Tuesday Morning Pep Talk

Have you ever just had one of those days? When no matter how hard you work or how much energy you put into something, it just doesn’t go your way? I had of those days. So I wrote myself this note to shake me out of the overwhelmed, I suck, I’ll-never ever-ever-make-any-progress-on-this-mountain, place. Maybe if you’ve had one of those days, you need a little shaking too.

My Tuesday morning pep talk:

you’re going to be okay

you are okay

they don’t hate you

even if it feels like it, they don’t

they’re not even thinking about you

no one is judging you

you are part of something

your work and people’s reactions do not determine your value

sometimes your work will be good

sometimes your work will be average

the important part is to keep finding ways to stretch yourself

to not become complacent

try new things

don’t forget to give yourself room to think

remember what you do best

and do that

if you’re sucking at that then you probably need to back off

let the work flow through you instead of trying to beat it out of you

have faith

in yourself, in your process

remember that there is no perfect

and whatever you do

don’t panic

take a deep breath or two or five

and channel your true self to the surface

don’t isolate yourself in frustration

don’t withdraw

step into it

make the connection

because that is why you’re doing this

not for the results

but because you want to feel connected to something

but remember that you can still feel connected

without attaching all of your value to the outcome

and don’t forget to laugh.

When Kaly doesn’t have her nose in a book, she wrangles and referees two elementary age boys and blogs about her humorous efforts to lead a mindful, connected life. She’s the author of Good Move: Strategy and Advice for Your Family’s Relocation, a book about the craziness of moving with kids. Her writing has been featured on sites such as Mamalode, The Mid, In The Powder Room, McSweeney’s Internet Tendency, and Scary Mommy to name a few. You can find her on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and Twitter.