Challenge update: Down 3.7 pounds in six days.
My shoulders are still protesting yesterday’s first free weight workout—incline press, standing press, the whole deal. Good sore, not bad sore…but still sore.
Here’s what’s been rolling around in my head during my 30 minutes of reading today.
I’m working through “Made to Stick” by Chip Heath and Dan Heath as part of my daily reading habit. Today I hit a concept called the “curse of knowledge”—and it punched me right in the gut.
Here’s the curse: Once you know something, you can’t un-know it. You forget what it’s like to not understand.
The Heath brothers describe this experiment: Someone taps out the rhythm of “Happy Birthday” on a table. The tapper hears the full melody in their head—lyrics, tune, everything. But the listener? Just random knocks. The tapper predicts 50% success that the listener will know the tune. Actual success rate? 2.5%.
The expert can’t imagine the beginner’s confusion anymore.
And that’s exactly why so many of us never start.
For over twenty years, I had lists. “Someday I’ll get in shape.” “Someday I’ll write that novel.” “Someday I’ll build better habits.”
But I was waiting to know enough before I started. Waiting until I had the perfect plan. The right program. All the answers. I was waiting until the perfect time.
Here’s what I’m realizing on Day 6: The curse of knowledge works both ways.
I’ve spent 18 years in data management. I know how this curse shows up professionally—I’d stand in front of rooms explaining concepts, watching eyes glaze over, thinking “Why don’t they get it?” Because I’d forgotten what it’s like to be confused.
But I’ve also let other people’s expertise paralyze me. All those fitness gurus who’ve already lost 50 pounds. The productivity experts with their systems perfected. The writers with published novels.
They made it look so obvious. So simple. “Just do these seven things!”
And I’d think: “If it’s that easy, why can’t I do it? What’s wrong with me?”
Nothing was wrong with me. I just didn’t know what Day 6 felt like for them.
They’d forgotten the confusion. The soreness. The scale moving too slowly. The creative hour that produces three decent pages instead of a masterpiece. The moments you want to quit.
That’s why I’m documenting this challenge in real time. Not after I’ve succeeded. Not when I have all the answers and can package it nicely.
Right now. Day 6. Still figuring it out.
Because the best time to start isn’t when you know everything. It’s now. Messy, confused, 3.7 pounds down with a long way to go.
You don’t need expertise to begin. You just need to begin. The best time to start is now.
Today’s scorecard: ✅ Bible study ✅ Exercise (yoga + walking) ✅ Reading (Made to Stick) ✅ Five novel chapters revised (30 total now) ✅ Water ✅ calories ✅ gratitude
That’s Day 6. Not perfect. Not polished. Just real.
What’s been stopping you from starting? Drop a comment—I’d love to hear what curse you’re breaking.
See you tomorrow for Day 7.
The 740 Challenge 