“Our feelings are unreliable and cannot be trusted to convey truth.”
– Joyce Meyer
“When you have a bad day, give up,” the voice of some unnamed guru says during this viral TikTok video.
He continues, “Go home and sleep. F*ck it. Try again tomorrow. Not every bad day can become a good day. Some days are f*cked and cannot be unf*cked. When you have a day that is f*cked beyond repair, that is the universe speaking to you, sending you a message. Listen to the universe. Go home, save your energy, tomorrow is another day. For now, just f*cking chill.”
There’s a shocking amount of wisdom in this irreverent video.
You don’t wake up feeling the same everyday. Some days are good days, some days are bad — and there’s not always a clear reason why which is which.
The ebb and flow of our emotions is something we all need to learn to expect, live with, and adapt to. If we don’t, the really good days and the really bad days both threaten to derail our progress. And there’s simply no way to do away with our roiling sea of unpredictable emotions.
So here are some rules I live by that help me keep going…
Never Make a Major Decision in a Valley (or on a Mountain Top) — The worst decisions you’ll ever make will be on your particularly bad days… and on your particularly good days. So use the same rule I use in my own life. Never make a major decision in a valley or on a mountain top. Wait until tomorrow.
Make Your Lowest Mode MAINTENANCE — Even on your very worst days, make your lowest mode of being maintenance so that you don’t move backward. For over two years we’ve sent emails on schedule for The Tonic… over mountaintops and through valleys. That’s because I’ve resolved that my lowest mode of being is maintenance mode… doing what has to be done so as not to undue past progress. Even if I feel like trash.
Create Bumpers — Alec and I are business partners for The Tonic. And I can’t tell you how many times we’ve encouraged each other, challenged each other, and held each other accountable over the last two years. If you want to be successful through your good days and bad days, create “bumpers”. Do it with a partner, hire a coach, work with a therapist, or create some other system to keep you in check and lift you up when you’re feeling down.