What to do when life gets in the way…
So it's the end of the second week in January.
Perhaps like me you entered January with some goals or intentions? Some things you were going to focus on, change, get done, do 'properly' this time, not quit on, move the dial on…
I like to give myself a word for the year ahead. But this year I broke that criteria and gave myself two! 😉 (I hit a significant birthday this year and I think a little rule breaking is called for when you get to be half a century old).
My two words for 2026 were 'connection' and 'care'.
'Connection' feels quite outward facing; it takes a certain kind of energy and delivers a certain kind of energy. 'Care' is more inward facing, this is almost the opposite type of energy, but for me equally needed. I can't do the first if I don't do the other.
One of the ways I wanted to explore this idea of connection was through sharing more regularly - experimenting with different platforms, seeing what resonates, building something that feels authentic and supportive. I’m particularly interested in Substack - it feels different from some of the other big social media spaces. I set a stretch goal to share something on Substack at least once a week and a more reasonable goal to hit at least three pieces of content a month to begin. See how that goes and get into a rhythm with it all.
But here's the thing with these kind of goals - the time based, specific and measurable goals that at some point someone is likely to have told you are the important sort of goals. There is a very specific and measurable way to FAIL at them.
I'm half way through January and by my own goal I should have at least one piece out there and if I was crushing it two already written and happily shared.
But how many pieces have I shared in January (at the time of writing)?
ZERO
Zero is not one or two. There isn't even half a piece lurking in the wings that just needed a little more time to get it over the finish line. Zero is a total failure to hit my numerical targets.
I'm pretty confident that I'm not the only one to be at this stage in January with some sort of New Year's resolution?!
But knowing this doesn't quite stop the door opening on a great opportunity to get caught in my thoughts about this…
I could be thinking all about what kind of highly experienced business owner writing about getting shit done is busy failing to get shit done?!!
Cue herd of galloping highly critical and judgemental thought traps hot on the heels of that opening shot my brain might be giving me…
The two doors
Here's what to do when life gets in the way and you find yourself in a situation like this.
Step one - notice the door with all the judgement behind it. (aka proof of humanness)
Know that this door is the killer of momentum. This door is the door that stops good people from getting good shit done.
Step two - notice right along beside it another door.
This second door is the 'kind friend to yourself' door. (It might be a little underused and need some oiling, so it isn't quite so stiff and creaky!)
Go open that second door.
What would a kind friend say to you? (Just play along and humour me if this is feeling very unfamiliar)
What my inner kind friend said
In my situation my own inner kind friend might say…
Correct - you have so far shared zero content in January (none of my kind friends BS me - they say it as it is!).
HOWEVER - you got massively snowed on for 12 days (beyond normal levels of snow for the NE of Scotland). A pretty large amount of your time got taken over with daily shovelling of snow, dealing with access, transport and journey challenges, getting to meetings, getting in groceries, failing to receive any mail for 12 days and other (not urgent but still good stuff to do) snow related stuff like feeding the local wildlife so it doesn't starve in the snow.
📷 The path I just cleared and the avalanche of snow that landed on top of it from my roof… A great metaphor for real life!
You, like many entrepreneurs, are juggling many things and wearing many hats - lots of the day to day stuff of running the business didn't stop because of the snow and you did a great job of not dropping any of those balls!
You've been thoughtfully testing different spaces to see where authentic connection actually happens - that's not failure, that's smart iteration.
You are only half way through January and you can start now with the plan!
This is it. This is real. This is so much more true than some BS narrative of 'acing it' and perfection. Now that - I'd not be able to connect to. That would sound down right suspicious as a story to me!
This is the non-sugar coated version of getting shit done.
ALL roads will have bumps (or snow mountains in them).
The real trick is what you do when you hit them.
So don't you go touching that other door.
Get yourself back on the horse and get galloping towards the bigger picture.
So what if January only has two pieces out there instead of three?
A) no one is watching, counting or cares (apart from the critters behind that other door and they don't get to contribute today) B) Two posts is 200% better than none! (don't question the maths) C) If you manage even 30 pieces across the year that's an enormous achievement!
The time to start is NOW! (always).
Err - wow, thanks inner kind friend!
Getting back to it
I'm actually feeling quite motivated to get going now. Perhaps I might write about this? 😉
Because I'm sure as shit not the only purpose driven founder who has hit a bump in the road and just maybe hearing about it from another might help them feel not alone.
And if you are needing a real big dose of 'inner kind friend' as the antidote to life getting in the way and momentum dropping - I invite you to do what I just did. Sit down with a pen and paper and write down exactly what your inner kind friend would say to you. Not the kind of surface level fluffy nonsense friend who will give platitudes that everything is going to be ok with no substance below. The sort of friend who is no BS and fierce with care and conviction.
Being kind and compassionate to ourselves allows us to begin and move forward imperfectly. It gives us permission to have a go even when things are hard or new or scary. It helps us focus on what we can do, not what we haven't done.
It's a very important tool in getting good shit done.
And if you want to follow my adventures over on Substack you can find me here