Patience!

I know it’s hard. We all have those days. We wake up feeling ready to take on the world. We shower, maybe eat a favorite breakfast, work out, do what it is we love to do to start out the fabulous day we KNOW this is going to be.

Then gridlock! The minutia is killing us. The emails are piling up and everything seems to take us off task. Unanswered voicemails, messages, chats, tweets, our aching back, that one teammate...it’s everything and nothing. How is it two o’clock already?

Take a break. I know you don’t want to. But, walk away. Just a little walk. Remind yourself that you can trust you. You are getting things done whether it feels that way or not. The minutia is a necessary part of life and work. It’s going to happen and dealing with it will take it out of your way for what need to get done.

While you are on the break think about what is driving you nuts. Was there a deadline you are not going to make or was it just a goal?

If it was just a goal, well then, adjust. Like we all know, life is filled with little stones in our shoes. Shake it off. Be grateful you have an opportunity to be interrupted. You’re necessary and things came up that people thought you were the one to handle. Don’t get angry or frustrated. Be grateful for the opportunity to wrap up the loose ends and help out some folks. End your day content so you can get some rest and start tomorrow just as energized.

If it is a serious deadline then when you walk in turn everything off. Yes everything! It will wait. Focus on what you have to accomplish. Take a breath and start your tasks as if you are restarting your day. Lock your door. Put a sign out. Do whatever it takes to focus on what absolutely has to be done today. Most especially, stop that little weasel in your head telling you that you are not going to make it. Tell that weasel to hush when it says “if only.” If only you hadn’t been interrupted. If only you had gotten up earlier. If only that person/people hadn’t interrupted you. Just work like you are a kindergartener working on your art project. See only what is in front of you. It’s all that is important right now. And then be done. It was the best you could do. Be proud of yourself that you completed it.

Either way begin again tomorrow. You know you are wonderful and you get another chance tomorrow to get what you need to done. So start tomorrow with renewed spirit and No Worries!