You Are Not Defined by Your Bad Days

Do you ever have those days when nothing seems to go right? You lose the battle with the alarm clock, your schedule is thrown into chaos, and motivation is nowhere to be found. These “bad days” can leave me questioning my productivity, my goals, and if I’m meeting the standard I set for myself. The positive thing about these situations is you are not defined by your bad days. They are a blip on the radar of life, not a reflection of who you are or what you’re capable of achieving.

I experienced one of these days recently. Within the first minute of waking up, 45 minutes late, my schedule was already turned on its head. My original plan was to get up and get straight to the bike for an hour ride. Getting my workouts in during the morning window is crucial to setting the tone for the rest of my day. My wife is due in three weeks and has had miserable nights of sleep recently. I have been getting my workouts in extra early to ensure I’m up with my son so my wife can sleep later. Doing the mental math when I woke up, I immediately realized the timing wouldn’t work. I had to push the bike later in the day.

Instead, I started working on some business tasks, hoping to salvage the morning with a bit of productivity. I made some small progress, but the break in routine was still nagging me. I went on with a normal morning, got through work meetings, and had another window of opportunity to either bike or write in the afternoon. However, I was still in that mental funk. The energy and focus I typically rely on was not there. My mood and creativity continued to plummet from the morning. To get it back, I decided to skip the bike ride entirely, skip writing, and work on some small house tasks that have been lingering. I was desperate to salvage some feeling of accomplishment for the day. I checked off some small wins, mainly organizing the new baby’s room, but still couldn’t shake the nagging feeling that I was wasting the day.

The entire day I sat on the question, “What makes a bad day feel like this? What’s the why behind it?”. After some thought, the answer I came up with is it stems from a fear that these off days define who I am. On normal days when I feel like I’m crushing workouts, flowing through work, and managing family obligations with joy, I feel like I am at my best. Actually I KNOW that’s when I’m at my best. I define myself as a person who is disciplined, productive, and relentlessly chasing my goals. But on bad days, the fear creeps in and whispers, “Am I slipping? Am I becoming lazy? Am I not the person I believe I am?”

Sitting with these thoughts, I realized that the key to overcoming a bad day is giving yourself grace. A single off day doesn’t undo your progress or define your character. It’s a temporary dip, not a permanent state. The fear of being defined by these moments can feel defeating, but it’s also unfounded. Bad days are part of creating who you want to be, not a reflection of your worth.

What’s amazing is how quickly you can bounce back. In my case, the turnaround came the next day. I laid out a plan for the following morning. I needed a challenge day, something to keep me moving and focused so I didn’t have time to dwell on the previous day. I woke up at 430, immediately completed my one-hour bike ride before work, and even snuck in a lifting session in the gym at the office during lunch.

The result? The shift in mindset I needed. I was back on the attack, flowing through each step in the day with energy and focus. I was back to myself again.

Bad days don’t leak into the next day unless you let them. Go on the attack, sharpen your edge, keep them isolated. My daily routine revolves around training being the cornerstone of my success. Starting the day with a workout completely changes my mood, energy, and focus and carries me through anything life throws my way. Training reminds me that I’m in control, that I don’t cave to temporary negative emotions because of one bad day.

If you find yourself in a similar rut, here’s what I recommend: sit with it. Examine those thoughts. What is causing the anxiousness? Then, create a plan for the next day to get back to being the best version of yourself. Create a challenge day and take it down with authority. Remind yourself you are not your worst moments. You are the person you define yourself as, and you can go out and prove it any given day.

You are not defined by your bad days.