Edition #7: Dropping the Weight

Welcome to The Upgrade – your weekly dose of tips, laughs, and all things ambitious. Let’s dive right in and make your week a little less mediocre.

Don’t miss out on the next upgrade.
Hit that button and join the club—you know you want to.

The Topic

Some days, even making your bed feels like a heroic act.

We’ve been there. Honestly, we still do it more often than we’d like to admit, don’t we?

There’s this kind of silent heaviness that creeps up when we’ve been pushing ourselves too hard, trying something we don’t even know what it is yet, or holding on to too many things we never stop to unpack. And before we know it, we’re stuck—not because we’re lazy or broke—but because we’re exhausted from carrying a weight that no one can see and that’s hard to explain.

You want to change the world.

You want to improve your habits, your business, and your health.

You want to be “on” again.

But something just doesn’t feel right, does it?

But first, let me state the obvious: you have to find the energy to get started. And that’s the hardest part. And we mean it, because this edition was exactly the difficult step we took, and it could be the spark that ignites your desire to take your own difficult step.

Let's talk about why.

The Why

Let’s get real for a minute.

Most of us don’t stop because we’re lazy. We stop because we’re overwhelmed somehow.

It’s true. And here’s the part that makes things worse: we often don’t even realize why we feel that way.

We just noticed the symptoms:

• You feel drained, even after a full night’s sleep.

• You keep skipping tasks you care about.

• You open your laptop with the best intentions... and do nothing.

• You start questioning if you’ve lost your edge.

And under all that?

Weight. Mental weight. Emotional weight. Invisible weight.

We carry way more than we think: pressure to prove something, frustration for not being “there” yet, unresolved stuff from the past, the constant stream of comparison on social media, and even guilt for just being tired.

It’s not always dramatic. It usually builds up in small ways over time.
You say “yes” too often. You take on too much. You avoid slowing down.

And eventually, your system gets overloaded.

That’s why it feels like even basic tasks—like making your bed or responding to a text—suddenly take up all your energy. It’s not the task. It’s the fact that your mind is full.

You’re not completely lacking discipline.

You’re running out of space.

Understanding this is key. Because when you think the problem is “I just need to be stronger,” you’ll keep pushing yourself harder and harder—and you’ll get stuck in the loop again.

But if you realize the problem is “I’ve been carrying too much for too long,” the solution changes:

You stop trying to fix everything at once.

And you start asking the right question:

“What can I put down today?”

The Myth of “Getting Through It”

For a long time, I thought discipline was all about pushing through the pain. Ignoring it all in the name of something bigger.

Wake up early. Stick to the plan. Get through it, no matter how you feel.

And yes, routines and consistency are important, and we’ll keep pushing through our New Year’s resolutions. But here’s the part I learned the hard way: There’s a limit. If you keep pushing through while ignoring what’s really going on inside you, you’ll burn out.

Sometimes, what we call “discipline” is really just pretending we’re okay when we’re not.

We keep pushing through to avoid feeling stuck—but eventually, we get stuck anyway.

The Pain

So what’s weighing you down?

If you’ve been feeling slower, heavier, or unmotivated, ask yourself: What am I carrying around that I haven’t dealt with yet?

For me, here’s what’s been bothering me lately:

Feeling behind when I look at my addictions/lack of good habits

Guilt for not being able to stick with what I set out to do

The confusion of wanting to help others grow while feeling like I’m holding myself back sometimes

It’s frustrating. But it’s also normal.

We’re not alone in this.

What’s not normal is trying to pretend these feelings don’t exist and starting to lie to ourselves. When we ignore them, they stay. But when we name them, we can start to do something about them.

The Upgrade: How to Drop the Weight

This isn’t about fixing everything overnight. It’s more about creating space to breathe and move again.

Here are 3 practical steps to start with:

1. Name What’s Holding You Back

Take five minutes. Open your notes app, grab a notebook, or talk to your favorite AI — I do a lot.

List out what’s been sitting in the background of your mind. Ask yourself:

• What’s bothering me lately, but I’ve been brushing aside?

• What do I keep replaying in my head that’s not helping me?

• What’s something I’m pressuring myself to do that no longer fits my reality right now?

This is about building clarity. No need for perfect answers. Just honesty.

2. Drop One Thing

You don’t need to solve everything.

Just choose one thing to let go of today:

• That task that’s been on your to-do list for a month

• The story that says you’re falling behind

• That “should” that doesn’t serve you anymore

You don’t have to delete it forever. Just set it down for now.

Give yourself a break from carrying it.

3. Move – Just a Little

Action brings momentum. But start small.

What’s one micro-move you can make today that reminds you you’re not stuck?

Here are a few examples:

• Send that one message you’ve been avoiding

• Drink a full glass of water

• Write two lines of that thing you’ve been procrastinating

• Go for a short walk with no phone

These are small wins, but they matter. They reset your system.

You don’t need a full transformation. You need proof that change is still in motion.

What It Actually Feels Like

Let me be straight: this won’t feel amazing at first.

You’ll take the action, drop the thing, and then maybe feel… underwhelmed.

That’s normal.

You won’t always feel a breakthrough. Sometimes the progress is subtle. Quiet. Internal. But that’s still progress.

💬 Let’s Make This Real

If this edition hit home for you, do this:

Reply to this email (or DM me on X) and tell me:

What’s one thing you’re letting go of this week?

Doesn’t need to be deep. Just real.

And if someone in your life feels like they’re carrying too much right now, forward this to them. Sometimes a simple message is enough to remind someone they’re not alone.

Final Thought

You don’t have to feel light to take the first step. You just need to take it with one less thing on your back than yesterday.

Let’s upgrade — one move at a time.

Cheers,
Eduardo Krett
Editor-in-Chief, The Upgrade