What to Do When You Wake Up and Wonder - What’s the Point of Going In Today?

There’s a particular kind of morning that sneaks up on you.

You swing your legs out of bed, blink into the soft Auckland light (or the drizzle, depending on the mood of the weather gods) and something inside you just says –

“I’ve got absolutely no idea how I’m supposed to go in there today and make any difference at all.”

If you’ve run a business for any length of time,  especially in Aotearoa, where the landscapes are vast, the markets are small and the support networks sometimes feel as elusive as a tui in the rain, you’ve probably had that moment. Maybe more than once.

This isn’t burnout, not exactly. It’s not a crisis. You’re not packing it in. You’re just kind of stuck in the middle of it all, wondering what difference you actually make.

It’s the entrepreneur’s version of mole in The Wind in the Willows, covered in dust and paint and a sense of obligation, whispering “Hang spring-cleaning!” and running off in search of something more.

So what do you do with that feeling?

1. First - You Don’t Need to Fix It Right Away

That voice in your head, the one insisting you must know your purpose this instant, that you should have total clarity and a bold 5-point plan before your morning coffee - that voice is bullshitting you. French word)

It’s okay not to know today. You can still go into the office without a magic wand or world-saving insight.

Sometimes the bravest thing you’ll do is turn up at your desk with a cup of tea and an open heart.

2. Find a Fellow Creature of the Riverbank

In Wind in the Willows, Mole finds himself in over his head more than once. He gets lost in the Wild Wood, overwhelmed by the unknown and unsure of his place. But he’s never truly alone. There's always Rat, or Badger, or even the reckless but oddly lovable Toad.

You need your own riverbank crew.

Phone a fellow business owner. Message that former mentor. Meet a friend for lunch who understands this strange soup of hope and anxiety that comes with running a business.

Not to vent (though that’s allowed), but to connect. Because one of the fastest routes back to perspective is through someone else’s.

3. Remember - The Work Is the Point

We’re trained to believe that purpose always has to be grand - growth, innovation, disruption, legacy! But often, meaning is made quietly.

It’s in the honest invoice paid on time.
The staff member you encouraged.
The customer you helped last week who hasn’t stopped raving.
The systems you put in place that mean your team now finishes early on Fridays.

Small things. Not flashy. But deeply human.

Even if today you do just one small helpful thing - a check-in, a follow-up, a clean-up - that’s a difference. It may not feel like “changing the world”, but it does change someone’s day  and that’s enough.

4. Laugh. At Yourself, If Nothing Else.

Let’s not forget the sacred Kiwi art of taking the piss, especially when things get weird and even more especially at yourself.

That internal monologue convincing you you’re a fraud? Probably just your brain throwing a bit of drama around.

Have a laugh at how seriously you’re taking yourself today. Pull out that photo of your first dodgy office or your early business card design that looked like a ransom note. Remember that time you called a client by the wrong name for a full six months?

You’re allowed to smile at the mess. It means you’re human and still in the game.

5. Rest If You Must - But Don’t Isolate

Sometimes what you need is not action but rest. A walk in the bush. A slow afternoon. A nap in the sun with your phone on silent.

But here’s the trick - rest is not the same as hiding.

Isolation is a silent killer in business. Don’t let one off day turn into silence, secrecy and shame. You don’t have to bounce back by 3pm but do let someone know how you’re feeling.

People can’t help if they don’t know and you’d be amazed at how many are quietly feeling the same way.

You’re Still in the Story

If this were Wind in the Willows, this moment - this stuck, strange, unsure morning - wouldn’t be the ending. It wouldn’t even be the middle.

It’d be a quiet page between adventures. A time when Mole sits with a cup of tea, listening to the river and remembering who he is. Before he picks up his coat again and heads back out into the world.

So today, don’t try to be the hero of your business. Be the one who shows up. The one who reaches out. The one who forgives themselves for not having it all figured out.

You're making a difference just by being here. Really.

Even Mole eventually found his way. And so will you.

Kia kaha. Just remember what Nicki and I are telling our 18 year old weeping daily about how awful it is in halls at Auckland University – “adulting is hard”. So is “bossing”.

If you’d like a confidential, free of charge, free of obligation conversation about your business, here’s how to get me.

📞 Phone +64 275 665 682
✉️ Email john.luxton@regenerationhq.co.nz
🌐 Contact Form www.regenerationhq.co.nz/contact

If you’d like to read more RegenerationHQ thinking on SME business and other things, go here – www.regenerationhq.co.nz/articlesoverview

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Supporting NZ SME Owners to Exit Well, Lead Better and Build Business Value.