What If Growth Could Feel Gentle—and Still Work?

Jun 5

Honoring Your Present Capacity While Growing Into Your Future Self.
Sustainable change starts when you stop trying to “do it all” and start creating momentum with what’s actually doable in your life right now.

Lately, I’ve been living this lesson in real time.

After surgery, I expected to bounce back into my normal eating routine pretty quickly—regular meals, fiber to help digestion, hitting my protein goals, and even adding about 20 extra grams a day to support healing (because your body will take all the protein it can get when you’re recovering).

But it’s been way harder than I thought.

My appetite has been nearly nonexistent. And the “ick” factor? Real. Even foods that are usually safe and comforting—like crackers—have made me cringe. I had this idea in my head that I’d be able to eat like normal, and it’s just not happening.

So I’ve had to adjust.

Right now, honoring my capacity means leaning into any foods I can stomach. It means deciding on 3 high-protein foods I will commit to each day, knowing full well I’m not always going to want them—and doing it anyway. And then letting that be enough. No spiraling. No shame.

When my appetite randomly returns, I jump on the opportunity to nourish and get more protein in. It’s not perfect, but it’s supportive. It’s steady. It’s real.

This is the practice: honoring my current capacity, and still taking aligned action to care for myself.

The Both/And of Growth

You can honor your current capacity and lean into change.
You can acknowledge your real-life schedule, responsibilities, energy, and skills and take steps toward becoming the version of you you want to grow into.

This mindset shift is everything—especially if you’ve ever found yourself stuck in all-or-nothing thinking.

What Does Honoring Your Capacity Really Mean?

It means recognizing the truth of your current season without guilt or shame.

Maybe your mornings are packed with getting kids out the door.
Maybe your evenings are filled with work, family, or caregiving.
Maybe your energy is lower because of stress, hormones, or simply a full plate.

Honoring your capacity says, "This is what I have to work with right now—and that’s okay."

It’s not an excuse. It’s a foundation.

Because growth that ignores your reality won’t be sustainable.

So How Do You Grow While Honoring Where You Are?

Here’s where the magic happens.

Growth doesn’t have to mean overhauling your entire life or pushing through burnout. Instead, it can look like:

Swapping your afternoon snack for a high-protein option
Parking farther away to get in a few extra steps
Setting a bedtime reminder to wind down 30 minutes earlier
Trying one new recipe a week to build kitchen confidence
Practicing self-talk that sounds more like, "What’s one doable thing today?" instead of "Why can't I get it together?"

These micro-shifts add up. They build momentum.

A Real-Life Story: How One Client Expanded Her Capacity Over Time

For a while, one of my clients was learning the skill of getting enough protein consistently (and yes—this is a skill you can learn and get really good at!).

In the beginning, she felt like the only way she could hit her protein target was by relying on a lot of processed protein products—snacks, bars, cookies, you name it. She’d message me saying, “I’m having a Quest snack every afternoon during school pick-up. I don’t know what else to have or how I’d reach my protein goal otherwise.”

At that point, she hadn’t fully built the skill of creating high-protein meals with real, whole foods. She was still figuring out what those options were, how much of them she needed, and what felt doable with her lifestyle. And in the meantime, those protein snacks were helping her get there.

She felt a little frustrated—knowing she didn’t want to rely on processed foods long-term, but also not knowing how else to make it happen yet.

And I reminded her: It’s okay. This is what’s working with your current capacity.
Her capacity would grow as her skills did.

Fast forward about six months: she’s now crushing her meals. She gets nearly all of her protein (150g daily) from whole-food based meals, includes a high-quality whey shake for an extra boost, and no longer needs protein bars and protein cookies to hit her goals. It's automatic for her now. She's confident, consistent, and it feels easy.

Her capacity didn’t magically change—she expanded it.
By being patient. By practicing.
By honoring her starting point and leaning into growth.

Your Capacity is Not Fixed

It changes. Weekly. Daily. Hourly.

And when you learn to work with it rather than fight against it, you create a relationship with yourself that’s based on trust and consistency—not pressure and perfection.

And here’s the truth: most women I work with are wildly capable. They’re just stuck in unrealistic standards that keep them from starting small and building from there.

A Question to Sit With

What’s one small thing you can try this week that honors where you are and supports where you want to go?

Start there.
And know that’s more than enough.

If this message resonated with you—if you’re in a season where you’re trying to honor your capacity and still move toward real, sustainable change—I’d love to support you.

This is exactly the kind of work I do with my clients: helping you build habits that fit your life right now, while also setting you up to grow into the version of you that feels strong, confident, and fully supported.

Whenever you’re ready, you can take the first step by filling out my coaching interest form. I’ll personally review it and be in touch so we can talk about what support could look like for you.


 Take the First Step Here

You don’t have to do it all at once. You just have to start where you are.

I’m here when you’re ready.
💛
Lucy

Lucy Haskins