“This too shall pass, sweetie.”

These are the words my mom would say whenever life would throw me a curveball.

Whether a huge disappointment or a little upset, her words reminded me that whatever I was experiencing or feeling in the moment was a temporary blip on the landscape of my life.

These four simple words prompted me to pause and put things in perspective…knowing what I was going through, in that moment, did not define me. I was going to be OK, no matter what.

But lately, given what we are all facing, I have taken “mama’s mind hack” one step further. It’s an inquiry that inspires me to move from wherever I am, to a healthier, more positive place.

While my mom has since passed, I imagine her following up these words, “This too shall pass”, with a simple question… “Janie, who are you going to BE as you wait for this to pass?”

This question helps me tap into my best self, as I find the resilience to wait out the storm.

Here’s the truth… HOW we show up is so much more important than strategy, taking action, or achieving the next goal.

Each day, you and I start out with a list of things we want to accomplish. Some big, some small, some enjoyable, some not so much. No matter what’s on our list or where we are on our path, we all step into each day with a set of intentions of how we want the day to unfold.

But the truth is, our actions and what we get done are directly impacted by how we feel. If we are feeling great, we bang through the list, check off the boxes and end the day feeling satisfied.

If we are feeling off, we find it hard to focus, we get distracted and we get to the end of the day feeling like the day was wasted.

But it doesn’t have to be that way. We get to challenge this belief that we need to feel good in order to take action and lean into what I call … the Feel Good, Do Good Connection.

In my own life, I’ve navigated the ups and downs of these last 7 months, just like you, and I didn’t like what I was feeling. That’s when I began to see the correlation between Feeling Good and Doing Good.

I began challenging the belief that we need to feel good in order to take inspired action and instead, took the action in spite of how I was feeling.

The point here is to get into action… to contribute, to serve, to evolve or to make progress.

It’s the proverbial question… Which comes first, the chicken or the egg? Or… which comes first, feeling good or doing good?

The truth is… it depends.

Some days you are going to feel like you are on top of your game and effortlessly go to action.

On other days you are going to feel like crap, overwhelmed and even fearful of what’s ahead. On those days, it feels easier to retreat, go to bed, or numb out with a distraction. In these moments, rather than head back to bed, lean into action.

How we feel as entrepreneurs matters.

Our ability to navigate the game of entrepreneurship is more important than any strategy or tactic we may decide to deploy. So, whenever you find yourself feeling unmotivated, disconnected, discouraged, or down right depressed, take heart. This too shall pass. The important thing is that you look for small, simple steps you can take to get you back in the game.

Much love,

Jane