Simple habits. I only started reaching some of my small goals when I lightened things up and simplified them a lot. All those successful people on Instagram create this impression of heaviness — as if to get where they are, I have to overload myself to the extreme.

Without even realizing it, I connected that feeling with “doing it right.” I kept piling more on my plate than I could ever carry, because I believed that’s the way to succeed.

But under the weight of all the new things I “had” to stick to…

I never really started. Or I started, and that was it. I guess I thought that if it felt easy, then nothing would actually happen. I didn’t want to be one of those people who avoid the hard stuff.

“I wanted to prove to myself that I could push through and be like them.”

This heavy, complicated way of chasing goals always pushed me away from actually doing anything. Not because I didn’t want to, but because it was always beyond my capacity — so I just kept stuck between wanting and not being able.

I was frustrated. The constant chase and the overload.
And still I wasn’t moving forward.

Take writing, for example. Does every article have to be a long SEO piece nobody wants to read? Or cooking — does every meal have to be over the top, or else I feel guilty? Do I really need to suffer just to feel like I deserve success?

The first time I really got it was with fitness.

Instead of two simple exercises with a couple of reps, I thought I had to have this hour-long, complex, polished workout routine and go to the gym 4–5 times a week. Because that’s what everyone else does, right?!

Now all I need is 2 exercises, 2 reps, and a park bench with a resistance band. Done. The whole thing takes me maybe 30 minutes including the walk, and the mental drama of forcing myself to go? I honestly can’t even remember the last time it was a problem.

“That’s when it hit me. This is it! This is exactly the style that lets me show up every day!”

Because that’s what really matters. Lasting practice! Not whether I manage something super polished for a week and then nothing, but whether I can keep doing it every day for maybe a whole year. So I have to lighten things up and simplify them.

If others can handle super heavy lifestyles, good for them. For me personally, that’s a road to nowhere. And I don’t want to stay stuck there anymore. My success begins where I make things lighter.