The Difference Between Good Sleep and Bad Sleep Is Astounding

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It’s a difference you can feel.

Good sleep? You wake up ready to take on the world.

Bad sleep? You groan and think, here we go again.

Sleep blankets (pun intended) every area of life:

Training. Relationships. Parenting. Business. Hobbies.

After good sleep:

You don’t need motivation. You just move.

After bad sleep:

You need willpower just to act like yourself. Everything feels like a chore.

You start thinking something is wrong with your life.

There isn’t.

Something is wrong with your sleep.

Sleep is the force multiplier for everything you’re trying to build:

Muscle. Mood. Discipline. Patience. Creativity. Presence.

Fix your sleep and watch half your problems disappear.

Sleep isn’t for the weak.

It’s for the strong.

It’s not simply rest.

It’s construction.

Get your shut-eye.

Panning for Gold

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A lot of life is like being a 49er back in the day—standing in the river, sifting through the mud.

Most of what you scoop up isn’t gold. It’s rocks. Sediment. Noise.

But with patience and persistence, every now and then—you hit pay dirt.

Life works the same way.

The right people. The right work. The right pursuits.

You won’t find them in every pan.

Most of it won’t fit you. Most of it won’t build you.

But keep sifting.

Because when you find the gold, it changes everything.

Sunday Sendoff #33: The Things You’re Avoiding Are the Things You Need to Do

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Brickwall's Sunday Sendoff

There’s always something.

A decision. A conversation. An action.

You know it’s there.

You think about it in the shower. While driving. While trying to fall asleep.

And yet…you don’t do it.

You scroll. You clean. You organize. You find anything else to do.

Because it feels uncomfortable.

Heavy. Inconvenient. Scary even.

But here’s the tell:

The things that would move your life forward the most…are usually the things you feel the most resistance toward.

We avoid what matters.

Not because we’re lazy. But because we know it will change something. We know it’ll shake things up.

It might change a relationship. A routine. A situation you’ve gotten used to.

Avoidance is often a compass pointing directly at the work.

The workout you keep pushing off. The conversation you don’t want to have. The decision you’ve been “thinking about” for weeks.

That’s the thing.

Go handle it.

Builder Principle

Avoidance illuminates the path toward growth.

Something to Ponder

What’s something tough that you’ve been avoiding? Why not grab it head on and handle it?

See You In the Arena

This week is just about over. Next week is just about here. Let’s keep building.

Brick by brick.

-Brickwall

Sonny the Alien: The Restaurant Check

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Sonny and Chad sat in the booth waiting for their food.

Sonny was vibrating with excitement. “I have ordered optimally for muscle growth, Chad.”

Chad nodded. “Nice.”

A burger. Extra patty. Side of fries. Cheese curds. Dessert. Two waters.

Chad ordered a sandwich and a beer.

The food arrived and Sonny went to work like a construction crew demolishing a building.

Ten minutes later, nothing remained but crumbs and satisfaction.

Sonny leaned back. “That was outstanding. I feel prepared to lift a vehicle.”

The waitress dropped the check.

Chad picked it up. Paused. “…huh.”

Sonny tilted his head. “Is there an issue?”

Chad turned the check around.

$93.47

Sonny blinked.

“Chad.”

“Yeah.” Chad reached for his wallet.

“This paper says we have purchased an entire week of groceries.”

Chad shrugged. “Yeah, restaurants are kinda pricey now.”

Sonny pointed. “What is this ‘side of fries’ charge? The fries did not accompany the burger?”

“Nope.”

“And this ‘credit card surcharge’…they are charging us…for paying them?”

“Yep.”

“And we must also give them additional money because they carried the food ten feet to this table?”

“Uh huh.”

Sonny stared at the check like it had insulted his family.

“So the process is this,” Sonny said slowly. “They source and cook the food for less than we pay. We pay extra for parts of the food. We pay extra for using money. We pay extra for them to walk it to us. And then we leave.”

Chad nodded. “Pretty much.”

Sonny leaned back.

“Chad…this establishment is a scam.”

