Tuesday was just one of those days. Not in the mood. I couldn’t shake this doomlike feeling, which is decidedly not me. I was on a podcast and had to do two restarts because I was a million miles away and unfocused on the questions. It was rainy and gross here, and I know you’re probably thinking, “I’ll see your rain and then bring on my double-digit negative temperatures, Erin, zip it.” 

Somedays, when we’re having one of those days, we have the ability to say screw it and go put on our PJs and light a fire and read a book–to check out. 

Somedays, we don’t have that luxury. Somedays, putting on the PJs and reading a book makes it worse, because then we’re all, “I should be doing this” or “I should be able to shake this” and then there’s the, “I think I thought this would make me feel better but really, this is NOT helping and now I’m not even dressed to go deal with the day.” 

Before I harsh your mellow too hard, I brought back an oldie but goodie on Tuesday; the Never Fails List. If you’re not familiar, the Never Fails List is composed of people you talk to, actions you do, places you go, and when you do them, never fail to turn your shitty day into a sunny one. Never fail to turn that internal frown upside down, which, if YOU are having one of those days today might make you want to punch me in the face…because never tell anyone to turn their frown upside down. Let them be. 

But we can shift how we are. We can change how we be (it rhymes, go with it) by acting on our Never Fails List. On mine: going to the ocean, getting on my yoga mat, blasting some tunes, reaching out to certain people who will listen empathetically and be there for me unconditionally, going for a walk. 

On Tuesday, I activated all of those Never Fails and well, they weren’t quite living up to their rep. So I tapped into a few more. I put on my favorite pink lipstick, Jilted. I changed out some ridiculous earrings to ones that suited my mood, and that put a smile on my face. 

Then I had a sales call. Let’s face it, if you’re going to give yourself a chance of making a sale, you better bring your energy and not show up all Eeyore gloom and doom because let’s face it, no one cares. 

As I was prepping, I started to get fired up. This firm needs help with feedback conversations and getting a communications process in place. #wheelhouse. They were open and honest in their intro email saying that they knew they needed help and this was their focus for the year. As I started thinking back to other people I’ve trained in this material and the difference it makes–less stress, less drama, more development, and more growth, I jumped on that Zoom call with a genuine fired-up smile on my face, ready to listen and hear their deal and see if (know) I could support them. 

High-fives all around after the call, I’m mid-proposal writing as we speak, and and as I reflected and did my daily debrief on Tuesday, I realized I’ve got one more thing to add to my Never Fails list. 

After TAKE THREE of the podcast, the host and I had a great conversation and the next thirty minutes flowed. I got out of MY head and thought about all the people listening who might get a little something from what I was talking about–and the words poured out. Then the sales conversation that was fun and smooth and flowed, because I was thinking about the potential client and his team and the impact this new way of communicating could have on them. 

The new list item? It NEVER FAILS to turn my ‘tude around when I get the hell out of MY head and focus on the impact I have. When it becomes less about my constant thought and me me me and more about who it’s for–you all! Shifting the energy from inward to outward is now a permanent list-item. 

After hitting the yoga mat twice on Tuesday, staring at the ocean in the rain, phoning two friends, and pulling out all the stops- which MOSTLY helped- shifting to thinking about others did the trick. 

What’s on your list? What are the actions, who are the people, and where are the places you go that never fail to turn your frown upside down? Hit reply and let me know! Keeping with the outward theme, I’ll gladly compile a list and share it with the community so we can get some inspo from each other. 

Because truly, it never fails to put a smile on my face when I get a response or note from you in my inbox!