Why Feeling Ridiculous Is Actually Progress

Meet “The Vein” that loves to come out in intense exercise or when I’m mad 🫣🤣

Before I dug deep, before I was educated and really leaned in, I stumbled more times than I can count.

I’ve fallen on my butt in exercise classes.

I’ve looked dumb learning something new.

I’ve been the one gasping for breath while everyone else seemed to float through the workout with a smile I kind of wanted to slap off 😂

At the time, I thought failure meant I wasn’t cut out for it. What I know now is that those awkward, humbling, frustrating moments are the exact places where growth happens….if you let it.

Autopilot Won’t Build You

It takes more than just showing up and going through the motions. Growth doesn’t come from coasting. It comes from failing forward—learning, adjusting, and daring to keep going even when it feels uncomfortable.

Stuck or Moving? Your Choice

Think about an emergency. The first rule: don’t panic. Panic freezes you. It stops you from doing the very thing that could save you.

Shame and failure work the same way. Sit in them too long, and you stall out. You quit instead of learn.

The shift happens when you ask better questions: What broke? What will I change? When will I test it again?

Training: Feedback in Disguise

• Miss the last rep with clean form. Drop the weight, finish crisp, note where it broke.

• Knees cave on squats. Slow the tempo. Drive the floor apart. Film the next set and compare.

• Grip goes on the rig. Add hangs and carries. Build time under tension and retest.

• Long run falls apart at mile four. Adjust pace. Fuel earlier. Try again midweek.

Not failure. Feedback.

Mindset: Reps for Your Head

• Catch the excuse in real time. Replace it with one action.

• Swap “I’m bad at this” for “I’m learning this.” Then prove it with a rep.

• Instead of beating yourself up, ask better questions: What broke? What will I change? When will I test it again?

• Track what matters. Effort. Sleep. Protein. Hydration. Recovery. Let data beat drama.

Embrace the Suck

That’s what “embrace the suck” really means. Not loving the pain, but refusing to run from it. Meeting it head on, knowing it’s shaping you.

The willingness to fall. To look ridiculous. To do it anyway. That’s where strength is forged. That’s where the story gets good.

Drop your “I looked ridiculous but did it anyway” story — I promise you’re not alone.