The one thing I ask myself every day

This has been a nose-to-the-grindstone kind of week.

Actually, scratch that. It's been a nose-to-the-grindstone kind of month.

Early mornings. Late nights. Weekend work sessions. So much coffee. And a to-do list that seems to regenerate faster than I can cross things off.

Between launching our brand-new Daily Sales Incubator program for my Ruth Soukup Business brand (doors open on Monday!), keeping up with all the incredible energy happening inside the Finish Strong Project, and getting ready for our live five-day Ignite Your Best Year Yet event (which is coming up fast and is going to be SO. FREAKING. GOOD. that I can hardly stand it), there is just A LOT happening right now.

I haven’t even started diving into my plans for Thinlicious, but that’s in the back of my mind too.

And yet... I feel weirdly calm about it all.

Don't get me wrong—I definitely feel the pressure. Like a lot of other online business owners that I surveyed recently, this year hasn't been the easiest for my business. The online marketplace has changed a lot in the past year. And I have a whole team of people depending on me to get it right.

So yeah. I feel the weight of it every single day.

But what I realized today, as I was thinking about what to say in this week’s newsletter, is that I don’t feel anxious. Because even though there's a mountain of work in front of me, I also feel clear. I feel focused.

And honestly? I feel more fired up about my business than I have in a long time.

It's kind of crazy, actually.

For a long time, my goal was always to systematize as much as possible in my business—to automate, delegate, and pull myself out of the day-to-day as much as possible. Which makes sense, right? That's what you're supposed to do as a leader.

But somewhere in that process, I think I took out too much of the human element. Too much of me.

And now I'm putting that back in.

I'm showing up live more. I'm connecting with people more in real time. I'm answering questions and responding to text messages and having actual conversations with the women in my programs. And it feels so good. It reminds me why I started this whole thing 15 years ago in the first place.

The truth is, nothing I'm doing right now feels small. Everything we're building has a purpose. And even though the finish line is still a ways off—even though we're still in the messy middle of building it all out—I can already feel in my gut that it's going to be worth it. I can already see the shift that happens when you get intentional about connecting with people on a personal level.

So what's helping me stay grounded when everything feels like a lot?

It's actually something I’m teaching inside the Finish Strong Project—a little tool I created for myself years ago called the Daily Do It. I still use it every single day.

It's simple. Every morning I ask myself one question:

What's the ONE thing I need to do today to make it count?

That's it.

Just one thing.

Not the whole list. Not everything. Just the one thing that matters most.

And you know what? I rarely get everything on my to-do list done. (In fact, I almost never get everything done.) But I almost always get that one thing done.

And that's how progress happens.

Robert Collier once said, "success is the sum of small efforts, repeated day in and day out." Along those same lines, Martin Luther King Jr. wisely noted that “You don’t have to see the whole staircase. Just take the first step.”

In other words? Big goals never happen all at once. They are only the result of small steps taken consistently over time.

So no, I'm not all that “balanced” right now. To be honest, I'm not crushing my health goals the way I wanted to in October. And I haven't even thought about planning for the holidays yet, even though I really wanted to do that too.

But I am showing up for the people and priorities that matter most—my business, my team, my family, my customers. And right now, that's enough. That's everything.

I know this crazy season won't last forever. But the systems I'm building, the habits I'm reinforcing, the consistency I'm practicing? That will. And that's what finishing strong really looks like.

So here’s my challenge for you this week: Practice starting your day with intention (especially if you’re in the middle of a busy season like I am!) Ask that one simple question–what's the ONE thing that would make today a win?

Write it down. Do that one thing. Then let everything else be a bonus.

Because progress isn't about doing it all. It's about doing what matters most.

Live with purpose, friend, and have an amazing week!

xoxo, Ruth

P.S. If you want access to the 2026 State of Online Business Report I put together with the survey results, you can grab that HERE.

P.P.S. Be sure to grab your Early Bird Ticket to Ignite Your Best Year Yet if you haven’t done that yet. It’s hard to put into words how impactful it will be, but I PROMISE you want to be there! (It’s all happening online, December 1st through 5th!)

This week’s podcast episodes…

What’s cooking in my kitchen…

The latest from my Instagram…

Instagram is my jam! If you’re there too, I’d love to connect with you—find me at @RuthSoukup or @ruthsoukupbiz for online business tips!

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