When Falling Short is Still a Win

First, thanks for meeting me in your inbox considering we had a date yesterday.

Today we’re going to dive into a topic that might sting — coming up short of our own expectations.

Isn’t it interesting how we create expectations for ourselves? Our self-made guidelines can act as a double-edged sword. They can either push us towards growth and success or spiral us into disappointment, self-doubt, and an endless cycle of 'what if' scenarios.

But life happens and doesn’t consult us before making it’s move.

For me, ‘life’ was my grandmother dying a few days ago. Suddenly, my carefully calibrated plans, strategies, and expectations went out the window.

They didn’t have a contingency plan for death.

Maybe for you it’s:

• A divorce

• A sick child

• Distractions

• A steep learning curve

• Prioritizing a certain value

• A skill you didn't know you needed

So, do we point fingers at our planning, resilience, or coping mechanisms? Should we question our capabilities or even our intelligence?

Here's my proposition: Instead of dwelling in self-blame, let's focus on building a fail-safe recovery strategy. A plan that allows us to win, even when we stumble.

A month ago, I came across a unique strategy during a podcast with either Andrew Huberman or Seth Godin. They suggested making a list of 5 tasks but only completing 3.

it was shocking because like you, all I know is consistency. Do what you say you’re going to do. That’s how you trust yourself and how others learn to trust you.

But life happens, and there will be days where you let yourself down.

On that day, you have two options: quit or solve it.

We both know which option you’ll choose…

So, here's our action plan:

1. Determine your time, capacity, and bandwidth. This is between what you’d like to do in a day and what you’re physically able to do.

2. Spot the gaps: Recognize what you consistently achieve, even in hard times, and where you typically fall short. Automate, delegate, or eliminate the tasks you regularly fall short on.

3. Set yourself up for a win: Write a list of 5 achievable work tasks and and tackle 3 per day. As ambitious as you may be, our aim isn’t to exhaust or kill you.

For example: I have a brain injury that limits my screen time to 4hrs and writing to 30 minutes a day. So I have audio recordings and use AI like ChatGPT to help with my thinking. Whenever I'm on the screen, I limit myself to three activities: engage with my community, learn, and figuring out how I can assist someone else which means scheduled zooms or reading comments about what people struggle with.

Keep in mind, no one whose seriously trying to build something meaningful is judging you. They’ve been in your shoes and get it. The only people judging haven’t done shit.

So let's embrace our occasional failures as lessons, reorient our strategies, and keep growing stronger together.

Till we meet again in your inbox (on time).

Nichole Morris