The three most important words I've ever heard

And don't you forget it.

This phrase been my guiding principle ever since I started listening to Tom Papa’s book on Audible. Even though I wrote this note to myself for my Wheel of Fortune auditions, I may just keep it up every day.

Here’s what Tom would tell you, paraphrased: You’re doing great. Are you wearing clean underwear? Clean-ish? There you go. Have you eaten something that was warmer than room temperature this week? You bet you have. Did you give a presentation? Did you work with colleagues, one of whom is so irritating, such a suck-up or such a complainer, but you just kept going?

Do you have a dog? I bet that dog is sleeping somewhere warm and padded right now. I bet you even picked up his/her shit this week. You picked up shit! You worked with irritating colleagues, ate warm things, and picked up shit. You’re doing great.

Tom really means it, and I mean it, too. If no one has told you lately, you are. You’re doing great. You’re working your ass off. I know you are.

I remember running into a co-worker at the mall a few months ago. This already amuses me because we still have a mall, and we were there. His wife had just given birth to their second child, and their toddler was running all over. They looked (rightly) exhausted. It’s not often I find the right words at the right moment, but I remember proclaiming, “Look at you two! You’re out and about with the kids. You’re doing great.” He beamed. “Thank you! We’re trying.” That’s it right there: You’re doing great. We’re trying.