Pushing through it

Yesterday was kinda rough.

Not a great day.

I never did quite figure it out, but it was just one of those days I felt a little … “off.”

Something was not quite … “right.”

Simply put, I just felt kind of shitty yesterday.

I had quite a bit to do, and I didn’t feel like doing any of it. There was a time when I would have found a way to postpone everything I was supposed to do. Cancel all my commitments. Made up a reason to re-schedule everything.

I had my usual morning things to take care of at the home office; then a client at the gym at 10; then I was going to work out myself; then come home and do a couple of phone interviews for a newspaper story I’m working on for next week; and then another client at the gym in the afternoon.

Instead of postponing all that, because I just didn’t feel like doing it, I pushed through. I sucked it up; found enough energy and enthusiasm to get it all done — one thing at a time.

And today, guess what?

I feel 100-percent better.

Today is a completely different day.

I feel completely different inside — mentally and physically.

My mind feels different and even my body feel different.

Life is easy when you feel good — or easy-er.

So when you don’t feel so good and you have things to do, what do you do?

One thing you don’t do is what I wanted to do and used to do a lot — procrastinate. Put things off.

Procrastination doesn’t help anything.

Find a way to do what you’re supposed to do when you said you’re going to do it.

During my morning routine today, in one of the positive messages I listened to, the guy — I think it was Jim Rohn, the famous motivational speaker — was talking about how discipline is key to success and happiness. Self-discipline.

Consistent self-discipline.

I guess that’s what I was exercising when I sucked it up and pushed through the day and kept my commitments.

Self-discipline.

I didn’t want to do it, but I did it anyway.

And speaking of exercising …

After that first PT client of the day, I got in a little session on the stationary bike, pumping out 20 minutes of speed intervals. I didn’t feel like doing it, but I did it. Nearly stopped a couple of times — at around the 5-minute mark and then again around the 14-minute mark or so — but I pushed through, and it felt good.

I didn’t feel like making those phone calls when I got home, either. I could have texted those two guys I was scheduled to interview and made some excuse, but I didn’t. And I actually wound up doing a total of four little phone interviews for the story I’m working on. Got everything I need to do the story, and now I don’t have to worry about it anymore.

I rested some after lunch, and as I thought about getting ready again for a trip back to the gym for my 5:30 client, I didn’t want to do that, either. But I knew the guy was counting on me. I’m supposed to be the motivator; the encourager; the good example. So I sucked it up, went and helped him through his workout, like I’m supposed to.

It would have been easy to blow off everything yesterday and stay home and do nothing. Isolate myself in the house and sit around and watch TV or something.

I’ve done that before.

But doing that doesn’t help anything.

So that’s my message today.

One way to break out of a slump — mental slump, physical slump, or both — is fairly simple.

Take action.

Zig Ziglar said:

“Don’t wait until you feel like taking positive action. Take the action and then you will feel like doing it.”