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When You’re Not at 100%, But You Do It Anyway

There will be days you’re not at your best.

No motivation.
No spark.
No energy.

This week was one of those days.
The kind where everything feels heavy.
Where you’re doing things on autopilot and quietly asking yourself:
Does this even matter?

And yet, you keep going.

I said yes to becoming VPE again.
Vice President Education at LEAN Toastmasters Club.
My third leadership role since 2024.
I’ve done this before at Los Baños Toastmasters.
I know how heavy it can get.
So why say yes again?

Am I crazy?
Masochistic?
Wouldn’t it be easier to sit on the sidelines for once?

Maybe.

But I said yes anyway.

And honestly? I thought I wouldn’t win the election.
I was ready to support whoever did.
But lo and behold… I was entrusted again.
Humbled by the support.

And here’s the kicker — Spencer, the other candidate who also ran for VPE, graciously agreed to step up as Assistant to the VPE.
A lovely lady, a new member, and already serving with a heart.

So here we are.
Back to the grind.

🗓️ First meeting of the year.
First day of reaching out for roles.
No one signs up.
Next day, still blank.

So I did what leaders do.
I chose the theme: Abundance Mindset.
I chose the Toastmaster of the Day (TMOD): myself.
Started putting together the program while juggling a full work week.
Still no speakers.

Reached out again.
Tried friends, members, officers.
Then came Spencer.

At first, she said no.
But the next day?
She said yes —
“I can give a speech. That’s within my capacity.”

I was asking her to be TMOD, but I could tell she wasn’t ready for that yet.
So we shifted.
She speaks, I evaluate.

Then, out of nowhere, Xinli says he can be the General Evaluator.
Just like that… agenda complete.

I ended up taking 3 roles:
TMOD, Individual Evaluator, and Table Topics Evaluator.
Created the PowerPoint Friday night. Still didn’t have energy.
So I rested.
Woke up early Saturday.
Forced myself to focus.
Reminded myself: Just show up.

I arrived early to review the flow and fine-tune the slides.
I wasn’t fully ready.
But I was there.

And then… something amazing happened.

There is power in showing up.

Spencer printed the agenda.
She checked the flow with me.
I was not alone.
It didn’t feel heavy anymore — because the load was shared.

During the meeting, I gave what little energy I had.
And somehow, it was enough.

The smiles. The laughter.
The presence of others filled my cup again.
Like my energy was running on low,
but the people around me refilled the jar — bit by bit.

Afterwards, I didn’t even feel like joining lunch.
But I told myself:
Go. Be with people.
And you know what? That connection recharged me.

Some of us felt the same way.
We were all tired.
All unsure.
But we showed up anyway.
And we left not drained — but energized.

💡 That’s what leadership should feel like.

Not one person doing it all.
But a shared load.
A team that makes space for rest, for help, for human limits.

Nathan, our Club President, is shifting our culture.
No more heavy roles.
Every leader has at least one or two assistants — and a backup.
This is how sustainable leadership is built.

Together.

So if you’re leading something right now and wondering if you have enough —
enough energy, clarity, support, purpose —
I get it.

But maybe it’s not about having more.
Maybe it’s about letting others meet you halfway.

You don’t always need to be at 100%.
Sometimes 60% is enough… if the rest of the team brings their 40.

And that brings me to this.

This is what I call the 3C Loop.

🔸 Clarity — You remember what matters. Community. Growth. Shared work.
🔸 Consistency — You do the small things, again and again, even when it’s hard.
🔸 Confidence — It shows up not as noise, but as quiet courage. Built, not borrowed.

And the loop continues.
You lead better.
You grow deeper.
You show up stronger.

Even when you’re not at 100%.

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We don’t grow alone.

Even Doreen, our Immediate Past President, reached out the day before:
“Sheryl, all set for tomorrow? If you need help, pls let me know.”
That mattered.

When you know someone will do the hard work with you —
That changes everything.

That’s the power of community.
That’s the power of just showing up.
That’s how we grow — not alone, but together.

And it’s the same with marriage.
With parenting.
With purpose.
We’re not meant to carry it all alone.
We just need to be together.
We are social by design.
We grow better together.

Onward. Upward. Together.
Grateful to be part of this tribe. 💖

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❤️ You there?

Running low? No spark? Still showing up?
That’s strength.
This year — choose deeper.
Deeper friendships.
Deeper honesty.
Deeper growth.
Find your tribe.
Your environment will make or break you.
Surround yourself with people who make you lighter, not lonelier.
Your environment matters more than your motivation.
You don’t need hype.
You need people who see you.
People who’ll build with you — not just watch.
🟡 Keep going.
With grit, with grace, with God.