The Elevator Pep Talk That Changed Everything

You don’t have to love the moment you’re in. But how you show up in it changes what comes next and who you become.

Let me take you back to a moment in time where I felt stuck, hated my job, and couldn’t see how this phase had anything to do with the life I actually wanted.

I was working in fashion.
Twelve to fourteen hour days. A 9am start could turn into a 1am finish.
It was demanding, and I was disconnected from it. I knew deep down this wasn’t it.

But at some point, I made a decision that changed everything:
If this was the phase I was in, I was going to lead myself through it—not sit in resentment, not coast, not leak energy.
This was a pit stop—not the destination.

Every morning, I’d step into the elevator and give myself a pep talk.
Not a cute affirmation. A real one. One that met me exactly where I was.

I’d say:
”Megan, this could be a great day or a really shitty one. It’s up to you.”

And as those elevator doors opened on the 11th floor, I chose.
I chose to lead myself through it.
Because if I didn’t, I knew I’d start leaking energy into every part of my life—my mindset, my body, my relationships, my future.

That job? Not even close to the dream.
But it built me.
Discipline. Perspective.
And a truth I carry everywhere: choice lives in every moment—whether you love it or not.

Sometimes the work you’re doing isn’t the dream role.
But it builds the dream version of you.
It sharpens your edge.
It fortifies your being.
And that? That lasts longer than any job title ever will.

It trained me to create alignment from within—before anything around me looked how I wanted it to. That moment mattered.
Even though it didn’t look like “the right road,” it became a bridge to the life I was building.

---

We spend so much time waiting to feel lit up by our lives.
We chase the next job, the right title, the moment we’ll finally feel “in it.”

But here’s the truth:
You don’t have to love the moment you’re in.
You just have to decide how to show up inside of it.

That’s the shift.
That’s what builds real momentum.
That’s what separates passive waiting from active leadership.

Your ideals—your vision for your life—they come to life in phases.
And I say that as someone who’s just starting to truly touch mine.

The phases don’t always look like what you imagined.
But they shape you—if you let them.

---

Practice Until Next Week:
What’s your version of the elevator moment?
Where in your day, your work, your season—do you feel disconnected?
And what would it look like to show up anyway?

Write your own pep talk.
Make it real.
Say it before the meeting.
Say it before the run.
Say it before you open your inbox.

Say it until the way you lead yourself becomes how you move through everything.

Let this phase count.
Even if it’s not the final stop.