A few weeks ago I had a pretty wild week.

It was a time where I could have been really tempted to REACT (Which I have definitely done in the past), but I chose, day after day, to RESPOND with a healthy attitude and perspective.

I'd like to share a few of my posts from Instagram from the first 7 days of my 30-day challenge. Which, incidentally was the “wonder week” of craziness you’ll read about. (The 30 day challenge is just something I decided to do for myself, to help me focus on my goals for the end of the year.)

I think you’ll find my experience encouraging for you, and maybe even help you remember that life brings unexpected (and messy!) situations, and each time we have an opportunity to choose our mindset and attitude:)

It's actually kind of hilarious when you read each post from the day before and then find out what happens the next day. Little did I know what was in store each new day!

And please, feel more than free to share your own messy stories in the comments! I'd love to hear!

“It's not what happens to you that matters, it's the MEANING you attach to it that matters.”

– Ed Mylett

FYI: You’ll notice from the quotes that I've been listening to a TON of Ed Mylett's podcast. So freaking good. Check it out HERE.

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☀️Day 1 of 30:☀️

I’ve been very convicted lately about my work ethic.

Yes, I’ve been working hard, especially given the circumstances (newborn baby, lack of sleep, multiple sicknesses, full plate of client work, building online course, etc.), but I know that I’m capable of MORE.

🏔🧗🏻‍♂️

“Are you living at your MAXIMUM POTENTIAL today?”

💪🏻💥

If I’m being honest, I know that deep down I have more to give. And that realization motivates me to take things up a level.

🙌🏻

It’s a familiar feeling:

Keeping a reserve in the tank “just in case”, instead of giving my goals everything I’ve got, which seems noble at first, but in reality it’s rooted in FEAR.

😳

Fear that if I give 100%, it won’t be enough.

😞

BUT I’ve got a perspective shift:
I already KNOW I’m not enough for the next level!

I already know that I need to become MORE; and the growth required to break through is just part of the process!

🤔

So there’s no more feeling guilty or ashamed, when I’m already expecting my capacity to be stretched beyond my current limits. With that mindset I can enjoy each new challenge that each day brings!

😎

Day 2 of 30

🤢SO. MUCH. BARF.🤮

Sometimes unexpected things happen. ADAPT & SMILE!

🤷🏻‍♂️

Wake up early. Get ready quick. Work out. Take dog on walk while doing morning affirmations & prayer. Get fired up for my responsibilities today...

CHANGE GEARS!

🚨

Instead of recording video lessons for my course #PortableDesignAcademy, I take Elliot from an exhausted @shannyclats so she can sleep for a few hours.

😴

I change him. Walk over to set him in his rocker... and SPLOOSH!!!
As soon as I put his binky in his mouth, literally ALL the milk he just ate explodes from his mouth all over him, my arm, and the floor where we’re standing!

😂

But instead of freaking out and thinking, “This derails my entire well-planned morning!” I fall back on one of my beliefs: “My family are not obstacles or inconveniences to my goals, they are the REASON for my goals.”

👏🏻

And so I keep a cool head, laugh it off, change the little guy into some clean clothes, and prep a bottle of new milk since he’ll probably be hungry again soon.

🍼

“Is your problem the problem? Or is your ATTITUDE about the problem your problem?”

@JoyceMeyer

😳

No matter how well we plan our lives, unexpected things happen; in family, business, finances, health, relationships... and while we can’t change our circumstances, we have TOTAL control over our attitude and perception of our problems.

🤔

I want to encourage you that whatever happens today, choose to be positive, joyful, hopeful, and level-headed. — You’ve GOT this!

😎

Day 3 of 30:

“BARF PART 2”

🤢🤮🐶

“The problem in life is that you think you're NOT supposed to have problems. BUT there are problems & challenges at EVERY level of life. What’s important is that we are AWARE that these are going to happen and that we take away the right MEANING from those challenges.” – Ed Mylett

👏🏻

Last night, our dog Mylo threw up about 8 or 9 times.
He threw up another 3 times this morning.

🤮🐶

He started licking everything like crazy, which we know from past experience means he feels queasy, and he stood at the front door looking desperate.

😳

So I quickly grabbed his leash and then we both sprinted down 3 flights of stairs to get outside so he could throw up, eat a ton of grass to settle his stomach, and throw up again.

🏃🏻‍♂️🤢

He did this 3-4 more times, with us coming back upstairs, then rushing back down.
Oh & he pooped at least twice.

💩

Good for a workout. Not so good for a “relaxing evening” after a 10 hour day full of design work, in-person training sessions, caring for baby, cleaning the house, making dinner, etc.

😅

All I wanted at that point was to rest & spend time with Shannon & Elliot.

But rather than getting frustrated & complaining like I’ve done in the past, I kept remembering the #MAXOUT concept Ed Mylett talks about:

Giving your maximum effort every single time, & living to your maximum potential every single day.

🏔

I decided on a perspective shift:

When Elliot is having a hard time, like yesterday, or when Mylo is acting clingy & throws up, or when I spend the evening taking care of the house after a long day of work so that Shannon can continue to recover, it doesn’t make me mad or resentful.

