Progress Over Perfection: What Our Latest Call Reminded Me About Growth

Last week, I sat in circle with a group of incredible farming families navigating their financial journey. As each person checked in — sharing their wins, frustrations, and roadblocks — one thing became crystal clear:

We’re all in this together.

It didn’t matter whether they were brand new to their financial program or a few modules deep — the same themes kept showing up:

➤ “We’re behind.”

➤ “We just can’t find the time.”

➤ “We want to do the work, but the farm always takes priority.”

Sound familiar?

The Myth of the "Perfect Time"

One of the biggest mindset shifts we explored was this:

There’s no perfect time. There’s only now.

In a world where rain matters, seasons dictate movement, and family comes first — waiting for the stars to align isn’t realistic. And more importantly, it’s not necessary.

Progress doesn’t come from long stretches of free time.

It comes from carving out a small, consistent window to sit down, learn, reflect, and plan — even if it's just 40 minutes on a Friday night.

💡One of our farmers shared a brilliant trick:

They book in their learning time as a “physio appointment” — because no one questions that.

It’s a permission slip to prioritise yourself and your business without guilt.

When You're Feeling Behind...

Several members rated themselves a “2 out of 10” for how they felt about their progress. And I could feel the weight of that — the heaviness of being behind, the fear of not keeping up.

But here’s what I reminded them (and myself):

You’re not behind. You’re exactly where you’re meant to be.

The only thing you need to do now is decide where to go next.

Sometimes, we just need to start again gently. Do one thing today that helps your future self breathe a little easier.

Cashflow Clarity Isn't Built Overnight

Budgeting also came up a lot.

“Our budget never matches reality.”

“Our actuals are way off.”

This is normal.

Your budget is a living, breathing document — not a static set of perfect predictions.

One of the most powerful tools we discussed was running two versions of your budget:

• Master Budget - to compare with actuals and learn from

• Flowing Budget - that evolves with real-time decisions

It’s not about perfection. It’s about refinement. Clarity grows through repetition, review, and asking better questions month after month.

Resistance = Growth in Disguise

One of the most powerful moments came from a member who admitted:

"I've been avoiding doing the work because I didn’t want to face my own reflections."

They knew the program would highlight uncomfortable truths. And that avoidance? It was easier… but also kept them stuck.

That hit home for a lot of us.

So many of us avoid the very thing that would move us forward — not because we’re lazy, but because we’re scared.

• Scared of what we’ll find.

• Scared it won’t work.

• Scared we’ll fail.

But here’s the truth:

You don’t have to feel ready to take the first step. You just have to take it.

Start small.

Start messy.

Start tired on a Sunday afternoon if you have to.

But just start.

Your Future Self Will Thank You

You don’t need a flawless plan. You need a commitment to keep showing up.

Whether it’s choosing one video, setting a weekly “appointment” with yourself, or finally opening the budget you’ve been avoiding — you’re doing the work.

And even if it feels slow, or clunky, or chaotic…

It’s still progress.

You’ve got this. And you’re not doing it alone.

Hayley