Last night I walked alone in the dark like a character from a mid-budget indie film. I had music. I had my thoughts. I had 9 days of Duolingo Japanese under my belt and a vague but growing sense that the global economy is being steered by a raccoon in a shopping cart full of fireworks.
This is the tightrope I walk: one foot in personal development, the other foot in existential dread. And I know I’m not the only one.
Let’s talk about it.
🧍♂️ Micro Wins, Macro Meltdowns (Totally Fine, Everything’s Fine)
Here’s the good: I looked forward to my walk. I actually looked forward to movement. That hasn’t happened since I was, I don’t know, ten?
I also re-did lesson 8 of Pimsleur Japanese and it clicked hard this time. I finally feel like I could survive the first 60 seconds of a conversation with a kind stranger in Tokyo before faking a phone call and running away.
These are the micro wins. They matter. They’re what I’m clinging to. Because over on the macro side…
💸 The Economy is Playing Jenga with a Blowtorch (Cool Cool Cool)
There’s now a 90-day pause on most tariffs. Normally, this would make me breathe a little easier. But these days? Not so much.
There are bigger, messier forces at play: insider trading, market fragility, and a sense that someone unqualified is driving this whole economic clown car straight into oncoming traffic. It’s not just numbers on a screen; it’s the kind of uncertainty that keeps people like me up at night, refreshing news tabs and calculating how many cans of beans I can fit in a modest crawlspace.
It would be easier if I could just compartmentalize. But the truth is, trying to stay zen while the market is panic-flirting with collapse is like trying to do yoga on a rollercoaster. With a blindfold. And bees.
✍️ Because Apparently Screaming into the Void Isn’t SEO-Friendly
Which brings me to the point: I needed an outlet. Badly. So I got one. I’m now the proud owner of a brand new domain. More on that later. (Tease, tease.)
I’ve found that writing—even when it’s sarcastic, chaotic, or barely coherent—is one of the only ways I can feel like I have a tiny sliver of control in a time where most things are out of my hands. It’s cathartic. Like journaling, but louder and with a custom domain.
I want to encourage you to find your outlet too. Write. Vlog. Meme. Draw weird comics about capitalism. Whatever does it for you. Just start. No one will read your blog anyway (at least not at first), and if they do? You’re already better than them because you have one and they don’t. So really—what do you have to lose?
Speaking of starting, traffic on this site has exploded. I’m probably going to have to upgrade my hosting plan soon, which feels absurd given how little actual engagement I get. But I see the numbers. I see you, lurkers. And I know a lot of you feel exactly like I do—you just don’t know how to say it yet. So say it. Say something.
🧘♂️ Should You Meditate or Panic? (Spoiler: Yes)
Yes.
Do both. Maybe even at the same time.
Take the walk. Learn the language. Be stressed about the tariffs. Start the blog. Laugh at the absurdity of it all. Cry if you have to.
We’re all juggling self-improvement with the slow-motion disaster that is modern life. And the only way out is through. Preferably with some music, a little movement, and enough self-awareness to know when to put the phone down.
📚 Life Lesson du Jour (Because Apparently We’re Learning Things Now)
In chaos, consistency is rebellion. You don’t need to control everything—just show up. Even when it feels pointless. Especially when it feels pointless. That’s how momentum is built. And one day, maybe, that momentum carries you far enough to stop feeling like a bystander in your own life.
📖 Sanity Survival Kit: A Book Recommendation
If your nervous system is hanging on by a thread and you’re wondering how to function while everything burns, I highly recommend “Burnout: The Secret to Unlocking the Stress Cycle“ by Emily Nagoski and Amelia Nagoski. It’s practical, science-backed, and surprisingly funny.
See you tomorrow. Maybe we’ll have answers. Probably not. But at least we’ll have a streak going.
And to all my haters—yes, I’m still here, still showing up, still doing the work. To everyone who’s silently rooting for me, following along, or dropping a kind word when it counts: I see you. I appreciate you. And if you’re feeling it, I’d love for you to officially join the community. Let’s figure this mess out together.
Drew Karriker is a self-proclaimed professional tinkerer, self-experimentation enthusiast, and lifelong learner with an inability to sit still. A former nuclear engineer turned DevOps architect, he’s built a career (and a life) out of breaking things, fixing them, and then making them better.
Despite wrestling with ADHD, anxiety, and an unrelenting need to optimize everything, he transformed his career and life in just a few years—not because he’s special, but because he figured out how to turn obsession into execution. Now, he’s doing it again—publicly—one 100-day challenge at a time.
His past projects? Some were successes. Some flopped spectacularly. Each one left him a little wiser (and probably a little more caffeinated). Now, he’s on a mission to document his transformation—mind, body, career, and everything in between—so that others might pick up a thing or two along the way. Or at the very least, be entertained by the chaos.
Follow along at RewiredWithDrew.com and get inspired, get motivated, or just grab some popcorn and enjoy the ride.