I’m done pretending that being miserable proves I’m doing something important.

I’ve tried it. It just breaks things. Usually me.

I ran into this quote on Instagram and it put words to something I’ve been feeling for a while now…

That line about romanticizing suffering like a war hero?

It stung.

I care about the work. A lot. Learning… leadership… building things that actually help people. That part hasn’t changed. But my tolerance for the idea that being exhausted, overwhelmed, and quietly fried is proof of commitment?

Gone.

It’s not commitment. It’s just… unsustainable.

Think about it like being out on the trail. You don’t need to know Land Rovers to get this… but if you’re off-roading and you hit unfamiliar terrain, you don’t floor it. You don’t try to smash through obstacles just to prove your vehicle is tough.

You slow down. You pick a line. You let the suspension work.

White-knuckling the steering wheel feels like you’re doing something… feels intense. Productive. But it isn’t. It just means you’re tense, you’re missing the view, and you’re probably going to break an axle.

Somewhere along the way, we decided work had to hurt to count. That joy meant you weren’t serious. That if you weren’t struggling, you weren’t trying hard enough. I’ve had bosses that equated pain to dedication, to success.

I bought that story. For a long time.

But I’m not interested in being a war hero for a meeting agenda or a quarterly report.

I want to build things I actually want to come back to. Momentum. Curiosity. Room to breathe. Not “easy” work… just work that doesn’t require self-betrayal to get through the day.

This isn’t about doing less. It’s about not burning the engine out before I get to the destination. Or even worse, not even see the view along the way.

I used to think the misery was the point. But Jude’s right… “enjoying your life makes it much easier to keep showing up.”

And I want to keep showing up.

So, you can grind until you hate the work.

“I’m gonna enjoy the work until I win.”

That’s the plan for 2026.