A day in the life : Day 400

This week started with a simple mistake that somehow managed to eat up two full days. I sent the wrong version of a report to a client — nothing major, but it had outdated data. The moment I realized it, that sinking feeling hit hard. It wasn’t about the error itself, but the thought of how careless it looked.

The old me would’ve overreacted — replayed the whole thing in my head, felt embarrassed for days. But this time, I just accepted it. I owned up to the mistake, fixed it, and sent the updated file with a short apology. The client didn’t even seem bothered. The panic was all in my head.

That’s when it hit me — most of the stress we feel doesn’t come from situations, but from how we imagine people will react. We build up worst-case scenarios that rarely happen. Half the pressure we live under is self-made.

After that, I started noticing how often I hold myself to impossible standards. Expecting zero errors, perfect timing, flawless communication — all the things that make work feel heavier than it needs to be.

Now, I’m trying to aim for “done right” instead of “done perfectly.” It’s a small shift, but it changes everything. You start working with a clear head instead of constant fear. Mistakes still happen, but they don’t stick around as long. And that, I think, is what growth really looks like.