What it really means to give 100%
My energy is everything in my job. When I'm on stage or leading sessions, my energy drives the energy in the room, so if I want to create the best environment possible, I need to show up at my best. So when I'm having a day when my energy is lower than usual, I can get really discouraged and down on myself.
A couple months back, I had an absolute trainwreck of a morning right before a big speaking engagement.
It was just one thing after another: I slept poorly and woke up tired. I felt like I was coming down with something. While I was getting ready, I thought I was running ahead of schedule until I realized that the clock in the hotel room was more than 20 minutes behind. I ordered room service for breakfast and it was delayed, so between that and the clock mishap, I had to scarf down my breakfast and hardly had time to eat. On top of all of that, I felt like my makeup and hair just weren’t cooperating.
Have you ever had a day like that?
By the time my driver texted me to let me know he was at my hotel to pick me up, the negative self-talk was in full swing. I kept telling myself that there was no possible way I could do my best in my speech that morning because of the night and morning I’d had, and I was feeling really discouraged about it.
But then, I remembered something my therapist told me. She said that when I have days where my energy is at 50% (or 30% or 20%, etc.) of what it usually is, that’s still my 100% for that day. She told me that it’s not fair to compare today’s 100% with what passed for 100% on a different day with a completely different set of circumstances.
I realized that all morning, I had been comparing myself to a version of me who didn't wake up tired, who didn't have a malfunctioning alarm clock, who didn’t scarf down her breakfast, and who wasn't feeling under the weather. Of course that version of me would feel better. Of course that version of me would feel like she was capable of doing her best.
Before I left my hotel room, I gave myself a pep talk in the mirror. I looked myself in the eye and said, “I'm going to give 100% today. Even though it’s only a fraction of what I can usually give, it’s today’s 100%. I'm going to give all I've got, and that's all I can do, and it’s great.”
Even though I still felt like I was operating at a lower energy level than normal, my pep talk worked. In the end, I felt really good about what I was able to give that day, and the feedback I received after my keynote confirmed it: I got an immediate positive response from the audience and glowing reviews in the feedback my client received from the event survey. It turned out that no one could tell that I was feeling off except for me.
I’m sharing this to remind you that no matter how hard we try, we all have days when we’re not operating at full capacity. And that is okay. That is human. On those days, instead of comparing ourselves to who we are when everything goes right, we need to give ourselves the space and grace to be human. Whatever you've got to give that day is your 100%. That's all you can ask for, it’s the best you can do, and it’s great.
I hope this post inspires you to embrace your humanity. And speaking of being human . . .
Next week is our team’s Break Week, so you won’t see a blog in your inbox! Our entire team has the week off to recharge so that we can continue to give you our best. I’ve actually been on vacation for the last two weeks (I took time off to go to Portugal with my husband, bonus daughter, and sister) and so today’s post and last week’s post were scheduled before I left. But during Break Week, we take a break from the blog completely to give our team a chance to pause on everything. It’s our reminder to you that we are human, too, and we all need breaks.
See you back here on July 8th, and until then, remember: Whatever you’ve got to give today is your 100%, and it’s awesome!
Big hugs,
