Episode 9: Building a Sweet Life When You’re Tired

 In this episode of Sweet Wine Sweet Life, we’re talking about what it means to keep building a life you love when you’re tired — not just sleepy tired, but work tired, responsibility tired, and real-life tired. Jacquie shares a gentle reminder that tired does not mean failing, baby steps still count, missed checkboxes are not moral failures, and sometimes waking up is showing up. Pour something easy, take the pressure down, and remember: a sweet life is not built by perfect days. It’s built by honest ones. 

Transcript

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This episode's long overdue because I'm tired. Hey, I'm Jacqueline Mestis and this is Sweet Wine, Sweet Life, the podcast where we talk about all things that make life feel a bit more beautiful. Whether it's a wine I'm loving, a mindset shift, or just a dreamy place I'm dying to visit. This is your time to slow down, sip something sweet, and soak in the good life. Let's get into it. Hey sweet friends, welcome back to Sweet Wine Sweet Life. My name is Jackie Mestis and I'm happy you're here. Before we jump in, I just want to say thank you for listening and spending some time with me. If you're enjoying the show, go ahead and follow or subscribe wherever you're listening so you don't miss an episode. And if Instagram is your thing, come find me there at SweetWineSweetLife. I'd love to have you join me over there, but you know, only if we want to. No pressure. We keep it sweet over here. Alright, let's get into today's episode. I wanted to talk about this because I'm tired. Not just sleepy tired, but life's tired. I started a brand new job, which I'm enjoying, but I am also work tired. There are things going on when it comes to our house, and so I am responsibility tired. Trying to build something while I'm still living in real life tired. And I know I'm not the only one. We talk a lot about building the life we want, but what happens when you're building it while you're exhausted? Well, today that's what we're gonna get into. First, let's talk about being tired and what it doesn't mean. Tired does not mean that you're failing. Being tired does not mean that you're lazy. It simply means you're tired. Period. Being tired doesn't mean that you don't want it badly enough. This is something I'm dealing with because in my head I think that if I really wanted to succeed, if I wanted it bad enough, I would have unlimited amount of energy. But that's not the truth. Also remember that sometimes tired means that you've been carrying a lot. And that's another thing that I need to face. I am carrying a whole lot. Home life, work life, this pod, the blog, and my website, and all of the other things I want to get started, all the other things that I want to do, places I want to go, wineries I want to visit. All of those things are going on in my head at the same time, unfortunately, because I'm one of those thinkers. Also, you can be grateful for everything. The grind, your intelligence, all the things you're responsible for, the people that rely on you, and you can still be tired. You can be motivated and still be tired, right? You can love the dream and still need rest. So you can love what you do, you can love all of the things that you want to do, but still need to take time because you're tired. Just want to say that being tired is not a character flaw. Sometimes tired is just proof that you have been showing up. And this brings me to my next point. That one step at a time still counts. The most important thing, and this is important for me, you don't have to overhaul your whole life today. I want to show up for myself. And at the end of the day, I think, okay, I didn't get anything done today. But then I think about the one thing that I can do. Maybe I can look for a solution to one thing that I need to update. There's always something that you can do where you move the needle just a little bit. So you don't have to overhaul your whole life today. One step at a time is still a movement. You are still moving. And it doesn't matter whether it's a giant step or a baby step. Baby steps do count. Sending the email counts. Recording the messy draft counts. One of my episodes was recorded when I was absolutely tired and I didn't want to record it. I think it was episode three, maybe. But I sat down and did it, and by the time I was done, I was super energized. And that started with a baby step of I'm just gonna sit down and talk. And talking evolved, which was great. Opening the laptop also counts. Writing down ideas counts. Resting so you can come back counts too. A baby step is still a step, and some days that baby step is the bridge between where you are and where you're trying to go. There's a reason why this section is in here, and it's thanks to the song One Step at a Time by Jordan Swartz. I really do love that song. It to me it's timeless, and I've listened to it when I am really exhausted or down or feel like I'm not moving forward. The message is basically saying that you do not have to take that really huge leap. You just have to take that next honest step. This brings us to our next thought, which is to forgive yourself when you don't check all the boxes. Some days the list will not get done. I am a list person. I love list, and there is something about crossing things off a list that really energizes me. And sometimes the entire list does not get done. Sometimes your week will not go according to plan. Missing a task does not erase your progress. You are allowed to adjust your plans without abandoning the dream. Again, adjust your plans without abandoning your dream. And a missed checkbox is not a moral failure. Sometimes those things don't get checked off. And that's okay. That does not mean that you are unchecked as a person. Just forgive yourself. Reset the list and keep going. The list is the list, and it's only as important as you say it is. Now, just because you put it on the list does not mean that it's going to get done today. It may be something that gets done tomorrow, next week, next month. That's fine. There is always the option of resetting. Forgive yourself and then keep on going. The next thing I want to talk about, and this one is important in more ways than just talking about being tired. Waking up is showing up. Sometimes we overlook, and I'm gonna try not to get emotional about this, but it's really important to me, and I really want it to land. Sometimes we overlook the most basic form of courage, and that is that you woke up today. You woke up, you got through the day, you kept caring, you thought about your dream. Even though you were tired, all of that matters. Some days waking up is showing up. And the sad thing about that is sometimes we only count the big things, the finished project, the perfect post, the clean house, the recorded episode, the checked off list. All of those things are absolutely wonderful and it's great when they get done. But some days the win is that you woke up and you did not give up on yourself. The next thing I want to tell you is to celebrate. Celebrate your small wins. Really important. Don't wait into the big milestone to celebrate. Celebrate the post that you made. Celebrate that episode that you recorded. Celebrate the idea you didn't ignore. Celebrate choosing rest instead of spiraling. Celebrate calming yourself instead of spiraling. Celebrate all of those things. Celebrate trying again. Tiny wins. Build confidence. A small win is still a win. Small wins are your breadcrumbs. They remind you that you're still on the path. So now why am I talking about all of this stuff? We're talking about building a sweet life when you're tired. Now, it may look slower, it may look softer, it may look imperfect, and it absolutely may look like pouring a glass of something sweet and saying, I did enough today. It may look like choosing not to quit. A sweet life is not built by perfect days. It's built by honest days. So you're tired right now. I am tired right now. But I want you to know this. You're not behind just because you need to move slower. You're not failing just because you need to rest. Take the next step, even if it's tiny. Forgive yourself for the boxes you didn't check. Celebrate the ones you did. And remember, waking up is showing up. And because this episode is about keeping things easy when you're tired, this week's sweet sip suggestion is simple and fun. When you're tired, grab something easy. Maybe a chilled moscato or a soft sweet Riesling. Nothing complicated, just something that lets the day exhale. We did try that sweet bitch mango moscato, and it wasn't bad. It was sweeter than the barefoot mango fruit scato. Also, it had fizz. So I did pull out the champagne glasses. Very, very nice. So that's it for me today, sweeties. I want to thank you for taking the time to listen to me talk about being tired and uh give you some alternative thinking when it comes to being tired. Again, there is absolutely nothing wrong with being tired. Just remember, you woke up today, you showed up today, and you're taking it one step at a time. Until next time, have a great week, weekend, and I'll talk to you soon. Bye sweeties. Thanks for spending this time with me in Sweet Wine Sweet Life, where we sip sweetly, live fully, and love boldly. If you enjoyed today's episode, be sure to follow the podcast and share it with a friend who could use a little more sweetness. You can find wine pics and cozy inspiration at sweetwinesweetlife.com or connect with me on Instagram at SweetWineSweetLife. Until next time, for something you love and savor the sweetness.