This past week I had incredible opportunities to do several things that not only were fun but also provided QUALITY time with those that I love. However, I had one bad day in my online business that almost ruined the entire week. Please read to the end to hear my story…
As I’ve mentioned before, I am a huge sports fan. I will follow just about any sport out there, not just the major ones. Even if I don’t know a lot about the sport or about the teams playing, I will always pick a side to root for.
Well, let me tell you about this past week. I was able to go to a professional level hockey game with my wife. We love to go to hockey games because they are fast paced and loud and exciting and… yes, there are plenty of fights 🏒😖 (my wife doesn’t like those quite as much). Even though my team lost the game, I had such a great time with my wife cheering, eating snacks and just overall having lots of fun.
Then something great happened on Sunday. My second son called me and asked if I wanted to take a trip to go watch our favorite college basketball team play on Wednesday. That would mean arranging flights, getting a hotel and arranging for transportation all at the last minute. I said that we should call my other son, his brother, and invite him. He agreed and my other son actually took the day off in order to go on this trip. What made this even better is both my boys work for a major airline and we have flight privileges. I’ll tell ya, when your adult children want to spend time with you and even take time off of work, you say YES whenever possible!
We flew out Wednesday morning, spent the day eating at some of our favorite places, we went to a world class museum and then we headed to the game. The game was fantastic! The arena where our team plays is known worldwide as having one of the loudest and craziest fanbases around. We were right in the middle of it and it was exciting! Our team won by 22 points. On the way back to the hotel we stopped at another favorite place for coffee and reminisced about the game. The time I spent with my boys was magical!
Then on Friday my wife and I attended a professional tennis tournament played by the top 10 and top 20 players in the world. A very dear friend of ours invited us and we were treated to box 
seats courtside of this incredible event. I love tennis! I grew up playing tennis! All my children and my wife play tennis! It was absolutely amazing!
The very next night, if you can believe it, we had hockey tickets again and were able to repeat our experience from the previous game less than a week prior.
Finally, there’s that little event called the Super Bowl. No, we did not go to the Super Bowl. However, we made a day of it at home. Our grandkids came over and we watched the Puppy Bowl (Google it if you don’t know…it’s great!) which is prior to the Super Bowl. When my grandkids left, my wife and I watched the game with our oldest son. We did it right with all the snacks and fun decorations. We enjoyed the game and all the commercials, of course.
And then yesterday happened. I had a rough day with my online business and got some disturbing news about my TikTok account. I may touch on this in a different blog post so that we can all learn from what I experienced. It was not a horrible day but it was not a great day either.
And the sad part is I let that one bad day ruin my entire week of greatness. I woke up this morning with a different mindset and chose to write this blog post as a reminder to myself that realistically I had a great week and that one bad day should not wreck everything.
So, what does this have to do with running an online business? Well, I’m glad you asked!
Running your own business is going to have challenges. What is often forgotten is that in the midst of all those challenges are a lot of good things. In my mind, the number one thing is freedom.
Let me explain. If I had a regular 9 to 5 job, and not working my online business, I would not have been able to drop everything to fly to go watch a college basketball team and fly back the next day. I would not have been able to take a half day off to go watch a professional tennis match. I would not have had the freedom to rearrange my schedule to make sure I could fit in two hockey games. While I was able was spend Sunday with my family watching the Super Bowl, I may not have enjoyed the whole game as I would have had been anxious about the next day as I mentally prepared for my regular 9 to 5 job.
Freedom! That’s what this online business gives me. And if I’m honest, I have had a lot more good days than bad days. In my mind, bad days are different from challenging days. Every day is a challenge. Every day presents an opportunity. Challenges can be looked at from a positive aspect.
These challenges allow me to learn. Challenges allow me to grow. Challenges allow me to help others! When I step back and think about it these challenges are what makes the good days even better!
These challenges make me feel like a professional hockey goalie. My objective is to block as many obstacles, or “pucks” if you will, from getting past me so that my team can win! Like the great goalies, there will be times where I may not be as successful as I want, but I will not let those misses deter me!
I love what I am doing right now and I have not been able to say that for a very long time. I am making a conscious decision not to allow this one bad day ruin all the greatness I experienced over a full week. There, I just documented it so I can be held accountable to not let that day define me and my online business.
How about you and how are you doing? Is your business going as planned and are you having a lot of challenges? If you are, how are you pushing past those challenges and how are you turning those challenges into positive learning opportunities? I’d love to hear from you and I’d love to know how you get past those days where things just don’t go right. Drop me a comment below with your thoughts, please.
