September 12, 2025
Every day here, I share a Thought of the Day and Question of the Day, not because I’ve got life figured out, but because I’m trying to figure it out right alongside you. Today’s thought is about carrying your weight even when others don’t, and today’s question asks us to take a hard (and maybe funny) look at the lies we keep telling. Together, they make for an uncomfortable but honest reflection: responsibility and honesty are easier to demand from others than to demand from ourselves.
Thought of the Day: Do your job even if others refuse to do theirs
I’ll be honest, this one gets under my skin. There’s something infuriating about showing up, pulling your weight, and watching others check out or coast. It feels unfair, like the whole game is rigged against the people who care. But here’s the truth I’ve had to choke down: if I start letting other people’s lack of effort dictate my own, I’m not actually punishing them, I’m punishing myself.
Think about it: if I slack off because someone else did, I don’t get my work done. My reputation suffers. My pride in myself takes a hit. The person who shirked their responsibility? They might not even notice. But I notice. And I carry it.
Doing your job when others don’t isn’t about them, it’s about you. It’s about deciding who you want to be, regardless of whether the world claps for you or not.
If motivation is on your mind, you might like this post about unshackling fear and motivation.
Question of the Day: What’s a lie you keep telling people?
Oof. This one stings a little. Because if I’m being truthful, most of us have a “harmless” lie we tell to make life smoother.
Maybe it’s “I’ll be there in five minutes” when you haven’t even left the house yet.
Maybe it’s “I loved that book” when you only skimmed the back cover.
Maybe it’s “I don’t mind” when you really, really do.
Me? One of mine is “I’ll start tomorrow.” Whether it’s working out, fixing something around the house, or starting that one project I keep daydreaming about, “tomorrow” has become a surprisingly busy place in my life. If everything I promised myself would start “tomorrow” actually started, I’d be the busiest, most productive human on the planet. Instead, I’ve got a dozen home improvement project waiting, a pile of golf clubs gathering dust, and a mental list of things I’ll totally, definitely, probably start on Monday.
I once asked about driving pet peeves about the things that get under our skin. But what about the lies that sit quietly in our pockets, the ones that aren’t malicious but still weigh us down? Those little fibs, whether to others or to ourselves, create clutter. And just like physical clutter, if you don’t deal with it, it starts taking up more space than it deserves.
So maybe today is about doing your job even when others don’t and doing the harder job of being honest with yourself. Because sometimes the work we’re refusing to do is just facing the truth.
Bringing It Together
The Thought of the Day and Question of the Day might seem like two separate tracks—one about responsibility, one about honesty, but they’re linked. Doing your job is about owning your part of the story. Telling the truth (especially to yourself) is about owning your words. Both require courage, and both are easier said than done.
So, I’ll ask you: what’s a lie you keep telling people? And more importantly—are you willing to do your job of facing it today?
👉 Drop your answer in the comments below. Or, if you’d rather keep it private, join my free daily email where we tackle these questions together one day at a time. Sign up here.