From time to time we all have “one of those days” – or possibly weeks (!) – where nothing quite goes to plan. Or we can’t even seem to do the simplest thing. And, for some inexplicable reason, it’s usually something we’ve done 100’s or 1000’s of times before without a second thought. Then, out of the blue, we just don’t seem able to do it. The good news is that we will tomorrow – or the next day (!) – when normal service resumes….
So, if this is you – or someone you know – then please just stop for a minute.
Ignore the Little Monster in your Head – or any armchair critics in the vicinity (!) – and take a deep breath. Or even two.
Regardless of how you may feel at the moment – or how it may look – you are doing a good job. Yes, you really are doing a good job.
Then let the tension go. Smile to yourself or at someone else. Perhaps have a little laugh to yourself at the vagaries of life and the human condition. You are doing a good job.
Life is all about up’s and down’s. Ebb and flow. There are always going to be some days – or tasks – that don’t quite go to plan. Despite all our best efforts. Perhaps from factors completely outside our control. Or, maybe, when we’re just not firing on all cylinders or feeling 100%. And that’s fine.
The trick is not to beat yourself up about it. Or anyone else. Just let it be ok. Or “one of those days”.
And once you do something magical happens. You stop trying to force things to happen in the way you think they should. Or making yourself do things that – if you’re completely honest – your heart simply isn’t in that day. And that’s fine.
Just do the things you can do that day. Tomorrow is a brand new day.
You are doing a good job. Yes, you really are doing a good job.
And, while you’re letting yourself off the hook, why not do the same for those around you?
In any situation – and regardless of how it may seem to those around them – we are each doing the best we can at that particular moment. It doesn’t matter what anyone else thinks about it. Or the way in which it’s being done. Whether it could have been done differently – or not at all (!).
For every person in every moment, they’re doing the best that they can. Full stop. End of story.
Just because they’ve chosen to act – or react – in a particular way this time, it doesn’t mean they have to do exactly the same thing again in the future. After all, however similar a situation may seem, each one is unique. All possibilities are open. To act / react in the same – or similar – way or do things differently.
So, rather than letting the Little Monster in your Head go straight into the “Judgement game” – which quickly leads on to the perennially favourite “Blame Game”, “It wasn’t me guv, it was them” – how about taking a deep breath. Repeating this little mantra to yourself. Everyone is always doing the best that they can. Yes, everyone is really doing the best they that they can.
By choosing not to be swept away in all the madness, you’ll remain in control of your life. Not only does this make life easier for you, but those around you too. While it may not always be easy to cut people a little slack, it reduces your stress levels no end. And this should be a huge incentive to do it in itself.
Even better, by being more accepting – and forgiving – of others when things go awry, you’ll find that people return the compliment. And, however much we may like to think the opposite, none of us are perfect (!).
More often than not, those who help us aren’t the ones we’ve helped in the past. They’re simply passing on the kindness they’ve received from others. It’s then up to us to pass it on and so the chain continues, unbroken. A little kindness really does help the world go round.
Everyone is always doing the best that they can. And that includes you too…
As always, the choice is yours.
Copyright © 2026 Elaine Smart, Smart Holistics. All rights reserved.
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