What You Focus On, Finds You 👀
Clarity is magnetic. Your standards are the spell.
Hello, Covvn friends!
We’ve been thinking a lot about focus. Not the hustle kind, but the soul kind.
The kind that quietly shapes your life based on what you’re willing to see, receive, and reflect. This week’s pieces are a reminder that your energy is precious, your standards are powerful, and you don’t have to shrink to shine.
What we’re stirring up this week:
🔭 Focus Finds You (So Watch What You’re Staring At)
🪞 The Mirror Trick (Try this)
🧼 Clean Edges Only
🔭 Focus Finds You (So Watch What You’re Staring At)
A little while ago, I was feeling completely invisible.
I mean, I’d walk into a meeting and you could practically see people bristle. Like my expertise was something to be threatened by, not something we could all benefit from.
If you’ve ever worked in a legacy nonprofit, you know exactly what I mean. Some folks have been here so long that it’s the only place they’ve ever worked. Some have never managed anyone before. Some are brilliant, but they’ve been allowed to float along with no real accountability, picking up tasks they’re not good at because the place is chronically underfunded and understaffed. It’s classic.
When I came on as Marketing Director (the first one they’d had in decades, so yes, ancient workflows, no actual strategy, you get the picture), I saw so many places where I could help. That’s literally my job. It’s what I’ve spent 20+ years getting good at. So you’d think people would be thrilled to let go of things they didn’t have the capacity or skills for, right?
Lol. 😂
I’d make things better, like way better. Open rates up, engagement up, work off someone’s overflowing plate, and they’d resent it. They wanted to go back to the “old way.” Even if the old way wasn’t working. I started feeling so dejected, like maybe I’m not as good at this as I think I am. The environment was working overtime to convince me to doubt myself.
And then I caught myself.
Because here’s what I know for sure: what you focus on finds you. I’ve always been a big believer in that, not the “manifest a yacht” TikTok version, but the real, steady practice of naming what you want, noticing when it’s already happening, and taking tiny steps toward it every single day.
So instead of spiraling about how undervalued I felt, I shifted my focus to what I actually wanted to feel: seen, heard, respected, valued. I started paying attention to the places where I already was those things. I expressed gratitude for every single moment: the colleague who asked for my input, the friend who affirmed my expertise. And then the doors started opening wider:
✨ I got asked to present on a national webinar about ethical AI.
✨ I was invited to sit on boards and committees that actually positively influence things on a national scale.
✨ And just recently, I was invited to speak at PMDMC, a national conference in Philly. (By the way, if you have any Philly recs, send ‘em my way. I’ll be there this week!)
I almost turned that last one down, because… well, the nonprofit grind can make you forget who you are. But then I realized: This is it. This is what I asked for. This is me being seen, heard, respected, and valued. This is proof that what I focus on finds me, if I’m brave enough to receive it.
✨ This Is For You, Not Them. Before I go, let me say this:
Manifestation, intention, whatever you want to call it, it’s a type of magic. It’s you showing up for yourself, even when the people around you won’t. I learned this in the best way from a colleague recently. She’s been dealing with an absolute nightmare of an employee. The kind who acts confused on purpose, does nothing, and drags everyone down. I watched her handle him with so much patience and calm that I was stunned. One day, after this guy was being especially awful, I told her, “I’m learning a lot from you. It’s wild how you keep showing up for him when he’s determined to be terrible.”
She looked at me and said, “Oh, I’m not showing up for him. I’m showing up for me. I’m not lowering my standards for anyone.” That’s it. That’s the real heart of it.
Your focus finds you, but you’ve got to be the one holding the mirror steady. You don’t let a petty, stuck place shrink your shine. You don’t second-guess your years of expertise because a dusty process wants you to stay small. You keep showing up for you. And you notice every door that opens because you did. If you take nothing else from this, take this:
✨ What you wish for is what you make room for.
✨ Don’t be surprised when it shows up, just be ready to receive it.
✨ And keep your standards high. For you. Always.
I’ll report back from Philly. In the meantime, tell me: what are you focusing on right now? What are you ready to be seen for? I’m rooting for you. For real. 💛
🪞 The Mirror Trick (Try This)
Not every workplace is a reflection of your worth.
Sometimes it's a funhouse, warped, uneven, distorting your brilliance. But the truth is that the right mirror doesn’t make you look better. It shows you how good you already are.
Try this:
Name one space where you already feel seen.
A friendship, a project, a moment you felt “lit up.”Write down three things you’re good at.
Not what your job lets you do, but what you know you’re great at.Spend time in the mirror.
Talk, move, act from that space of clarity. It changes the game.
✨ The more you reflect your true value back to yourself, the less you'll wait for someone else to see it first.
🧼 Clean Edges Only
There will always be jobs where the culture is loose, the standards are fuzzy, and leadership shrinks in the face of real vision. But that doesn’t mean you have to shapeshift to fit in.
When things feel messy, emotionally, energetically, or organizationally, it’s tempting to downshift. To go quiet. To match the vibe. But matching the vibe is how we stay stuck. Leadership energy is not about being the loudest or the most polished; it’s about holding a frequency others can attune to.
Clean edges aren’t about perfectionism or performance. They’re about clarity.
Knowing what you bring. Knowing what you won’t tolerate. Knowing how you want to feel when you walk away from a meeting, a decision, or a day. Clean edges say: I care enough about myself and this work to do it well.
They’re a silent signal that you are not to be underestimated, even if you’re in a place that still underestimates people like you.
So no, you don’t need to overextend yourself. You don’t need to prove your worth in every room. But you do need to protect your standard like your life depends on it, because your quality of life does.
Here’s what clean edges look like:
The meeting is a mess → You show up prepared, looking good, smelling good, notes in hand, and your agenda mapped out.
The email thread is chaotic → You reply once, with clarity and finality. No spirals, no extras.
The team is disorganized → You keep your list tight, your calendar clean, and your goals visible.
The energy is low → You protect your own. Drink water, go outside, write it down, and move on.
They don’t see your worth → You do. And that’s the part that never wavers.
✨ Clean edges only. Especially in a system that benefits from your blur.
With love and moonlight,
Covvn