Real mastery isn’t flashy. It’s quiet. It’s repetitive. It’s brutally simple.
We tend to run from the real work, dress it up in fancy clothes, and then wonder why we’re feeling exhausted or stuck. We kinda overcomplicate so we don’t have to commit.
Because commitment to the basics? That’s vulnerable. That’s exposure. That’s no place to hide. If you’re squatting ass to grass with proper tempo and breathing, you know when you're bullshitting. If you're staring at a single function that actually does its job cleanly but you're itching to break it apart just to feel clever — that’s ego creeping in, masking itself as “best practices.”
Complexity is the perfect shield
It’s like: if I can make this problem seem nuanced and messy enough, I won’t be expected to have a clean answer. And when you lay it out like that, you realize how often people reach for complexity not out of necessity, but out of fear. Fear of being seen trying something simple and still failing.
Like in the gym — yeah, some dude might try five different curl variations instead of just doing strict, slow, heavy-ass curls — not because it’s better, but because it’s easier to pretend he’s experimenting than to face the discomfort of progressive overload done precisely and patiently.
How rare it is to see someone just do the thing. No fluff. No hiding. Just intention and presence and reps.
Deep deep down we want that. We respect that. We crave that kind of clarity, and maybe we’re even pissed at yourself (or at the culture) for how often that clarity gets buried under bullshit.
We tend to not even wanting to question bigger decisions? That’s real. It’s the fear of being the one who says, “Hey, maybe the emperor has no clothes.” Because if you do question it, then suddenly you’re responsible for making it better. That takes guts. So we split hairs instead. We focus on tiny minutiae like we’re splitting atoms, but nobody wants to touch the real, rot underneath.
The real flex is simplicity with accountability
Things that are simple but they aren’t easy - simplicity requires wisdom, and wisdom requires humility
We don’t get that from jumping to new tools or muscle confusion or trying to sound smart in meetings. We get it from being present, doing the reps, failing publicly, adjusting based on what’s real — not what’s trendy.
That’s the heart of it. The mental load of chasing shiny tools, or sexy workouts, or clever abstractions drains the same tank that you need to just show up and do your work with soul.
The price of pretending
Artificial complexity takes too much attention and energy which ensues lack of energy to perform those things to a tee
People think experience = wisdom, but nah — sometimes experience just means repetition without reflection.
Staying hungry - staying empty
The trap is thinking that just because you’ve done something for years, you’ve figured it all out. But instead - staying curious, staying lean, asking instead of assuming — that’s how people really stay sharp.
That’s also the reason why I decided to create Moment. It’s a free app that encourages brief pauses during the day — to take stock of how you’re feeling. And if you’re intentional enough, maybe you'll see a bit clearer who you are… and who you could become.
If you're curious, you can try Moment here. No pressure. Just a few mindful pauses — maybe they'll change something.