I, gratefully, have had a lot of work to do lately. For an entrepreneur/freelancer, this is the best news. For someone who loves her job as much as I do, it’s even better!
But oh boy. The flu hit my family this past week, and I have been tired. I somehow avoided all of the symptoms except exhaustion, but the exhaustion has been intense! As a result, this week’s work has been pretty difficult. I haven’t gone to the gym. I’ve even had to nap a few times. Napping is out of character for me!
This difficult workweek has led me to consider how feelings impact my work. Often, work feels like sailing with the wind in my favor (have I mentioned how much I love my job?). Some days, though, it feels like trudging through mud. On the latter type, I don’t feel like I am getting anything done and consider waiting to work at a better time. Sometimes, that option is available (a perk of being my own boss!). But most of the time, I need to keep pushing.
Do you know what’s funny? After a mud-trudging type of day, when I look back through the work I completed, I’m often surprised by its quality. I’m even frequently surprised by the amount I accomplished. I think it is sometimes better than those smooth sailing days!
It’s an example of why my feelings should not dictate my actions. Sure, they matter. But they are fickle and often wrong. Maybe I can learn to anticipate mud-trudging days for the opportunity for the greater focus they provide.