Monday Morning Coach Archives - Some Days

Some Days Are Like That 

“Momma said there’d be days like this; there’d be days like this, my momma said.”  Truer words were never spoken or sung.  I bet you know the kind of days that song was referring to.  They start out all full of promise, with the hope of focus; and somewhere between breakfast and brushing your teeth they start to unravel.  I know you’ve had days like that.  Maybe today is that day for you.  It is for me. 

I have a list of at least eight things I wanted to get done today and so far I’m batting a thousand!  That is, can’t say that I’ve checked off a single one. 

So what’s a person to do when that happens?  Kick the dog?  Throw up your hands in frustration.  Take it out on the Starbuck’s girl or some other innocent bystander?  Hardly. 

Here’s what’s coming up for me as I attempt to keep moving in the face of snag after snag today: 

1)    Keep it in perspective.  I’m asking myself, “Will something truly awful happen if I don’t cross off everything on the list?”  Rarely is that the case.  Maybe something inconvenient; possibly something that costs a few dollars, as in a late fee.  But rarely anything disastrous, so keep it in perspective and save your energy for the truly important vs. the seemingly urgent.

2)    Do what you can do.  Interruptions and the unexpected happen.  So what!  Literally, ask yourself “So what CAN I do even though my original plan may not be panning out?”  And then begin to focus on the can do vs. can’t do possibility.

3)    Pick a focus and don’t let go until you’ve made progress on that.  Of the 8-10 things on my list, I know the two that are most important.  And no matter what, I will make progress on them today!  (Actually #1 was getting out MMC, so I’m excited to see the progress).

4)    Take a breather.  Sometimes the key to getting something done is to stop for a few minutes and concentrate on getting nothing done.  I know it’s counter-intuitive, but there are times we just need to shift the physical and mental energy.  I received an interesting note from one of my loyal MMC readers about last week’s message to clean up the little messes.  She shared that in the face of difficult circumstances it’s more important to get out in nature.  I couldn’t agree more, and in a moment of blocked progress it can help to take a walk, do a few minutes of exercise or just sit outside and take a few slow, deep breaths.

5)    Laugh!  That’s right, laughter is a great healer, stress-reliever and often unblocks our creative powers.  So when all else fails, find something to make you laugh.  Never before have we had so much available to keep us laughing.  YouTube, here I come!! 

There you have it!  A confession that we all hit snags, often at the least convenient times.  And, some remedies for how to get on track and still make something happen today.  Keep it in perspective, do what you can, focus, step back for a breather and if all else fails, laugh.  And remember the famous last words of Scarlett O’Hara:  “Tomorrow is another day!” 

Finish today strong, and be grateful for the gift of tomorrow!!