🙅🏻‍♂️

Instead, my new first thought is, “They NEED me. And I can meet their needs in a way that NOBODY else on earth can. Elliot only has ONE father, & I’m the only one who can demonstrate what it means to be a world-class dad to him.”

🥇

I’m the #1 model of what a father, a husband, & a man should be for my family.

And so I choose to LEAD by chasing the BEST version of myself each & every day, & by allowing every challenge to teach me & strengthen me.

💪🏻

Today’s thought:

“Am I living to my FULL POTENTIAL in this moment?”

Day 4 of 30:

Poop and Barf and Carpet, OH MY!

💩

I used to think that I would get punished by the “universe” if I ever took a day off, took a break for myself, got extra sleep, or relaxed in any way.

😰

Can you relate?

🤷🏻‍♂️

This fear ends up being a self-fulfilling prophesy many times because we tend to have a bias toward validating our core beliefs, good or bad.

And because I believed I wasn’t allowed to rest, when something bad happened, I would think, “SEE, I knew this would happen!”

😫

It’s very similar to the “This is why we can’t have nice things.” belief.
At the core of it was a belief that I wasn’t WORTHY of rest, relaxation, or enjoyment.

🤭

This belief kept me from taking much-needed time from my work, sick days, and even just enjoying the free time I had when I DID take time off! It was so hard for me to not be worrying even while I was “relaxing” with Shannon and family.

🙅🏻‍♂️

Why would I do this? Here’s why?

👇🏻

“We get out of life what we believe we are WORTH.”

– Ed Mylett

🤯

I didn’t think I was WORTHY of rest.

But I’ve worked really hard on changing my belief in this area.

So when I woke up and the house reeked because Mylo had diarrhea by the front door and had chewed up a 2-foot section of carpet, I was SELF-AWARE enough to not blow up and use this as “proof” why I shouldn’t have slept more to rest up from yesterday.

Instead I chose to RESPOND not REACT, and to have EMPATHY and take RESPONSIBILITY.

💪🏻

Or as Shannon would say,

“Just handle it!”

😎

This could’ve derailed my day, but I’m recognizing it as an opportunity to GROW and LEAD. I changed the MEANING of the situation from “disaster” to “I have a chance to LEVEL-UP.”

Day 5 of 30: 🌊Momentum Creates Momentum

🔥

I’ve said it before in my book STEP 0:

Creating momentum in one area of life will help you create momentum in the other areas where you feel stuck.

💪🏻

I felt paralyzed for months to make more than little steps of progress on my online course, Portable Design Academy, but what has got me out of a rut has been the discipline and follow-through I’ve applied to other areas.

👏🏻

Waking up early has been HUGE for me.

It makes me feel awesome that I’ve got self control and provides me with uninterrupted quiet time to be productive. And it gives me time for my morning routine, which gets me in a mindset to kick butt and take action each day.

🌄

Just that small change has created a big impact and helped me remove one of my biggest excuses for not taking action: “I don’t have TIME.” I’ve been able to record close to 20 video lessons so far!

⏰

the feeling of accomplishment I get from making progress is SO much greater than the comfort of staying in bed 90min longer.

😎

If you’re feeling stuck, it might be helpful to stop banging your head against the wall, stop feeling guilty, and instead start creating momentum in a different area.

Wake up early, get physically active, change your diet, start KEEPING PROMISES to yourself by following through on what you say you would do, and you will begin to grow in confidence massively!

🙌🏻🙌🏻🙌🏻

Day 6 of 30:

Two Months off social media was actually really nice 😊

🙅🏻‍♂️📱

It gave me an opportunity to stop comparing myself to other people’s successes, failures, and journeys.

🤦🏻‍♂️

Being inspired is amazing, but it’s entirely possible to see so much of other people’s highlight reels that “inspirational” content actually makes us feel WORSE.

😅

Especially when we spend more time LOOKING at inspiration than we do ACTING in response to inspiration.

Reminds me of one of my favorite quotes:

“Looking at art is not the same thing as making art.”

– Frank Chimero

😳

Taking a social media break allowed me to focus on what I needed to take action on, without the pressure of feeling like I had to put up posts that would make people perceived in a certain way.

💯

It helped me be more productive, have more peace of mind, be more present, and I got actual stuff done that moved me closer to my goals!

🙌🏻

Have you ever taken a break like this? I’m interested to hear your thoughts!

😊

Day 7 of 30:

Success Tax:

“Everyone wants success but not everyone is willing to pay the price to get it.
So every time you fail or face trouble or things don’t go right, don’t be bummed, because you’ve just checked off another box under success tax and you’re that much closer to getting where you want to be.”

@deangraziosi

👏🏻

I hope you find these inspiring!

It just goes to show:

“Things happen FOR us, not TO us.”

– Ed Mylett

Thanks for reading!

I’d love to invite you to join the rest of the Frontrunners Community and follow me on Instagram.

That’s basically my “micro-blog”, where you can get more regular updates, totally transparent stories about adventures like these above, as well as quotes and success tips I’m learning along the way.

Stoked to run with you.

– Nathanael