Ease is underrated

My social feeds are fairly well-curated. I’m pretty good at blocking and hiding content I don’t want to see, but sometimes, the almighty algorithms serve me posts that are profoundly irrelevant to my interests.

For example, I occasionally see updates from people participating in the popular “75 Hard” challenge.

Here are the rules of 75 Hard:

• Follow a structured diet of your choosing

• No cheat meals

• No alcohol

• Do two 45-minute workouts daily (one must be outdoors, regardless of weather)

• Drink a gallon of water daily

• Read 10 pages of a self-improvement book daily

• Take a daily progress photo

• Do these things for 75 consecutive days, and if you break any rules for any reason, you have to start over at day 1

No shade to anyone who has done 75 Hard, but if I ever attempt such a challenge, consider it a cry for help. 

For starters, I object to some of the rules on a basic level: I prefer an anti-diet, intuitive eating approach to food, and I think progress photos tend to reinforce the dysfunctional idea that exercise is primarily for improving my external appearance, rather than my mental and physical health.

But what bothers me most about 75 Hard isn’t the rules themselves — it’s the spirit of the challenge. The rigid legalism and high likelihood of feeling like shit when you inevitably fail. 

This All-Or-Nothing, No Pain, No Gain mindset is common in fitness and wellness spaces, but it shows up everywhere in society these days — in how we work, how we create, and how we measure success.

Toxic perfectionism masquerades as discipline. Shame is used as a perverse motivational tool. Burnout and busyness are badges of honor. This is textbook hustle culture, and it’s so deeply ingrained in our culture that rebelling against it feels wrong. 

Here’s what I know:

When you fail or make a mistake, you deserve grace.

You can challenge yourself while also being kind to yourself and embracing your messy, imperfect humanity.

Grinding to the point of burnout is not a prerequisite for success.

Seeking ease in work and life is not wrong, and it’s not lazy. 

Don’t get me wrong — growth can be uncomfortable. I’m not suggesting we go through life trying to avoid any discomfort or pain. I am suggesting that life is hard enough without us constantly trying to wrestle our tender souls into submission. 

Be your own soft place to land.

See you next week,

Kara

Kara Detwiller is a writer and creative based in small-town Saskatchewan. She specializes in long-form content writing for enterprise SaaS, cybersecurity, and manufacturing clients. She is also working on her first novel, among other creative pursuits. To connect, reply to this email or find Kara on LinkedIn or Bluesky. To support her work on Wishful Working, share this email with someone or buy her a “coffee.”

Why Wishful Working? I write this newsletter because I want to see more people enjoy a life not centered around work. For some, the path to freedom and flexibility is through self-employment, but we also need to challenge cultural norms and champion healthier working conditions and work/life balance for all types of workers.