For the past few months, I’ve been doing something called The Rich Sexy Bitch Project (I’ll tell you more about this someday, but just know it’s as ridiculous and intriguing as it sounds.)
One of the habits I committed to was walking at least 7,000 steps a day and slowly increasing it until I hit 10,000 steps daily.
But then last week happened.
I fell ill.
And when I wasn’t ill, I was taking care of ill people.
Or feeling like I was about to be ill.
So, for the first time in weeks, I stopped walking.
At first, I thought I just had less energy, less clarity, less focus because my body was busy punching viruses in the face.
But when I finally went out for my first walk on Sunday… I realised something else.
It wasn’t just the illness.
My walk had been doing more for me than I ever gave it credit for.
Because the second I started moving again, it was like someone flipped the lights back on in my brain.
I could think clearly again.
Ideas were flowing again.
I felt like myself again.
And yes, I know the theoretical reasons why walking is good for you. Blah blah endorphins, circulation, whatever.
But I didn’t realise just how much it was keeping my brain in working order until I lost it…and found it again.
It got me thinking…
How many people are walking around—operating at half capacity—without even realising it?
Or worse, realising something feels off but never even knowing why?
There’s a reason for this and it’s called hedonic adaptation.
Your brain is an energy-efficient machine. (Pardon my French… didn’t mean to get all science-y on you.)
What I mean is, it doesn’t waste resources. It just learns to function at the level you allow it to.
Sure, at first, you’re more likely to notice when things get worse—kinda like how you would immediately notice if you were suddenly plunged into cold water.
But if it lasts long enough?
Your brain just shrugs and decides this is the new normal.
It stops sending warning signals. It stops making a fuss.
It just adjusts to the lower temperature.
This is why you can live in constant stress and swear you’re fine.
This is why you can mistake “barely keeping up” for being productive.
This is why exhaustion becomes “just how things are.”
Until one day… you do something different.
Maybe you decide to jump out of the cold water.
And it SHOCKS you.
Because you didn’t realize just how cold that water was, until you stepped out, wrapped yourself in a thick towel, and felt the heat start to seep back into your skin.
That’s what happened when I finally went for my walk again.
And maybe that’s what will happen when you decide to take yours.
Either way, it’s up to you.
You can keep going as you are, pushing through, convincing yourself this is just how life is.
Or you can take a step back. Reset. See what happens when you’re not operating at half power…
If you’re ready to take that walk, here’s where you can start: www.yosianderson.com
Tp. Tp.
There’s more where that came from!
See, I’ve been writing daily productivity emails for online business owners since November 2024.
And what you just read is barely a scratch on the surface.
The real gems… The fun, insightful, and occasionally absurd behind-the-scenes stories… My best offers… The kind of stuff that makes you go:
“Wait… did that REALLY happen?”
I don’t blast those out to the whole internet.
(Some things… should be kept private.)
But if you want to snoop around… if you want to see what really happens in AYAPYLand…
There’s a door.
And it’s open.
For now.