Don't forget to breathe.

So a few days ago, I had a day that was what some people like to call a "rough day." 

You know those days when Murphy's Law is in full effect and testing every ounce of your patience? Yeh, it was one of those days. Makes you wonder if there's something to all that stuff about planets being in retrograde and what not. I think the planets were doing somersaults that day.

I know everyone has good days and bad days and everything in between. And the idea is to stay positive and keep on trucking. I get that. But when I got news that wasn't exactly to my liking, and caused a major delay in my afternoon, I decided that my best option was to get out of the house. Instead of letting that stress fester up inside of me, I thought, "Molly, go for a bike ride! It's gorgeous outside. You could certainly use the exercise. And it will give you the opportunity to clear your mind." So I did.

What happened next is me learning TWO of life's little lessons.


I went on that bike ride. There I was cruising the Santa Monica bike path on a gorgeous sunny day along the beautiful Pacific Coastline. After a few miles, I decided I would stop at a small bench and collect my thoughts. Reflect on the day and appreciate the fact that I have the awesome opportunity to live the life I lead. For a few sweet moments on that bench, life was everything I needed. I breathed a huge sigh of relief.

Then...I started thinking. TOO MUCH. That hamster wheel in my mind started churning and off I went. I thought maybe in this beautiful environment, I should take a look at my website with a fresh pair of eyes. Maybe I'll gain new perspective. In my attempt to do so from my phone on a palm sized screen, I did the unthinkable. I erased my website.

Or so I thought.

In that moment, my perfect stress-free state went into sheer panic mode. Blood pressure through the roof, anxiety boiling, I hopped on my bike and pedaled home faster that I knew I was capable. All the while thinking, why hadn't I backed up my information? And why had I attempted to mix business with stress-free time? TWO huge lessons learned within a matter of seconds.

Long story short, I got home, threw my cute little cruiser by the front door, bolted to my computer, to find that thankfully, I had not deleted my website. I collapsed on my bed in relief. I'm sure I'm not the first person ever to experience what it feels like to pour your heart and soul into a project for an extended length of time only to have it completely disappear in an instant. But it sure felt like I was. 
I felt like a complete idiot.

But this kind of thing was so completely avoidable. Not only had I broken my own cardinal rule of continuously backing up projects, but I'd attempted to do business during calm time. 

And the most important part of this day was learning that I of all people should know better. What I do for other people and their businesses is no different than what I should do for myself. Or how I should treat my own business.

Backup your work (consistently!) and make time for yourself to free your mind and just be. Period. 

Because at the end of the day, without your sanity in tact, nothing is possible. And we can't simply work all the time. We have to lend our minds and energy to more than that. We deserve more. 

So enjoy the quiet moments. Relax whenever possible. And breathe. Don't forget to breathe.

Quietly yours,