2025 January 14 Give yourself grace too

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Hi, this is Jim Cranston from 7EveryMinute and 7EveryMinute.com, the podcast and website about reimagining your life. Thanks for joining me today to talk about the importance of giving yourself a little grace, especially when you don’t really feel like it. Let’s dive in! If you like what you hear, don’t forget to leave a like, subscribe, share it with your friends, or send me a message.

This week, I want to touch on something we all deal with—giving ourselves grace, even when it’s hard. Here’s a bit of backstory to set the scene. Over the weekend, I was helping one of my brothers take down a small barn. Everything went according to plan, and there weren’t any real injuries, which was great. But I realized something along the way: I just don’t bounce back quite like I used to.

A little bit of intense physical work, combined with a busy week at my day job, ended up taking a bigger toll than I expected. It lingered into the following days, leaving me more drained than I’d hoped. Now, I could let that frustration get the better of me. I could be annoyed that I didn’t have the energy to prepare a deeply insightful show tonight. After all, I had plenty of topics lined up—like the best books and podcasts about aging (but wait, you’re already listening to the best podcast, aren’t you?), debates about pensions versus peace of mind, and even some fascinating research on how monitoring taxi drivers might be an early indicator of Alzheimer’s risk.

But I had to make a difficult decision to prioritize my health over an exciting new topic, which really ties into what we’re discussing tonight. It’s like the instruction you hear on airplanes to put on your own oxygen mask before helping others. If I’m ill or exhausted, I can’t serve you well.

For instance, I thought I’d be driving to another state this afternoon for my day job. But once again, I had to make the decision that driving in the dark while tired is not a recipe for success. This leads us to the idea of giving grace not just to others, but to ourselves as well. As we get older, we’re constantly learning new skills—and new limitations.

I used to be known as the guy who didn’t sleep much, but that has definitely changed. Along the way, I’ve also picked up a lot of wisdom, which helps me be more efficient with my time and choices. I don’t always need to push through long, exhausting days, because I’ve learned to focus on the tasks that matter most.

That said, sometimes you mis-estimate. When that happens, you need to give yourself some grace and trust that everything will still get done—it might just need a little more time. In this case, I had the foresight to make arrangements that allowed for flexibility. I contacted everyone who would be affected and let them know about the delay, so there wouldn’t be any surprises.

Of course, when things like this happen, it’s easy to get annoyed with yourself. You might feel disappointed or catch yourself thinking, I used to be able to do this. And maybe you did—but keep in mind that our memories are often selective. Maybe you only managed to do it sometimes, not all the time.

So, I’d encourage you to stay mindful of the changes that come with aging. While we do our best to prepare, life has a way of surprising us with new challenges when we least expect them. Give yourself some grace, take the opportunity to learn from the experience, and be grateful that we can still grow and share what we’ve learned with others.

That’s all for tonight. It’s a simple message, but one that feels really relevant. Sure, there are plenty of other interesting topics we could have explored, but this one comes up a lot when I talk to people. You hear things like, Oh, I used to be able to do this, or, I used to be able to do that. And maybe you did—but often it was because you didn’t have the resources or the foresight to plan ahead, so you had to push yourself harder than you should have.

Try to remember the good that comes along with life’s challenges. For your homework tonight, think of a recent time when you were frustrated with yourself for not being able to do something you used to manage easily. Now, reframe that moment. What did you learn from it, and how might you handle a similar situation in the future?

That’s it for the evening. Please stay safe and keep in mind all the struggles and unrest happening around the world. There’s a lot going on—political strife, wars, and challenges of every kind. Take care of yourselves and each other.

Also, please take a moment to check out the updated page at UKR7.com. My staff worked on it, and I think it turned out really well. The links have been reviewed and updated, so any stale ones have been replaced. These are all vetted links where you can directly support the people of Ukraine. They’re in a very difficult situation right now, and while I won’t get into the politics of it, if you look at firsthand news reports, you’ll see just how dire things are.

This brings us to World Central Kitchen. Chef José Andrés and his team do incredible work in disaster areas worldwide. They’ve even worked in war zones, but they primarily focus on areas affected by natural disasters. What’s remarkable is that they often partner with local suppliers and communities to help people rebuild and recover. It’s an amazing organization, and I highly recommend checking them out at WCK.org.

As we often discuss, there are so many ways to give back. It’s not just about supporting international causes—there are local charities, organizations, and even small gestures you can offer in your own community. Whether it’s your time, your resources, or simply your kindness, it all makes a difference. If you’re not in a position to donate or volunteer, remember that one of the best ways to care for yourself is by caring for others. A simple greeting, like saying good morning to someone who looks down, can change their entire day.

So, if you can, check out UKR7.com or WCK.org. And if nothing else, make an effort to brighten someone’s day in your own way. As always, thank you for stopping by. If you found this useful or interesting, please share it, subscribe, and hit that like button. If not, leave me a comment and let me know what you’d like to hear. Have a wonderful week. Remember to live the life you’ve dreamed of—that’s the path to true contentment. Love and encouragement to everyone. See you next week on 7EveryMinute and 7EveryMinute.com.