Might be hard to come by these days, but maybe not. I went for a long run yesterday and saw a lot more that I was aware of due to this isolation to be thankful for. After taking in 7.6 miles of rural country, 6 herds of deer, countless Canadian geese (a couple that tried to attack me or coach me to run faster not sure which), two Sandhill Cranes, and great pictures I realized this isolation thing isn’t all bad. We take these days and say what’s in it for me? Or, we can take these days to be thankful. It could be harder than that statement, I get it. Everyone is having their battles. They are levels of different intensity as well as personal too. But, even the worst days can be turned into good days.
One of the biggest reasons I have bad days is because I bring no purpose to the game ahead of me. I didn’t clearly lay out the day in front of me either the night before (which I highly recommend as a habit to build) or the morning of. What did I expect? That’s my fault. Not that of the day as it unfolds unfavorably. So, set your day out with as much intentionality as you possibly can. Don’t let surprises happen to you, they’re time killers. And, time is something you cannot get back once it is spent.
Once you got that day all laid out, be positive about it. Be happy that there some focuses and some challenges on the table for you. It’s work. Imagine what that will feel like at the end of the day when its all said and done. It’s going to feel fantastic! Get ready for obstacles that may be up ahead. If, then type of things. If this happens, this is my new plan. Be smart, nothing rarely works out perfectly. Life loves to throw us some curves here and there.
Your day isn’t a sprint. Yet, we treat our days like it is a sprint by piling on our calendars, task lists, and planners with literally no breaks in between the work. Even as a runner, there is usually a water break station every mile to rest and check before continuing with the run. Build some breaks in there with all that amazing work you’re trying to complete. Mark the most important things and then build rest time before and after those huge focuses. You’ll deliver a much better result by having your head clear before moving into it.
Stay out of the toxic water cooler areas. You know those areas in your organization where people like to collect around a space to vomit about everything they hate in life or at work? They’re suck the energy you do have right out of you. They are time vampires. It’s not worth fighting or taking a stand to overcome someone else’s issues. Haters are gonna hate. Don’t be one of the haters.
Chunk it out! The biggest time and mental work/life asks need to have time where they can be systematically broken down. Like deconstructing it to its simpler pieces. The simpler the easier it gets to complete it. Pace plan it. The best way to eat an elephant is one piece at a time. Then build a routine around those bites.
Change your perspective when you feel the Knights of Ren (hope that lands with my Star Wars fans out there) trying to bring into the dark side of life. Practicing ways to bring positive thoughts into bad situations by increasing your ability for positive self-talk over negative is a game changer. What you think is what you will do. Think positive and you will take positive steps.
It’s completely okay to feel completely wiped by your day. But, you don’t have to live there very long. By developing some very positive routines like planning the day, building in rest periods, staying away from negative influences, and creating space for plan B any day can feel like it was a good day. We just need to spend more time with ourselves to understand when we hit the glass ceiling so we can break through it.
Thanks for reading. Hope this brings some goodness to your day or week. I would love to know more about what you might want by way of posts for the next few weeks in the comments below. Be safe and healthy!
✌🏻 Shawn
Welcome to In-Between the Pages 
Leave a Reply