Yesterday was easily one of the worst days I’ve had in months.

The first thing I felt when my alarm sounded? Bitterness and apathy. So instead of getting up … I pressed the snooze button 10 times before finally rolling out of bed at 9:30 (which is very late for me).

I opened my window … and I’m greeted with a steel-grey and rainy sky.

“Did I really just get up
for THIS?”

This energy carried on for the rest of the day.

The entire morning, negative thoughts and a depressed mood dictated every second of my experience.

The worst part?

I literally had nothing to do yesterday – leaving me all alone with this gloomy mood. 

(Sidenote: A lot of people THINK they want an empty calendar. As if that’s a symbol of freedom. Personally, I think it’s hell. When you have no structure or accountability, entropy (read: chaos) takes over.)

BUT…

When I sat down in the evening for my journal entry … I couldn’t help but feel grateful.

Here’s what I wrote:

“You know what?
I’m happy with myself today.”

I recapped:

“Today, I didn’t break anything – and that’s the best I could have hoped for.

In fact, I left my house, went to the university library, wrote a few long-form pieces, cooked some healthy food for my brothers and me, and went for a workout despite not feeling like it. 

Today consisted of many small, by themselves, insignificant wins. Added up, they resulted in a mediocre day. And that is a success today.”

See, I could have labeled yesterday as a “waste.”

I could have castigated and shamed myself for not showing up like I usually do.

Instead … I chose to see the positive.

On a day when everything seems to go wrong, it’s important to stack small victories.

Tiny wins that nobody would give you credit for … but wins that prevent you from causing a mess.

Yesterday could easily have been worse.

I could have scrolled YouTube for hours … I could have stuffed myself with unhealthy food … I could have stayed inside all day to wallow in self-pity.

But I didn’t.

And on such a day … that’s the best I could have hoped for.

In the end, this “shitty” day turned out to be not so bad after all. 

See…

Performance is relative.

On some days, a good performance might be to cold-plunge and go for a 30km run before working for 10 hours on your business.

On other days (like yesterday) … a good performance is to leave your house and not doomscroll YouTube.

This might seem insignificant or self-indulgent… 

But it isn’t.

A healthy, happy, and successful man gives himself credit even for the tiny things.

So next time you’re having a rough day … focus on small wins and, more importantly, give yourself credit for them. They might just compound into a good day.

Talk soon,

Tim <3

P.S. If this email resonated with you, please reply to let me know. This is the only way I can get feedback at the moment (as I’m not active on the socials) … so your input is greatly appreciated.