I had a bad day last week, one that required me to have a 48-hour “pity party.” (That’s my statute of limitations on a “pity party.”) I realized that while this incident had made me sad, my bad day didn’t even compare to what some of my friends were enduring. For example, one of my best friends found out that her husband has stage 4 lung cancer. Another friend is going through a tough divorce.

 

Now rewind a few weeks. I was “preparing” to run my third half marathon. (Preparing is in quotation marks because the longest run I did in preparation was nine miles over the course of two days). As a result, I started suffering minor panic attacks during the week of the race because I was afraid I was so undertrained that I could injure myself.

 

It’s amazing how your mind can convince yourself to NOT do something. It’s easy to think of reasons NOT to do something as opposed to taking the leap and doing it. I communicated my concerns to my “tough love” friends, and of course, they gave me every reason TO do it. The one message that pushed me over the edge was a simple text that said, “I believe in you.” Wow . . . powerful.

 

One of the great things about my job is that I get to help people. I am the first phone call some people make when they get fired or laid off. I am the phone call people make when they are pissed off at their boss and “ready to update their resume.” I’m also the person who helps people find an opportunity that might advance their career.

 

Your job is who you are. It’s your identity, and if you lose that or decide to move on to greener pastures, there is a grieving process that must happen. Sadness and anger are very valid emotions.

 

Back to my “pity party.” After 48 hours, I looked sadness square in the face and said, “ENOUGH”.  This half marathon was a great excuse to remind myself that I am a “badass.” I am much stronger than a bad day.

 

I dug deep and showed up to the start line.  As I’m running, I can’t stop thinking about my friend Lisa. She lost her job in November due to a major downsizing and two weeks later, she lost her mother to cancer. Now, just a few months later, she found out that her husband has stage 4 cancer. My bad day doesn’t even COMPARE to this. Lisa was the reason I was running.

 

All you can do when it hurts is keep putting one foot in front of the other. Eventually, you will reach that finish line.  To help you reach that point, make sure you have “tough love” friends who won’t let you quit and will raise you up when you’re feeling sad. Make sure you have a support system that believes in you.

 

And most importantly, keep reminding yourself that you are a complete “badass” and are tougher than your worst day.