Chad laughed. “You still wanna come back?”

Sonny thought for a long time.

“…only if we are celebrating something very important. Like surviving a small war.”

Sonny took out his Earth Log device and began typing.

The cost of food varies wildly on Earth. It appears I have located the upper limit. Chad does not seem fazed by this. I will be returning to ALDI immediately.

Dues are Paid Every Day

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Very few things in life are set and forget.

Most require an active investment.

Training. Relationships. Business. Education.

Stop watering them and they wither.

Stop engaging and they atrophy.

We know this. That’s why we commit—not to perfection, but to action.

Some days you go big. Some days you go small.

What matters is that you pay.

Because dues aren’t monthly. They aren’t yearly.

They’re daily.

Big steps or baby steps—it doesn’t matter.

Never stop stepping.

Friction

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Friction isn’t the enemy.

It’s a tool.

Remove it, and things get easier.

Add it, and things get harder.

Use it deliberately.

Want to train more? Put your shoes by the door. Keep the kettlebell in sight. Make the gym the closest option. Remove friction.

Want to scroll less? Log out of the apps. Put the phone in another room. Make distraction inconvenient. Add friction.

Most people rely on willpower.

We design environments.

We don’t ask ourselves to be stronger. We make the right action easier—and the wrong action harder.

Friction shapes behavior whether you notice it or not.

So stop fighting it.

Start using it.

Remove friction from what builds you.

Add friction to what breaks you.

Sonny the Alien: The Negatives

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Earth Log Entry #7: Killer Atmosphere

Sonny and Chad were on the couch watching the news. The weatherman came on and said there’s a quick-moving cold front coming in and the lows will dip into the negatives tomorrow morning.

Sonny cocked his head to the side. “Chad…the temperature will be less than zero tomorrow morning?”

Chad didn’t look up from his phone. “Yeah.”

Sonny looked at him incredulously. “Zero is where numbers stop. That is the bottom. You have gone past the bottom. You have invented new cold.”

Chad glanced at the TV. “Yeah. Happens every year around this time.”

Sonny sat forward. “So the atmosphere could actually kill you?”

Chad shrugged. “Yeah, if you’re outside long enough, I guess. Gonna make for a cold morning commute.”

Sonny blinked slowly. “You’re going to leave the safety of our domicile and risk certain death…to go to work?”

Chad put his phone down. “Yeah, dude. The world doesn’t stop because it gets cold. I got a meeting with the head honcho tomorrow. Might be getting a raise.”

Sonny pulled out his Earth Log device and began typing.

Parts of Earth suffer from extreme cold at different times of the year. Too long in these temperatures means painful and certain death. Chad says it isn’t a big deal, and he’ll risk his life for money. I’ll be on standby to notify his next of kin.

Sonny then sat back, a concerned look on his face. “You’re really going to risk painful, certain death…for money?”

Chad stood up, thought about it for a second, and shrugged. “Yeah. I guess.”

Sunday Sendoff #32: The Importance of Communication

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Brickwall's Sunday Sendoff

If you think about it, how you communicate dictates the kind of life you live.

Every second of every day, you are communicating what you want, what you need, who you are, what you stand for.

Is it clear?

Or is it confusing?

If you don’t communicate it clearly, how can anyone understand it?

Clear communication creates clarity.

Unclear communication—or no communication at all—creates confusion.

And confusion is where misunderstandings, resentment, and disasters are born.

No one can read your mind. No one will advocate for you like you.

So get clear. Get honest. Get direct.

Your life will follow your communication.

This Week’s Posts

1/19/26 | The Weight of a Better World | Brickwall’s Corner

How Martin Luther King Jr. changed the world, and how Musclebuilders can take note.

1/23/26 | The 10 Worst Foods for Musclebuilders | Nutrition

Musclebuilders eat to thrive. Here are the foods that manage to accomplish the opposite.

Something to Ponder

Is there something important where communication has been lacking? Why not open the lines and get clear?

See You In the Arena

This week is just about over. Next week is just about here. Let’s keep building.

Brick by brick.

-Brickwall