Just Another Day

For about the past month or so, I’ve been working on a refresh for The Meteor Chef. I spent the weekend finalizing everything and have been working through the evening to prepare for a launch tomorrow morning. As it goes, one of the new recipes I’m writing isn’t working as I’d expected. Instead of panicking, I’m going to just revisit it in the morning.

Carrying this lighter attitude is actually a big deal (for me). Had this happened a year or more ago, I’d be freaking out. When I was on the brink of doing something—launching a new project, a site for a client, etc—if anything went wrong, I’d become a nervous wreck. Over time, though, something interesting started to happen: I let go.

There’s this notion that launching something needs to be this big spectacle. Fireworks, people screaming in the streets, a thousand high fives. But really, it’s just another day. Sure, people care. The exceptional ones will congratulate you, but most will take in whatever you’ve made—something you’ve invested hours, weeks, months, even years into—acknowledge it, and move on.

The first few times you go through it, it’s kind of upsetting. You think, “how can nobody care?!” They do. But the story you’ve built up in your mind is equivalent to that scene in Ferris Bueller’s Day Off where everyone is dancing in the street. You think that day will be the big wrap party, but really, it’s just another day.

Remembering this when I go to release anything new is helpful. It’s so easy to get caught up in that singular moment that you fail to realize that outside of you (and perhaps your team), your big moment is just one of a thousand moments in the lives of others interacting with your stuff. Over-investing emotionally (even financially) in this moment never really pays off. Instead, it’s best to put yourself in the shoes of those other people and realize that it’s just another day.

If I run into a snag or two that will derail my plans, I’ll just take a deep breath, relax, and accept that perhaps tomorrow is better. Freaking out over that moment being delayed robs it of the joy it can bring. After all, it’s just another day.