When I feel like nothing’s going my way I try to cheat my brain to get a win.

I pick a low stakes task that I need to do but can’t possibly fail. Folding laundry, putting away the dishes, cleaning my inbox, whatever. Let’s say it’s folding the laundry because I hate folding the laundry and it is my Sisyphean struggle to never finish folding all the laundry.

I try to make a game out of it. Whistle each time I match a pair of socks, do a little fist bump when I hang up a dress. Something that feels fun and celebrates the fact that there’s a little bit less laundry to do with each item folded.

Then, when I’m all finished (or I just can’t take any more laundry), I take a moment to reflect on all the laundry I have dealt with. The whole is made up of lots of individual pieces, and each one is one less thing I have to deal with. I allow myself to feel good about what I have accomplished - especially on days that I didn’t finish everything.

We can’t always control it when life throws us a curve ball. But sometimes we’ve got to make our own wins. And if we don’t celebrate the wins we have, well then nothing is going right.