do more, publish faster, market better, post everywhere, learn everything, and somehow still have a clean kitchen and matching socks.
The Creative Business Balancing Act
One of the joys of running my own publishing business is that it is my business.
That means I get to set the priorities and pace.
It also means I have to make wise choices about what I can actually do.
Readers, I love you. You make my writing life possible. But I probably cannot write and publish books as fast as everyone might like.
That way lies the cliff.
Taking care of business also means taking care of the person who creates the business.
Real World Pauline and Author Pauline are both important. They share the same calendar, the same brain, and the same limited supply of chocolate.
And then there are all the fictional characters wandering around inside my head, waiting for their turn.
No wonder balance can feel tricky.
Some days it feels less like balance and more like tap dancing on a tightrope.
Did I mention I do not like heights?
The Value of Silence and Thinking
Looking back, I can see the pattern.
I needed time to reflect.
I needed time to think.
I needed time to plan.
I needed time to refill the inner well so I could be there for the people who needed me, and so I could be more than “fine.”
Somewhere in all the sound and fury, I forgot to value silence.
I forgot that thinking counts as work.
I forgot that rest is not quitting.
I forgot that each day gives us another chance to choose what comes next.
The past shapes us, but our choices going forward still matter.
Everyday Courage Counts
I keep this Robert Louis Stevenson quote where I can see it:
“Everyday courage has few witnesses. But yours is no less noble because no drum beats for you and no crowds shout your name.”
That line stays with me.
Because most courage is quiet.
Most courage happens without applause.
No one sees the moment you decide to pause instead of push.
No one sees the moment you admit you are tired.
No one sees the moment you choose a smaller, wiser step instead of the dramatic leap you planned months ago.
But those moments matter.
So here we are, with May almost behind us and summer tapping at the door.
How has 2026 been treating you so far?
Are you going the distance, or do you need a pause, a rethink, or a little more quiet?
Do you have hopes for the rest of the year?
Grand hopes are lovely.
Modest hopes count, too.
Some days, modest hopes are the bravest ones.