Regaining Footing in Life

Last week, everything in my life seemed off. I felt myself losing my footing.

It started small – my plant delivery arrived late; by morning, a deer had eaten an entire planter.

Then it stacked. My kids needed extra help with schoolwork. The kitchen needed constant cleaning. I kept missing workouts. Work appeared heavier than usual. The house was loud and cluttered.

Nothing catastrophic, just the weight of many small things.

I felt like I was spinning—like I had lost my footing. And in those moments, regaining footing in life doesn’t come from fixing everything at once, it starts much smaller.

Don’t Fix it All

My instinct is to fix everything, replace my flowerpots, get a tutor for the girls, and hire additional help at home. Of course, many of the fixes would require more time and income. Not something I could do in one snap without making some adjustments.

In the past, I would try to restart everything at once: get back on the workout plan, clean the whole house, refocus at work, and be more present when helping with math equations involving derivatives.

Regaining Footing in Life Starts with the Basics

There’s a reason Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs starts with the basics.  

Food. Sleep. A functioning space. Showing up where it matters.

When you’re off balance, you don’t jump to peak performance.
Return to your foundation of stability first.

Stability comes before momentum.

Choose One Thing

In those weeks, it’s important to pick one thing that can improve stability.

The concept of focusing on one thing is something I have been doing since the pandemic. I read the book  The One Thing.

The book opens with a Russian proverb:

If you chase two rabbits…you will not catch either one.

Don’t try everything. Focus on one thing to regain balance. Once you’re steady, add more.

Maybe it’s

• getting one workout this week.
• Going to bed earlier and getting 8 hours of sleep.
• Deciding that cleaning the kitchen once a day is good enough.
• Logging on and doing the next right thing at work.

Momentum doesn’t come from doing everything; it comes from doing something.

Small Wins Build Momentum and Regain Footing in Life

When I started, I had no idea how hard the training would be and the setbacks I would endure.

What I learned wasn’t speed—it was endurance, and how to keep going even when I felt like I was losing my footing.

Slow and steady wins the race, which is true.

One completed task turns into two.
One good day turns into a better week.
Not because life suddenly got easier.

But because I stopped spiraling and started moving with one win at a time.

Closing

Suppose you’re in a week where nothing feels like it’s clicking. Don’t aim for perfection.
Aim for stability.

Find one thing you can complete today and start there.
Don’t overthink whether it is the right step; regaining your footing isn’t dramatic.

It’s quiet.
It’s steady.

And it’s how you begin finding your footing again.
Before you know it, you will be back in balance.