I Gotta Be Straight With You: Last Week Was Rough

Sometimes I need to remind myself of the messages I consistently deliver to everyone else: I need to take my own advice. As much as I love helping others design a working life that feels fulfilling, last week was a stark reminder that knowing this stuff isn’t enough—you need to live it. Last week, I fell completely off track. I gotta be straight with you—it wasn’t pretty.

I felt swamped with work, overwhelmed by everything that was piling up. It felt like the more work I delivered, the more I was being asked for. I spent way too much time commuting, sitting in traffic and fuming about what a waste of time it was. I was late for meetings and rushed from one thing to the next, never giving my full attention to what I was working on. I was frantically trying to do everything at once.

That manic pace made me skip the very practices that help keep me grounded, focused, and productive. I didn’t take time to meditate, which is a key practice for me. I skipped journaling, exercise, and even basic self-care, like taking a walk. Nor did I take the time to be thoughtful about what I was eating, and before I knew it, I was grabbing quick and easy junk food that made me feel even worse.

I found myself caught in a downward spiral.

Here’s the irony: I talk about this stuff with my clients all the time, and I know better. It’s a classic trap—letting the chaos pull you in and then reacting by sacrificing the very things that help restore order. And yet, despite knowing better, I fell into it. We all do. It’s part of being human; none of us are perfect.

So, why am I telling you this? Because I can relate to the challenges you’re facing; I’m facing them too. We’re all works in progress. Even someone like me, who spends so much time immersed in this space, still struggles with it.

What’s important in these situations is recognizing when you’re caught in a cycle that’s dragging you down—and then interrupting it. No one else can do that for you; it’s up to you to make the change.

If you don’t respect your own boundaries, it’s hard to expect others to respect them for you.

Life is going to get overwhelming sometimes—that’s a fact we all need to accept. The key isn’t to beat yourself up for not being perfect, but to recognize how you’re reacting and course correct as soon as you can. If you don’t make time for the things that keep you centred, no one else will.

Take care of yourself first, because when you do, everything else follows. And remember—better is always possible, starting right now, one small step at a time.

Quotation that I’ve been pondering

“True good fortune is what you make for yourself. Good fortune: good character, good intentions, and good actions.”

— Marcus Aurelius

Journal prompt

“How do you cope with feelings you don’t like? Are there better ways you might cope with them?”

Call to Adventure

The struggles I recently faced in my own work life were a stark reminder of how crucial it is to have the right strategies in place, supported by the right habits and routines.

I’m certainly not perfect, and neither are you—but that’s where the real work begins. If you’re ready to turn things around and design a career and life that works for you, let’s figure it out together.

Book a career strategy call with me, and we’ll work through the challenges—because better is always possible.

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