That sucked.
Murphy’s law was at it yesterday! My computer going coo-coo while my kids were climbing the walls only amplified an already bad day. Distractions and pitfalls were coming out of left field ALL DAY!
My calendar didn’t predict the chaos. My to-do list went untouched.
Who can relate?
Unfortunately, we don’t have the luxury of repeating a day. Tomorrow always happens. But we all get a chance to reset, learn from our mistakes, and move forward.
“In a rearview mirror perspective of life, we can glean from our mistakes a map of how to move forward. The past day or season may have been rough, but there is always a lesson or two that makes the bitter pill easier to swallow”
Paradox of Technology
Shamefully what spiraled me on an emotional rollercoaster was a breakdown of my primary tool for work, MY COMPUTER.
First-world problems right?
Edward A. Murphy, Jr., a U.S. Airforce engineer, observed the frustrations of technology in 1947 when his rocket-sled experiment had all 16 accelerator units installed the wrong way. This law of inconvenient malfunction, Murphy’s Law, is at the crux of our spiral of problems (in my case, the computer going coo-coo), at the least opportune time!
Technology is a trigger of anxiety for so many people when it’s not operating correctly. From its glory of creation to the pits of hell by the spinning wheel of death, the computer is a paradoxical anchor of daily work life.
Regarding yesterday, my frustration should not be solely blamed on my friends at Zoom, GoDaddy, or Microsoft. This unplanned day of being unplugged from the world was partially my fault. I failed at the key principle of resting and rebooting my instruments.
Regardless if you’re an entrepreneur or a full-time employee, administrative hours have to be scheduled for passwords, software updates, filing emails or papers, and as David Allen teaches…closing our open loops is one of the pillars of getting things done.
The complacency of our overtaxing calendars and heavy to-do lists is a formula for eventual disaster. If technology, communications, and processes are part of your work, you have to treat your tools like you treat your cars…get a routine oil change. Every 30 days and even every week, schedule the rest, cleaning, maintenance, and reorganization.
It’s a brief pitstop, but it will prevent you (and your tools) from burnout.
Power of Journaling
One of my daily routines is journaling and praying before anything else…even my coffee. If you don’t do this, I highly encourage you to make this a daily practice…even if it’s just for 5 minutes every morning.
Like our computer maintenance, journaling is an act of cleaning out yesterday’s cobwebs from the brain. It is an opportunity to reflect, refuel, and recharge. It’s a place to not only record your regrets but a place to document your renewals.
The benefits of quality sleep followed by a morning of introspecting has a way of optimizing the day. Mercies are new every morning, and from a spiritual perspective, this is when most of our joy meters are at their natural peak. Lamentations 3:23 says, “Great is his faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each morning.”
As easy as it is to walk through the morning fog, clarity can be found in recounting your blessings, checking on your emotions, and identifying your growth opportunities. In building the habit of journaling, you’re also building out your own stories of redemption.
Prayers of King David
King David experienced many trials and tribulations in his life. He was considered a man after God’s own heart and had many accomplishments, but he failed many times. David’s prayers captured throughout Psalms reflects times of anguish, pain, and grief…but also reflect perspective, forgiveness, and hope.
This one prayer below strikes deep and I encourage anyone who needs a reset today to read this excerpt from Psalms 143: 4-8.
4 I am losing all hope;
I am paralyzed with fear.
5 I remember the days of old.
I ponder all your great works
and think about what you have done.
6 I lift my hands to you in prayer.
I thirst for you as parched land thirsts for rain. Interlude
7 Come quickly, Lord, and answer me,
for my depression deepens.
Don’t turn away from me,
or I will die.
8 Let me hear of your unfailing love each morning,
for I am trusting you.
Show me where to walk,
for I give myself to you.
Plans may get disrupted, but the Lord has grandeur purposes. This unplanned article is a result of God’s divine intervention and He only knows whose heart this was intended for.
The purposes in the unscheduled events of our lives may provide an immediate meaning or it may provide enlightenment further down the road. In either case, we don’t have the luxury of knowing our futures, but that’s where and why we should put our hope in God.
Proverbs 24:20 “The Lord directs our steps, so why try to understand everything along the way?”
We are all bound to have challenging days and/or weeks! It may be as trivial as computer issues or as complicated as sickness and death. Some of our challenges may be in full seasons or even years. We can’t have do-overs or mulligans for particular days, but we can experience and expect daily growth.
And maybe after a morning of reflection and journaling, you may see that yesterday really wasn’t a bad day after all.
