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.
Leave a Reply