Nothing Changes in a Day
There are very few days that can change your life. I’ve only lived 27+ years, and I’ve seen that reality play out time and time again. But regardless of what we know, sometimes we act like a single very good or very bad day has the power to shift the scales. From my experience, it’s just not true.
When I opened my first studio, I acted like every day had the power to make or break my business. I would pour over my numbers and cringe when things were looking low, convinced that there would be no return from a rough stretch. On the flip side, I would also allow my good days to dictate my emotional health, and I’d ride that wave as long as I could, until something took a turn.
Over the past 5+ years of entrepreneurship, I know how easy it is to fall prey to this trap and how your feelings about a given season, even if they have some basis in reality, can misguide your leadership and your perspective. The attitude you bring to your non-work life is the same.
Yesterday, I had to deal with a snow storm that impacted our classes, my garage door at home breaking, several staffing issues, my husband’s flight getting delayed, and a few other oddities. In certain seasons in my life, a day like that would have derailed my mood and ability to cope for a week. It took years of setting boundaries, learning how to detach from business or stresses of daily life, and constantly practicing these habits to have better mental stamina.
While I am not perfect at this compartmentalization all the time, here are a few practical things I have done to help:
When I can, I start my day with a devotion and journaling because I need the time to focus on the bigger picture before diving into my inbox.
I stop working every evening by at least dinnertime, unless there is an emergency. Sometimes, if my day began really early, I quit sooner. That means I stop responding to emails, checking my Slack channel, and thinking about things I have to do in the next 24 hours. As an entrepreneur, this isn’t always doable, but I really do my best to have a stopping point.
I limit (and work to eliminate) my negative speech. This is probably the biggest principle for changing your mindset and also the hardest one to correct. Ross calls me out on it the most…and sometimes, I hate that, but it does make me aware of how much I complain about something going wrong vs. pray, speak positively, game plan, motivate others, etc.
Lastly, I don’t let myself spiral. If I find my thoughts panning out too far into the future and dwelling on “what if” scenarios in business or in life, I literally shut off my brain and go do something else. If nothing else, I find a distraction or talk about my worries with someone who can give me sound advice, and I stop the spiral in its tracks. When I don’t do this, I notice a HUGE difference in my daily stress level.
If you find yourself stuck in a mindset issue, especially towards the end of the year, I’d challenge you to take stock of how much can change in 365 days and how little can actually go awry in 24 hours. Even if your season of struggle is longer than you’d like it to be, it’s always purposeful, albeit uncomfortable. Remember that nothing changes permanently in a day, but you can make positive changes every day that move you forward.