I initially wrote this in 2025. And somehow, instead of publishing it, I let it sit as a draft. But better late than never, right? And the sentiment remains eternally applicable.
Anyway, seriously. Try the thing.
You know that low-stakes thing your mind’s been circling.
Wear wildly impractical attire to a putt putt date.
Revisit your least favorite calisthenic.
Attempt a hyperrealistic drawing of your dog, or your living room. Or of your dog in your living room.
Attempt a soufflé.
Throw a metaphoric donut at the wall and see if it sticks.
Sometimes it will and you’ll come out on top, and sometimes it won’t and… well, you’ll laugh at yourself. Please laugh at yourself.
And please note my avoidance of the word “fail”.
Because while “winning” is cool, sucking is cathartic. It reminds us that it’s okay to play outside our comfort zone, and that perfection is a myth. It forces us to relinquish control and take life and ourselves less seriously.
My most recent example?
It came one week after my beskirted success. It occurred while I was still sore from a lengthy, self-imposed cardio session, and it came in the form of burpees.
Or, more specifically, five rounds of:
8x40kg rows>cleans, 5×5 rope slams into a burpee, 1 minute plank, 200m right leg ski machine, 200m left leg ski machine, 1 min rest
I had asked my trainer—Rhino Strength on Instagram—to “make me do things I hate” and boy did he come through. I was smoked and fading fast, and on round three, I directed him to record me for the express purpose of making this post.
I groaned. I rolled my eyes. I laughed and lallygagged and cursed on repeat. But my favorite part? Well, you’ll see when you watch the video. It comes at the end, when I pant, “I can’t.”
The whole experience was intense and delicious and therapeutically silly. 10/10 would recommend.
So do it!
This is your weekend. Pick up some (non-life altering) thing you think you might drop.
Give it a go, get messy, and see what happens!
And now for an inverted before-and-after.
First, you’ll see the after: a summer 2026 progress pic.
And then, when you keep scrolling, you’ll find the 2025 video in question. Flattering? No. Real? Yes.
It’s been a year of extraordinary progress. Proof, I suppose, that all that trying and failing and trying again paid off.
(Be sure to check out my X, Bluesky, and Substack Notes for recent and far more badass training content!)
