I have a theory.

Most people don’t actually know what they’re capable of.

Not because they’re lazy. Not because they’re scared. But because they never try anything stupid enough to find out.

I don’t mean “stupid” like jumping off a roof with a bedsheet cape.

I mean the kind of stupid where you wake up one morning and think, What if I did this just to see what happens?

Most people don’t live like that. They pick a lane early and stay in it. They stick to what they know, what’s safe, what makes sense.

But me?

I’ve always been a little too restless, a little too curious, and a little too willing to screw up for the sake of a good story.

So, I do experiments.

Weird, impulsive, sometimes disastrous experiments.

And every now and then, they actually teach me something.

The Time I Tried to Live Without the Internet for a Week

Let’s start with the dumbest idea I’ve ever had.

A while back, I decided I was sick of being online all the time. Social media, YouTube, endless scrolling—it was rotting my brain.

So, in a rare burst of self-discipline, I told myself: One week. No internet. No phone. No distractions.

Here’s how it went:

Day 1: This is fine. I read a book. I fix my car. I go for a walk like some peaceful old man.

Day 2: I get bored. Really bored. Turns out, most of my life revolves around the internet. I can’t look up song lyrics, can’t check messages, can’t even Google “how to make eggs taste less like eggs.”

Day 3: I start talking to myself. Full conversations. Debating my own opinions like a lunatic.

Day 4: I cave and go to the library. I use their computer for “just five minutes.” Three hours later, I’m in a Wikipedia rabbit hole about lost civilizations.

Day 5: I start to like the quiet. My brain slows down. I play guitar for hours. I actually listen to music instead of treating it as background noise.

Day 6: I realize half the things I thought I needed the internet for were just habits, not actual needs.

Day 7: I come back online…and nothing feels as important as it did before.

What did I learn?

The internet is a tool, not a home. And maybe I don’t need to be plugged into everything, all the time.

The Time I Tried to Say Yes to Everything

For a whole month, I said yes to anything that wasn’t outright dangerous or illegal.

• Someone asked me to play guitar at a random open mic? Yes.
• Friend wanted to take a road trip to a town I’d never heard of? Yes.
• Stranger at a party said, “Wanna try something weird?” …Yes.

(Spoiler: it was juggling. He just wanted to teach me how to juggle.)

By the end of the month, I was exhausted. But also? My life felt bigger.

Saying yes forced me into situations I never would’ve chosen on my own. Some were awkward.

Some were straight-up terrible. But a few? A few were magic.

Like the night I ended up playing music with a bunch of strangers under an overpass at 2 AM.

Or the time I agreed to help a friend fix his motorcycle and realized I actually liked working on bikes.

Lesson learned?

Most of the best things in life happen outside your comfort zone.

The Time I Tried to Fix My Sleep Schedule

This one’s still a work in progress.

For years, I’ve lived like a nocturnal gremlin. My sleep schedule is basically “whenever I collapse.”

But a few months ago, I thought: What if I actually slept like a normal person?

So, I set some rules:

1. Go to bed by midnight.
2. Wake up at 8 AM.
3. No phone in bed.

Results?

Week 1: Miserable. I lie in bed staring at the ceiling, questioning my life choices.

Week 2: Slightly less miserable. Mornings start to feel possible.

Week 3: My brain feels clearer. I don’t feel like a zombie.

Week 4: I relapse. Stay up till 4 AM watching dumb videos. Regret everything.

I’d love to say I cracked the code, but the truth is, I’m still figuring it out. Some habits take longer to break.

But I do know this—sleep isn’t just “nice to have.” It’s the difference between feeling like a human and feeling like roadkill.

Why Do I Keep Doing This?

I know what you’re thinking.

J, why do you keep doing weird experiments like some mad scientist with no budget?

Simple:

Because trying things is how you figure out who you are.

Most people assume they already know.

They assume they wouldn’t like running, or they’re bad at drawing, or they could never learn a new language.

But how do you know if you never try?

How do you know if you never fail?

Experiments—no matter how dumb—force you to bump into new versions of yourself.

You might realize you actually like something you thought you’d hate.
You might discover something you’re surprisingly good at.
Or you might crash and burn and come out with a great story.

Either way, you learn.

The Next Stupid Experiment

I don’t know what the next experiment will be.

Maybe I’ll try going a week without talking.
Maybe I’ll try living like a 1950s guy—no tech, no fast food, just old-school everything.
Maybe I’ll try writing a song every single day for a month.

The point is, I’ll keep trying things.

Because the alternative?

Sitting around, doing the same things, thinking the same thoughts, living the same life on repeat?

That’s not for me.

I want to see what happens when I push the edges of who I think I am.

I want to find out what’s possible.

And maybe—just maybe—you should try something stupid, too.

Just to see what happens.

—J