Sometimes you just gotta get by.

This isn’t going to be profound or awe-inspiring or life-changing, but sometimes in life, it’s just about getting through it.

Sometimes, when life is too much and it’s more than we can handle, when the demand for our time, energy, attention, and resources extends beyond our limited human capacity, we just need to pause, throw our hands up in the air, and remind ourselves that dammit, I’m doing the best I can right now.

I’m in one of those “I just gotta get by” seasons right now. Nothing is particularly wrong, and I don’t necessarily need support with anything at the moment. But, life is simply life-ing, and the demands I have, the tasks I need to accomplish, the paperwork I need to complete, etc. are simply requesting more energy from me than I currently have. They are asking for 1,000 units of energy from me today when I only have 143 units to give them today. The run that I want to take will give me another 217 units, and this nap I want to take will give me 38 units, and the episode of Family Guy I want to watch will give me 56 units. But still, when the math adds up, that’s still less energy than the amount my to-do list is demanding.

And that’s okay.

We all logically know that you don’t need permission from me (or anyone else for that matter) to take care of yourself, but sometimes our emotions tell us a different story, so if your emotions are saying to you right now “I need someone to tell me it’s okay to take a break,” then here is your permission slip:

If you can’t answer every text message as timely as you want, the world’s not going to end.

If you can’t answer every email in time, the world’s not going to end.

If you can’t cross off every item on your to-do list today, this week, this month, or this year, the world’s not going to stop.

If you simply can’t keep going on without taking a break or a moment of pause, stop. Take that break. Take that moment of pause.

If you are comparing yourself to other people, saying things like “I’m not working as hard as they are” or “I need to make as much money as they do” or “They are doing much better than me,” STOP. These are all false statements because this comparison alone is illogical. You are in a completely unique space, and no one know what it’s like to be you, aside from yourself. So, take a deep breath, and redirect your focus back onto yourself, what you can control, and all you have already accomplished.

Sometimes, life is just shit. And that’s okay. That doesn’t mean you are failing. That doesn’t mean you are broken. That doesn’t mean everything is falling apart. It simply means you are living life. And this is what life is all about. The ups and downs, the highs and lows, the ebbs and flows. This isn’t to diminish how we are feeling or what we are going through — not by any means, feel what you need to feel, baby, and allow it to be shit when it’s shit — at the same time, the sun is going to come back out again. The clouds are going to drift away. And it’ll be great for a while. And then it’ll storm again. And will get shitty again. But then better again. And this will go on and on until we die. And this is part of the beauty of life. So, what a gift it is to allow yourself the space to enjoy it, whatever is here in the present moment. We likely can’t change it too much any way, so might as well accept it.

Here’s my recommendation:

When it’s raining, give yourself permission to complain about the crappiness of the moment, and find a way to dance through it. Take a nap if you need.

When it’s sunny, soak it up. Enjoy the hell out of it. Practice gratitude. Let this time be an opportunity to store energy for when it starts to rain again.

That’s all a metaphor, but you know what I mean.

Anyway, stay amazing. Because you are.

All my love,
Kevin