Quiet Wins + Big Lessons | Good Things Ahead
When No One Sees
This morning, I finished an eight-week workout program (technically it took me nine—because, well, life).
Although we have weights at home—and my husband does the exact same workout there—I like to bike up to the Planet Fitness at the front of our neighborhood. My ideal morning is early: ride up in the dark, grab my little corner nook in the back, and see the familiar 5 a.m. crew. We nod, smile, and silently cheer each other on.
Today, when I finished the final workout and collapsed on my mat—equal parts exhausted and proud—I realized: no one around me knew. In fact, no one in my life would know I did this hard thing unless I told them.
As I lay there, I started thinking about our work in the nonprofit world—how often we do something hard and meaningful, but move right on without others knowing.
But we can choose to dance like no one’s watching instead of just letting it pass by. There’s a quiet kind of freedom in showing up, doing the work, and celebrating simply because it matters to you—even if no one else sees it.
You’re doing good work, friend—even the kind no one sees. Don’t forget to notice it. And when you can, celebrate it—dance a little if you need to.
The “Never-Ending Next Thing"
A mentor/friend/boss once told me, “I have no idea how you do what you do. You work so hard to secure a gift, and then everyone looks at you and says, ‘What’s next?’ There’s never an end.”
I laughed and said, “It’s job security.”
But he was right. In this sector, there’s always another campaign, another meeting, another “next.”
And lately, so many leaders I talk with are carrying both impact and exhaustion in the same hands.
At Philanthrope Reimagined, we call it a capacity crisis:
Human capacity: leaders running on empty.
Operational capacity: systems stretched thin.
Relational capacity: limited time to nurture the relationships that matter most.
Financial capacity: funding that flows in bursts instead of rhythm.
Nonprofit work is beautiful—but it’s heavy. And sometimes, we forget to breathe.
🕊️ How are you seeing this show up in your world right now?
Joy Mapping
Years ago, when I was a frontline fundraiser, I started something I called Joy Mapping.
For a few weeks, I tracked every meeting, every donor conversation, even hallway run-ins. At the end of each day, I noted what gave me joy—not just “fun,” but that “this was hard work, but good” kind of joy.
After a few weeks, patterns emerged, my top top three joys included:
1️⃣ Relationship Building
2️⃣ Strategic Thinking
3️⃣ Problem Solving
From that point forward, whenever I feel overwhelmed, I reorder my calendar and intentionally do one of those things first. Even one joy-centered hour can change the tone of the day. (Which is one reason I started the Good Things Ahead Newsletter! Spending time encouraging and enabling nonprofit and ministry leaders like yourself is an incredible joy for me!)
We can’t delete the hard parts of our jobs—but we can decide when to make space for what refuels us.
Want to try joy mapping? Download the Joy Mapping Calendar Template!
Good Things Tip: Start your week with one joy-centered task before noon—something that fuels your heart for the work. Write a thank you card to a donor, call and check in with a long time supporter, send a note of encouragement to a colleague or even an executive leader. Small shifts create sustainable rhythms.
Celebrate the Quiet Wins
Maybe today you finish something no one else sees—a grant report, a tricky board meeting, a tough conversation handled with grace.
Pause. Celebrate it. Lay on your metaphorical mat and whisper, “I did it.”
Because in the rhythm of doing good things, celebration is sacred
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