Short-Circuiting Ourselves

“If someone even smiles at me the wrong way, I’m going to lose it!”

I was having a very bad day a few weeks ago. It started as just another promising Tuesday, and then quickly spiraled down, down, down, oh so down, to some deep, dark depths.

I can’t remember what it was that triggered things, but suddenly, the world felt like it was on top of me. My mind was whirring with all the things I needed to do: make a few calls, submit tax information, follow up on a project that was taking far too long to finish, and oh, by the way, go to the gym (I had been neglecting my health too much lately), write a letter to my daughter’s previous doctor, write my next article, film a few videos for my You Tube channel, buy tickets to visit my family in New York, update my website, and… and… and… and… AND!!!!!!!

I was starting to plummet. I walked in the door from my morning appointment, spat a hello to my husband, and went straight upstairs. I sat on my bed thinking very angry thoughts. And then I took a shower. I cooked myself a meal. I didn’t go anywhere near my phone or my computer. And then I sat.

I indulged in some final the-world-is-so-stupid-and-annoying ruminations, and then — slowly, but finally – I tried to think about what I could do to make the world less stupid and annoying. I emailed my PA and asked her to do some travel research for me. I emailed my PA again with a list of all the updates we needed to make to the website and asked for her help. I slowly, slowly started taking back control and slowly, slowly started clawing back up from the hole I had been slipping down.

I was so proud of myself that night. I was proud because years ago, I would have let myself stay in that kind of a funk for days on end, but not anymore. And I only learned how to short-circuit those down-in-the-dumps cycles by learning to honor who I am.

I pay attention to my needs. I pay attention to how I know I need to operate. I accept that I need to stew and fume sometimes – I love being self-righteous and resentful for even just a little bit! – but I also accept that I need to cut myself off and get back to doing whatever I can to push myself and my business forward, even just a little bit.

A little bit is sometimes all we can do. It’s sometimes all we have. And being your own boss means sometimes you have to boss yourself to pull your shit together and do a little bit. Being your own boss also means it’s easier to Honor Who You Are, and design a life and business that plays to your strengths instead of preys on your less-than-strengths. It means you can learn from your meltdowns and do better next time.

Honoring Who You Are is a big part of becoming an Entreprenora, and an essential part of living your best life. It might sound woo-woo, but you are the only you you’ve got, so commit to yourself, honor yourself, and help yourself be the best version of yourself you can be.

If you don’t do it, who else will?

PS – My article about Honoring Who You Are has been one of my most popular, and one that got a lot of conversations going in our community. Please have a read and let me know what you think!

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About Me
Rupal Patel logo
The daughter of Indian immigrants, Rupal is a born-and-bred New Yorker now living near London. Her high-octane career as a CIA officer turned serial entrepreneur has taken her from military briefing rooms in jungles and war zones to corporate boardrooms and international stages.

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