BL&T No. 003: Accepting the Unpredictability of Life

Borrowed

“I truly believe that success is overcoming a level of stress that would break most people. If you look at success through that lens it tells you a couple of things: One, the obstacle is the way, you have to take it on to get to the next challenge and next level; and two, you have to be capable of taking on an enormous level of stress."

Will Ahmed (Whoop Founder/CEO) in Whoop Podcast #88 with Sam Dancer

Learned

"When it rains, it pours."

Last week started with a few drops of rain. Suddenly, it was pouring. Or at least it felt that way. It all started with a simple (semi-alarming) email from a client heading into the weekend before last. An email that would later turn into a chain that, if printed, might be longer than a CVS receipt. As the client situation unfolded, new client challenges starting popping up.

By the end of the day on Tuesday, I could feel my temperature rising. I could feel it; this meant I was aware. Awareness is the saving grace in times of chaos.

I took a deep breath and reminded myself of a lesson I often come back to: "No good days. No bad days. Just days." The truth is that this wasn't the first time that things didn't go well. It wouldn't be the last. Nothing good would come of letting these challenges stress me out.

That moment was all I needed.

By Thursday, despite the week's unpredictability still going strong, I found myself dancing around the kitchen while making lunch. Dana looked at me and smiled: "Having a good day?"

Lesson? Sometimes life might feel like more like whack-a-mole and the truth is, it kinda is. The key is that once you accept that as truth, you might actually enjoy the challenge.

Thought Starter

What's coming up this week that may not go as planned? How will I handle that?

Here's a fun fact that I discovered while writing this: The phrase "When it rains, it pours" was coined by none other than the Morton Salt Company in the early 1900s to debut a new, free-flowing salt product alongside the umbrella girl we know so well today. More on the origin here.