Today sucked.

Have you ever had one of those days?

The kind that starts wrong and keeps getting worse?

For me, it began with terrible sleep. Weird dreams. The kind where you wake up more tired than when you went to bed.

“It’s okay,” I told myself at 9:30 AM (hours past when I should have gotten up). “It’ll still be a good day.”

I was lying to myself.

Today was special. Not good special. The dangerous kind of special.

It was what Jon Acuff in his book “Finish” calls: “The Day After Perfect.”

Let’s take a look at what it actually looks like with how my day went today.

Righttttt after a quick spot for this weeks sponsor:

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Yesterday Was Magic

Yesterday I was CRUSHING it.

I had the best Monday in years. Woke up early. Worked out. Made a healthy salad. Recorded a YouTube video. ​Posted content on TikTok​ (I’m working on building the habit of posting more since I try not to use too much social media.)

But it didn’t stop there.

I helped friends with their projects. I checked in with everyone in the ​Finisher’s Club​ community.

Then something REALLY motivating happened.

When I bought Create & Go, I made a promise to myself.

I wanted to build the most welcoming place online. A place where people actually cared about each other. I wanted one of the core ways people described the community was the phrase “Unreasonably Hospitable”.

Yesterday, I started to see the proof that it was working:

I was on fire.

A total winning streak.

God, I sound like I’m bragging, don’t I?

But here’s the thing… it didn't last long.

How fast we forget the good stuff.

When Perfect Becomes Your Worst Enemy

This morning hit me like a truck.

I accidentally deleted an important folder from my computer. Gone forever.

My computer crashed from too many video files for the new YouTube video.

With zero sleep, it felt like the world was against me.

I went for a walk. I was FURIOUS with myself.

Mad at the situation. Mad at my choices. Mad that one stupid morning ruined everything.

I forgot all the good from yesterday and the days before.

Then my friend John’s words from a voice message he sent hit me: “Don’t let the day after perfect get you.”

BAM.

There it was.

I was letting one bad thing destroy everything good.

I was spiraling. One bad day would become two. Two would become three. Before I knew it, I’d want to quit everything.

Sound familiar?

The Killer Cycle (And Why It Destroys Dreams)

Here’s how it happens every time:

Step 1: The High​
You get excited. You have a plan. You can see yourself winning. Your brain lights up with possibility.

Step 2: The Trap​
Perfectionism sneaks in. It whispers: “This has to be perfect or it won’t work.”

Step 3: The Break​
Something goes wrong. You miss a day. You make a mistake. You get tired.

Step 4: The Spiral​
Your brain says: “See? You can’t do this. Why even try?”

God, I hate this part.

Step 5: The Sabotage​
You want to grow. But you also want to stay safe. These two needs fight in your head. It feels like chaos. So you quit.

Step 6: The Shame​
Another unfinished project. Another broken promise to yourself. Your brain learns: “Trying leads to pain.”

Step 7: The Identity Shift​
You stop saying “I didn’t finish this.” and start saying “I’m someone who never finishes anything.”

Then the cycle repeats.

That’s when you’re really stuck.

The Day That Actually Matters

We get so excited about our good days.

But good days don’t make you a finisher. The day after perfect does.

The day when everything goes wrong. When you’re tired. When you want to quit.

That’s the day that counts.

I know what it’s like to NOT finish anything.

I wouldn’t wish that hell on anyone.

Here’s the good news: I’ve been in this cycle enough times to recognize it.

And you CAN break it.

Finishing is a skill and you can learn it like any other skill.

Showing up on bad days? That IS winning.

When you love what you’re doing even when it sucks. Even when no one cares. Even when no one’s watching.

THOSE ARE THE DAYS THAT MATTER MOST.

The worst days test you. They beg you to quit.

But here’s the secret: They only come when you’re close to breaking through.

My mom has always said: “The devil doesn’t mess with you when you’re already down. He comes for you when you start doing better.”

Look at the day after perfect as proof. Proof you’re about to win.

Then work on making the gaps smaller. Between the spirals. Between the quitting.

That’s the real work.

How Writing Saved My Life

This is where documenting everything changed the game.

I can look back at yesterday’s notes. I can see the version of me that was crushing it. The version that showed up. The version that cared.

On bad days, that data saves me.

Your feelings lie. Your data doesn’t.

You need to be a good parent to yourself. A good boss to yourself.

How you treat yourself becomes how you treat everything else.

When you’re hard on yourself, you’re hard on others.

When you quit on yourself, you quit on everything.

When you don’t appreciate your own progress, you won’t appreciate anyone’s.

Writing helps you to realize who you really are, what’s really going on in your mind, and what you’re feeling.

The System That Actually Works

So today, I came back to my notes.

Back to my center.

Bad days happen. The faster I stop calling them “bad,” the faster I can use them.

It’s not over. It’s 7:30 PM as I am finishing up writing this.

I can always ask myself:

• What does my audience need right now? (Even for 5 minutes)
• What would make tomorrow-me grateful?
• What’s one thing worth doing today?
• Could I make a friends day with one message?

Maybe I could:

• Fix one new things in CreateOS
• Write one helpful note
• Write this email to help someone else ✅ Done

If something’s worth doing, it’s worth doing the day after you mess up. Hell It’s even worth doing THE DAY you mess up.

The first time I ever met Alex in D.C he hit me with a LOT of gems but one of my favorites was “You gotta have short term memory”. His old coach used to tell him that, and it’s something I have learned to appreciate more when I start to remember all the ways I fucked up LOL.

Alex was trying to teach me it isn’t about never messing up, it’s about learning to forget when you do and getting back to work.

You don’t need to be perfect.

You just need to keep showing up.

Stubbornness and tenacity beats talent every time.

The difference between finishers and quitters isn’t brains. It’s not talent. It’s not even motivation.

It’s having systems that work when you feel like crap. Systems that support your life.

It’s writing down your thoughts so you can see your patterns and build your identity.

It’s remembering who you are on good days when bad days try to lie to you.

That’s what separates finishers from everyone else.

What Happens Next

Tomorrow will test you again.

Some days will be perfect. Some will suck.

The question is: Which version of you will show up?

The one who quits when things get hard?

Or the one who knows that hard days are just part of the process?

Your choice.

Quote of the Week

Two I really like that I couldn’t choose between:

“Anyone can show up when everything’s going right.” - Unknown

“Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the face” - Mike Tyson

How I Can Help

If you’re tired of starting over:

• Need accountability to reach your goals? Join the ​Finisher’s Club​​
• Want more of my story? Watch ​Why I Never Finished Anything​​

Y'all be good,

Noah

P.S. That moment on my walk when John’s words hit? I wrote it down immediately. Because I documented it, it became this post. That might help you spot your own “day after perfect” moments. That’s the power of paying attention, your struggles become something you can share with others.

P.P.S. Having your own “day after perfect”? Reply and tell me. Sometimes naming it out loud breaks the spell.

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