I have a lot to do today. My brain is tired. My body is tired. My bed is calling my name. It’s hard to feel excited, motivated, or inspired at the end (or even beginning) of a busy day with a lot of scary tasks on the docket. With that in mind, I thought I’d share some of the pep talks I like to give myself when I’m feeling daunted, in the hopes that we both walk away from this feeling a little more invigorated.

You’re okay. There’s this moment when I’m running when my heart hits maximum capacity and my brain starts to panic. It thinks we’re dying. It thinks we’re in a life-or-death situation, and we can’t possibly go on any further. I literally have to say aloud, you’re okay. No matter what it feels like, I’m not actually fighting for my life at this moment. No matter how stressful or overwhelmed I feel, I am safe. I am okay. I can go on further.

We’re just in the first half of the progress video. I love Instagram reels that show people’s progress over months and years, whether it’s a fitness journey, or their book’s progress, or even a hair growth journey. I love them. I love being reminded that growth takes time, and it’s often invisible on the day-to-day. But as long as we’re moving forward, it’s happening. Writing half a chapter here or part of a newsletter there feels so impossibly slow. But over time, it builds. Let it build.

I am a machine. This is the mantra I live by. Often what cripples me or terrifies me out of a task is emotion. I let my feelings get too big and take over my rational brain. And sometimes, the feelings need to be quiet so I can work. So, I tell myself I am a machine. I don’t break. I don’t bend. I don’t stop. I go and I go and I go until the work is done.

(Disclaimer: Don’t bottle your emotions. Wrangle them when they’re getting too wild, but do not bottle).

Growth is terrifying. Change is terrifying. Work is terrifying. If anyone tries to tell you that these things are easy or always exciting, you should be skeptical. We don’t do these things because they’re easy. We do them because they’re necessary.

And with that in mind, I’m going to tackle my to-do list. You should, too.