Something cracked.
Maybe it was a holiday photo. Maybe it was pants that didn’t fit. Maybe an ex got engaged, or a colleague got promoted, or you just turned 39.
It wasn’t “I want to be healthier.” It was darker than that. A moment that made you feel:
I am not the person I thought I was.
So you joined a gym.
Not because you did the research on fitness programs. Not because January was the optimal time to start. You joined because signing up felt like doing something. The membership card in your wallet was a proof of: I’m handling this.
You bought the shoes or a pair of yoga pants. Downloaded a tracking app. Maybe shared your “new chapter” somewhere with someone. Each action delivered a quick reassurance. Progress. Forward motion. Control.
Here’s the thing that few talk about: you weren’t optimizing for fitness.
You were optimizing for the feeling of fitness. The sensation of moving forward—without actually confronting why you felt so stuck.
The gym was never about your body. It could be about the job that’s draining you, the hard conversation you’re avoiding, the fact that you can’t stop comparing yourself to the LinkedIn of someone you just met, the version of your life you thought you’d have by now that isn’t coming.
“How do I get fit?” has clear answers. Reps. Sets. Protein.
“Why am I unhappy?” is terrifying and murky.
So you picked the solvable problem. And for a few weeks, it worked… Then, at some point, you stopped going. Not because you’re lazy. Because the surface solution never touched the real problem.
You wanted control—but the gym became another obligation.
You wanted to feel worthy—but slow progress felt like evidence of failure.
You wanted to escape comparison—but gyms are full of people to compare yourself to.
The question you never asked: What would actually make me feel okay about myself?
If you sat with that honestly, the answer might be: leave the job draining you, have the hard conversation, stop measuring yourself against someone else’s highlight reel. Grieve the life you thought you’d have by now.
None of that is solved by a gym membership.
The video version will be released on Wednesday!
Now Replace “Gym” with “AI.”
Here’s a screenshot from the Ipsos AI Monitor 2025 report…
