Some months feel like steps backward. Sales dip, streaks stall, and losses pile up. Gratitude and process are what keep me steady — even in the hard times.
Today my to-do list surfaced a reminder I set a long time ago: “Be thankful for the hard times.” It landed on the perfect day.
Results are not great. Apple Spice looks like it will finish around $60,000 this month when I thought our new floor was $80,000 after DOGE. Kool Collectibles has gone 12 days without a sale. The Colts dropped both games of a doubleheader and looked more like the Bad News Bears than a travel team. I feel stuck. I also feel a little depressed about it.
Here is what I know. Feeling stuck is part of the journey. Going backward happens. The work does not always reward you on your timeline. On days like this, gratitude is not a mood. It is a discipline that keeps me from throwing out the process that will actually get me where I want to go.
I am grateful for my health. I slept well last night. My kids love me. My wife loves me. My family loves me. I have the freedom to shape my time. None of that fixes a slow sales month or a losing weekend. It gives me a solid floor to stand on while I keep going.
When results sag, I try to do three things:
Tell the truth. Sales are slow. Listings are quiet. The team played poorly. Naming it keeps me honest and focused.
Shrink the target. One solid Apple Spice outreach block. One improved listing and one price check for Kool Collectibles. One crisp Colts practice on defense and base running. Small wins start momentum.
Protect the process. Consistency beats mood. I can feel low and still keep the habits that move the needle.
“Be thankful for the hard times” does not mean pretending this is fun. It means seeing hard days as part of the cost of a meaningful life. The struggle is the thing that forges skill, patience, and perspective. Gratitude keeps me from quitting. Process keeps me from drifting. Together they keep me moving forward, even when the scoreboard says otherwise.
Even on days when the scoreboard looks bad, I can still do things that change my energy. Today I went rowing and came back feeling different — lighter, more focused. I know a walk in the woods can do the same, or cooking a good meal. These rituals remind me that I’m not powerless.
I can’t control the sales cycle or the outcome of every game. But I can control my process, my gratitude, and how I reset my spirit when things get heavy. That’s what keeps me steady in the hard times.
I will look back at this stretch and be thankful for it. Maybe not today. But I will. And when the results turn, as they always do, I will know why.
On my September 23 walk, the forest announced its changes loud and clear — walnuts thudding down in a mast year, mosquitoes in last-call mode, pawpaw perfume gone, and late-blooming smartweed still holding on. These abundance signals remind me that the woods don’t whisper their shifts; they proclaim them.
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