I'll be honest—I had a little panic moment this week.

It happened during our weekly team meeting, of all things. 

My team and I were going through my Instagram process—a task I've been handling almost entirely by myself for the past 18 months—and I was walking everyone through the method I've created, step by step.

And then someone on the team said, "You know, Ruth, we could probably take almost all of these steps off your plate. All you really need to do is come up with the ideas and make the videos, but we could do everything else".

My immediate reaction?

Panic.

Like, full-on "wait, no—this is MY THING" vibes.

Because let's be real. I've tried to hand this stuff off before. And every time, it's ended up being a mess—or done in a way that made me want to crawl into a hole and redo it myself anyway.

After all, my Instagram is personal. It’s me. My name. My personality. My story. How can I keep it authentic if I’m not doing it all?

So of course, my brain went straight to all the reasons why it wouldn't work. Why I had to keep doing it. Why I couldn't possibly let this go.

But then... I paused.

And I looked at the actual process I had mapped out. I thought about the custom GPTs I've built, the detailed systems I've created, the ways I've simplified every step.

And suddenly, it hit me.

They're right. I really don't need to be doing every step all by myself anymore. Most of the steps take time, but have nothing to do with the actual content I’m sharing. And they don’t actually require me to do them.

And in that moment, the panic faded. And what came next was something I didn't expect:

Relief.

Like, deep-in-my-bones, massive-exhale relief.

Because the truth is, keeping up on Instagram can be a lot, hours that could be spent doing more valuable tasks in my business—big picture strategy, creating new products, writing a new book.

I haven’t had enough time for any of it, because I’ve been so deep in the weeds.

Because frankly, I’ve been carrying a lot lately. Between my recent health crisis (which has been rough, if you've been following along), our house stress, and the general chaos of running two businesses... it's been heavy. 

And I didn't even realize how much this one silly thing was weighing on me until I finally saw a way to put it down.

I think we all do this, don't we? 

We hold onto certain tasks or responsibilities with a death grip, convinced that if we let go, everything will fall apart. Maybe it's because we've been burned before when we tried to delegate. Or maybe it's because we've convinced ourselves that no one else can do it "right." Or maybe—and this is the tough one to admit—we're afraid of becoming unnecessary.

It’s easy to talk a big game about delegation. But when it's your thing—your voice, your content, your baby—it's hard to let it go.

It's like trying to hand your actual child over to a babysitter for the first time. Will they know what to do? Will they follow your system? Will your baby even be okay without you?

(The answer, by the way, is almost always yes. But that doesn't make it any easier.)

And maybe that's why I felt like the universe was sending me a message this weekend. Chuck and I were trying to figure out what movie to watch on Saturday night, and in a moment of indecision, we actually asked ChatGPT to recommend something we'd never seen based on other movies we like.

The suggestion? Facing the Giants. A movie I had never heard of. About football, of all things.

And even though neither of us is really into sports movies, we decided to watch it anyway. If you've seen it, you know it's a little low budget—but the message? So real. There's this moment where the coach, who’s seeing everything in his life fall apart, feels completely defeated and angry at God, but then decides to praise Him anyway. He surrenders—not just the outcome of the games, but his fear, his frustration, and his need to control every detail. And that is what sparks the change. It's not flashy. It's faith.

There was a lot I could relate to.

Because honestly, that's what this week felt like to me.

It wasn't a revival in a locker room. But it was a quiet, personal shift—a choice to stop white-knuckling everything and trust that the people I've put in place... can actually carry the ball.

Maybe that's what faith looks like in real life. Not just in big moments of divine intervention, but in the mundane Wednesday morning decision to let someone else take over your Instagram strategy.

Maybe that's where the rubber meets the road.

David Allen once said, "You can do anything, but you can't do everything." Along those same lines, Martin Luther King Jr. noted that "Faith is taking the first step even when you don't see the whole staircase."

In other words? Trust doesn't just show up in the big, dramatic moments—it shows up in the tiny daily ones, too. 

Like releasing control of something you've been gripping tightly. Like believing it won't all fall apart without you. Like making space for other people to step up... and for you to breathe again.

Because here's what I know: the things that matter most—your vision, your gifts, your purpose—they need your focus. And it's almost impossible to focus when you're buried in things someone else could be doing.

So this week, I finally let something go. And it didn't fall apart. In fact, it freed me up to do deeper, more strategic work. I got to write. Think. Create. Dream. Lead.

That's not to say it's been perfect. There's been a learning curve. A few hiccups. Some "hey, maybe we should try it this way instead" conversations.

But I realized something important: Perfect delegation isn't about having someone do it exactly the way you would. It's about having someone do it well enough that you can focus on the things only YOU can do.

And sometimes, they'll even do it better than you would have.

(I know, shocking, right?)

And so, my challenge for you this week is to ask yourself:

What are you still gripping a little too tightly? What's one thing—just one—you could release this week? Who are you not trusting that maybe deserves a chance?

Because friend, maybe it's not about doing more. Maybe it's about trusting more. Maybe it's about finally letting go.

Pick one thing to delegate, release, or take off your plate—even if it's scary. And then watch what happens next.

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

xoxo, Ruth

P.S. Has there ever been a time you finally let go of something you were holding onto too tightly—only to realize it didn't fall apart after all? I'd love to hear your story. Just hit reply to this email and let me know!

This week’s podcast episode…

What’s cooking in my kitchen…

Here’s the recipes I shared last week:

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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