Forget motivational quotes.
Let’s talk about blocked toilets.

Picture this: it’s 6am.
The house is dark. Peaceful. Until it’s not.

Your toddler is sobbing because she wanted the blue bowl, not the green one. The dog’s just vomited something unholy in the hallway. And the toilet? Clogged. Again.
You're there in your undies, elbow-deep in domestic despair, wondering what decisions brought you here.

This, my friend, is the real self-development arena.

No incense. No affirmations.
Just one bad moment piled on top of another, and a quiet question:
​Are you going to crack? Or breathe?

The Stoics would’ve loved blocked toilets.

Marcus Aurelius never had to fish Lego out of the U-bend, but he knew a thing or two about pressure.
He said:

Life doesn’t get easier.
You just get less reactive.
And that only happens when you train for it.

This is the work.

I’ve had businesses collapse. Clients ghost me. Staff resign at the worst times.
One week, I lost a major deal, then had my first couple of days off work in god knows how many years, and on day one, a staff member emailed me resigning, effective immediately...

You think I wanted to stay calm?

Of course not.
But I’ve trained for this.

And before I sound like a robe-wearing monk...

Let’s be honest — I still lose my mind over missing car keys.
I’m not some Stoic sage. I’m just a dad, a husband, and a business owner trying to be a little less reactive each time the chaos hits.

We don’t practise for perfection.
We practise for the inevitable.

Here’s your reminder:​
Hard things aren’t interruptions.
They are the work.
They’re how we sharpen the blade.
Every time we face them, we get stronger. Or softer. You choose.

Until next time—
Go lift something heavy. (Metaphorically… or not.)

Broden