Every Cell Said Stay Home

Facing Fears

This week my body had a full sensory resistance to not want to go to a networking event. Didn’t know a single person who’d be there. Every cell within me felt exhausted and drained before going. As I was telling my family, they said I just shouldn’t go then.

Part of me really wanted to listen to them.

What this kind of thing is really about is being willing to push past something that is incredibly bothering you… where everything within you does not want to go through with it. Could be an ice bath. Could be a bungee jump. Could be a room full of strangers.

What’s the same in all of them is this: there are two voices. One is the discomfort voice… loud, dominant, feels like the truth. And then there’s the one in the back of your mind… quieter… saying you know this is gonna be worth it.

The discomfort of going almost always loses to the regret of not going.

That’s the one worth listening to.

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The Habit

I noticed this week how much I just want to get things done. The urge to hustle and push is kind of… always there. Even now, being home with family I haven’t seen in a long time.

I kept catching myself wanting to text clients, make content, prep for Mexico. When what was actually in front of me was my family.

I know this is a small sliver of time. What comes next is a completely different chapter. So I’ve been forcing myself to be bored. Board games. Sunbathing. Walks. Making food. Enjoying the moments that aren’t really anything except good.

It’s easy to forget that it’s not always about getting the next thing done. Knowing when a special moment is in front of you… and just being okay with where you are… that’s actually the harder skill.

That’s happiness.

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Pay It Forward

This works in any setting… business, social, doesn’t really matter. Two questions that stack up a lot of goodwill and make the other person feel genuinely seen.

First: “How can I help you?”

Simple. But most people don’t ask it. They assume. They try to figure out what someone needs without actually checking.

Then, once they’ve answered something, go one layer deeper: “What can I do right now that would help? Do I need to text someone? Schedule something? Send you something today?”

That second question is what creates real momentum. It makes the help immediate instead of speculation.

We’re not mind readers. Asking what someone actually wants… and then making it tangible on the spot… gives you a far better sense of what you’re actually supposed to be doing for the people in your life.

You never really know what the answer will be either. Sometimes it’s professional. Sometimes it’s just “I’d love to be friends.” Either way, you’ve given someone the experience of being asked… and that matters more than people realize.

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From the Week

1. The networking event

I almost didn’t go.

My body was full-on exhausted. Not even a week back in the US, still jet lagged. I wasn’t going to know a single person who’d be in that room. And it was a huge battle within my head and body about what I should do. I was putting on nice clothes to look presentable, and in that moment thinking… what the heck am I doing? Am I actually about to go right now? I feel like crap.

But I went.

And as soon as I got in the car… it was still really uncomfortable. My breath was unstable the whole drive. Thirty minutes. I didn’t even know where to park when I got there. Just a little bit of a chaotic experience… breath unstable, body kind of trembling the whole way.

When I finally parked, I sat in the car and took some breaths.

And then as soon as I found the elevator and walked in… all of the pain and discomfort just went away.

There was already someone in there. I didn’t know him. And I thought, you know what, let’s just go for it. We got talking before we even reached the floor. He ended up being the first of a room full of amazing people… Minnesotans, mostly. People who were so curious about me, what I’d been doing, that I’d just left Vietnam.

By the end I was so proud and so fulfilled and so excited. I felt special and unique as I connected with people.

Then I got invited to a private mastermind the next morning. And from that, a speaking gig.

All of it… because I got in the car.

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2. Sleep and the small stuff

I had a conversation with my family about sleep. How the little daily habits stack up and affect it.

Not just wind-down routines. Everything from the moment you wake up… what you do first, whether you eat, how many coffees, what you’re eating throughout the day.

I was watching my stepfather and noticing how easy it is to get caught up in the stuff that feels normal. A little creamer in the coffee. Some processed sugars throughout the day. No real wind-down after work. Small things that don’t seem like they’d matter.

But they do. Sleep quality affects your emotions, your executive function, your ability to show up for the people around you. It touches everything.

Such a small tweak. Such a wide reach.