I will be ending this blog post now so that I can go to my phone and look at all the wonderful pictures I took during my fantastic week. These pictures will remind me of the many memories that are permanently secured in my mind and in my heart, and why I am doing this online business.
“A smooth sea never made a skilled sailor.” – Franklin D. Roosevelt
“When you come to the end of your rope, tie a knot and hang on.” – Theodore Roosevelt
Bonus-because I just adore Dolly!
“Storms make trees take deeper roots.” – Dolly Parton
And of course, a few VERY BAD Dad jokes:
What’s the difference between a couch and a die-hard sports fan? The couch doesn’t scream at the TV!
Why was the baseball stadium so cold? It was full of fans!
Until next time, STAY FRESH, Friends!
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Ernie, You had an incredible week filled with family, sports, and memorable experiences, and it’s inspiring to see how you’re focusing on the good rather than letting one bad day overshadow everything. I can relate to how a single frustrating moment in an online business can feel like a major setback, but taking a step back to see the bigger picture is so important. The freedom that comes with running an online business is one of the biggest rewards, even though challenges are inevitable. I love the analogy of being a hockey goalie—every challenge is just another puck to block, and as long as we keep playing, we’re still in the game. Thanks for sharing this perspective; it’s a great reminder to celebrate wins, big and small!
Hi Atif – Thank you for your visit to my blog and I truly appreciate your kind and valuable comments. When I look back at all my weeks in this business, most of them are pretty good. They may not be as dramatic or filled with huge events like this last week, but that doesn’t devalue them in any way. You’ve got to take the bad with the good and try to learn and create opportunities from each situation. And I do feel like a hockey goalie with a puck coming in at 100 miles an hour and I only have a fraction of time to react. But I still have time to make a good decision. Again, thank you for your visit and have a fantastic week!
Hi Ernie, Your week sounds fantastic! Although not a sports fan, I can relate to what you say here. The show “Ted Lasso” pointed out to me the value sports -both participation and being a fan-has on bringing people together. It can have the opposite effect when your team loses, and can lead to conflict and fights. A good coach can turn that around as a teaching moment, for instance.
Sorry to hear about the TikTok challenge! Were you able to resolve it with a “real human being?”
Hi Kate – Whether one is a sports fan or not, one can always learn from their experiences. I just happened to have a very fun week that almost got ruined by my own self getting in the way. Unfortunately, I was not able to resolve the TikTok issue with a real human being. It seems that AI didn’t like me this time for whatever reason. I’ll get through it and learn and continue to grow because of it. Thank you for your visit to my post and I wish you a wonderful and productive week!
Ernie, It sounds like you had a truly incredible week filled with amazing experiences and cherished family moments! I love how you highlighted the importance of perspective—focusing on the positives and using challenges as opportunities to grow. It’s so easy for one bad day to overshadow everything else, but your mindset is a great reminder to not let those moments define us.
How do you stay motivated during those tough moments? What’s your go-to method for shifting your mindset when things aren’t going as planned? Would love to hear your tips!
Hi Alison – It really was a good week. I must admit that I am guilty of not always looking at the positive and may tend to dwell on the challenges I have in any given situation. I try to practice mindfulness but that is difficult sometimes. You asked a great question on how I stay motivated. I make an effort to look at the situation at hand and see if there’s anything that I can do about it in the present or possibly change for the future. I will often walk away for a little while in order to clear my thoughts and not focus on the problem. Sometimes I don’t even revisit it until the next day. And with a little clarity, I discover that oftentimes it’s not as bad as I thought. I also rely on my wife who I give full permission to put me in check when it seems that I am in a funk or not quite myself. She has a gentle nudge to get me back on track and she is such a great partner. Thank you for your visit to my blog post and for your comments! Have a fantastic week!
Hi Ernie,
What an incredible week! It’s inspiring to see how your online business gives you the freedom to enjoy these moments with your family. I love how you shifted your mindset, choosing to focus on the bigger picture instead of letting one bad day take over all the good. Challenges are part of the journey, but as you said, they help us grow. Thanks for this great reminder to appreciate the wins and keep pushing forward. Looking forward to hearing more about your TikTok experience!
Meredith
Hi Meredith – Yes it was a pretty amazing week! I am looking forward to my business expanding so that I can enjoy more freedom moments like I described in my blog post. It was hard to focus on the big picture as I did let the distraction of a bad day cloud my amazing week. Fortunately, I recovered! Here is wishing you a fantastic week as well!