“Just Enjoy Life”

Morning friend.

I saw a clip this week of Steven Bartlett talking about alcohol.

Or more specifically, why he rarely drinks it.

What interested me wasn’t the clip itself but the public’s reaction to it.

People accusing him of not enjoying life.

Of over-optimising and taking health too seriously.

That reaction felt revealing.

For years we glorified excess.

Late nights. Weekend benders. Running on fumes. Hustle.

Now people seem equally suspicious of anyone doing the opposite.

As though looking after yourself properly means you’ve somehow stopped living.

The pendulum has swung hard in the opposite direction. 

I thought about that a lot this week.

What if we replaced the word optimisation with something more familiar but harder to accept.

Discipline.

I wear a Whoop and track my health and performance.

I train most days and sleep well because I know what happens when I don’t.

Not because I’m trying to become immortal.

Because life feels better when I take care of myself properly.

I think more clearly and have more energy.

I have more patience with the boys and more capacity for those who count on me at home and at work.

I can show up strong for myself, and the people around me.

That matters.

Especially now in midlife.

By the time I left the Marines at 25, I’d probably already done a lifetime’s worth of drinking and chaos.

And honestly, some of it was brilliant.

The stories still get told now.

Let me be clear.  I’m not against alcohol.

I still see the value in a drink that enhances a moment but I no longer see the value in sacrificing two days of energy for one night of excess.

Not because I’m obsessed with optimisation.

Because I genuinely enjoy my life now.

And I have too much good stuff left to do.

Somewhere along the line we’ve confused discipline with deprivation.

As though choosing health automatically means choosing boredom.

I don’t see it like that.

Discipline is maintenance.

It’s looking after the body and mind carrying your family, your work and your responsibilities through life.

Because drift happens quietly.

A few extra pounds creep on until you’re hammering a new hole in your belt.

Poor sleep and brain fog feeling normal.

Low energy becomes your personality.

Until eventually feeling average just becomes who you are.

I’m not interested in extremes.

Life should absolutely still be lived.

Food and drink enjoyed.

Moments celebrated.

But “just enjoy life” can also become a convenient excuse to choose easy over discipline.

There has to be balance somewhere in the middle.

That feels like a better, more sustainable and enjoyable target to me.

Before we go any further let’s debrief together:

Where in your life have you chosen easy over discipline?

Your mission this week:

Do one thing this week that your future self will quietly thank you for.

That’s enough for now.

More next Sunday.

Mike

Hold the Line · Do the Hard Things