How I Found Renewal And Use It Each Day

𝗦𝗲𝗹𝗳 𝗔𝘀𝘀𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁
I had an incredibly promising career and lost it. I had the privilege of helping to bring in the invention of the Internet while working at Microsoft. I led the team at AT&T that ushered in a new thing called Mobile Apps. But life can sometimes take unanticipated, even cruel, and devastating turns.

After life hit me hard I reached the bottom. My health and wellbeing and finances were wiped out and I had to climb my way back. On this journey I learned something very important. Sometimes it’s not as important to assess where you’re at as it is to start over. I had to learn how to get back up and become effective again.

𝗙𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗗𝗼𝘄𝗻 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗚𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗕𝗮𝗰𝗸 𝗨𝗽
I experienced some incredibly difficult life events that easily explained why I fell so low. Anyone can be sideswiped by life but it cost me fifteen precious years. However, I also experienced some equally difficult times on my way back when the fault was my own. After the cause of my fall was no longer in my life there were still times when nothing stood in my way but I fell short nonetheless.

There were times when I failed to achieve the high standard that I had set for myself. I could clearly see my vision right there in front of me but still fell short, even though it was only a small reach away, because of a failure of energy, or commitment, or a weakness of character. I sought an explanation for these shortcomings and would spend countless hours assessing where I was and why. I was always in a rush but seemed to go slower because of it. I was very hard on myself

Then I finally found an answer.

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗙𝗿𝗲𝗲𝗱𝗼𝗺 𝗼𝗳 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗢𝘃𝗲𝗿
Each day we are given a new day. Like an allowance our lives are allocated a finite number of days. They are ours to do with as we choose and once we spend one of our days it is gone, spent, and we don’t get any more to replace it. Sometimes we let others choose for us how we spend our day and sometimes we carry the weight of the past into the new day with us. We carry regrets, guilt, shame, doubt, uncertainty, previous troubles, and all manner of residue from previous days. We use a lot of our energy each day just picking up the bucket of trash from previous days.

If I’m honest, there were many days when 70% of that day’s energy was already spent by the start of the day just by the act of picking up and carrying the past into the new day, especially after all that I had been through. Assessing my past, explaining to myself why I wasn’t further along, was holding me back. The past is like an anchor with a chain around your ankle. How can you possibly run with any speed like that?

Sure, it's important to learn from the past. Wisdom is a treasure. But that's not what most of us do with our past. We carry it around with us, let it pollute our current day, even though it provides no value.

𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗔 𝗡𝗲𝘄 𝗗𝗮𝘆
I decided that I would start each day as if it was a gift. I woke up with an awareness that I had 100% of that day to spend in any way that I chose. Given my new insight it was easy for me to decide NOT to spend a lot of energy on carrying the weight of the past. It didn’t matter why I was only as far as I was at that point. It didn’t matter if I should have done better. What mattered was what I chose to do with the current day.

I love my entrepreneurial life. It’s a fundamental part of my essence. And choosing to work on my projects makes me happy. Working without the burden of self-condemnation frees me up to be more creative, responsive, and energetic. What I do each day is a choice and I make it with joy. I move a lot closer to my goals if I use 100% of my energy for the purposes of that day rather than spending it on reconsidering the past.

Not everybody seems to need a psychological strategy in order to be at their best and I marvel at some of my fellow IndieHackers. Perhaps I fall far short of them, or perhaps I just don’t know of their struggles, but it’s easy to desire to look good to others. Regardless, I’ve found a way to be at my best and I treasure my days one at a time.

𝗔 𝗡𝗲𝘄 𝗗𝗮𝘆 𝗔𝗻𝘆 𝗗𝗮𝘆
One of the cool things about my strategy is that I can use it any day I want. I can even use it part way through the day, just start over. I can even use it in the moment. At any point I can just stop and say to myself, "OK, let's start again. What are we going to choose to do with this time going forward from this new starting point? How will I define myself today?"

There is a lightness to find when you are "new". Starting over at any point is a choice. When you feel broken down by your journey it might simply be time to put down all that you are carrying and make a decision, from scratch, what to pick up. There is renewal to be found when you put down the unnecessary weight you are carrying that you haven't realized is optional. Most times this weight comes from things that aren't even relevant to the current day.

𝗖𝗵𝗼𝗼𝘀𝗲 𝗧𝗼 𝗕𝗲 𝗡𝗲𝘄
I'm at my best again. I've learned a lot and become much wiser. I'm certainly more effective. And I'm happier and lighter, too.

If you find yourself worn down, less effective, then I recommend that you start over, consider your new day, and embrace the freedom of choice that comes from knowing that 100% of your life energy for the new day is yours to spend on whatever you choose. You can do anything you want with your day. You can choose to be anyone you aspire to be. Set EVERYTHING down. Choose what you pick up.

I'm so grateful that I discovered this freedom to be new and renewed. I hope that this message is refreshing to you, too.