I stopped taking advice from childless people.
Fitness. Productivity. Life advice. All of it.
And here's why:
It's not that they're wrong. It's that they're playing a completely different game.
Taking life advice from someone without kids is like getting marriage tips from a guy who's "really good at first dates."
Cool, bro. But you've never had to initiate the tough conversation and own your mistake just to keep the peace.
We're not in the same sport.
We've all seen some 25-year-old fitness influencer with non-negotiable 5am routine.
Wake up. Meditate. Journal. Cold plunge. 45-minute lift.
Sounds beautiful. You know what woke ME up at 5am last Tuesday?
A 3-year-old standing 3 inches from my face whispering, "Daddy, I frowed up."
There's no cold plunge for that. Just reality.
These people have optimized their lives around ONE variable: themselves.
I'm optimizing for:
โ A marriage that still thriving after 10 years
โ Kids who actually want to be around me
โ A career that provides for my family
โ A body that lets me keep up with all of it
That's a completely different goal and it requires a different formula.
Real discipline isn't waking up at 5am when your apartment is silent and your only responsibility is a houseplant.
It's a 10pm workout after the kids went to bed because your morning blew up showing up for your family when they needed you.
That's the game I'm playing.
Childless advice isn't just impractical. It's unrelatable.
Their goal: optimize for SELF.
My goal: optimize for FAMILY.
It's like a vegan telling me how to grill a steak.
You might technically know the steps. But I don't trust you with the tongs.
The best advice I've ever gotten came from parents in the trenches.
They don't talk about "optimizing morning routines."
They talk about:
โข 20 push-ups while your kid eats breakfast
โข Walking with your wife after dinner because it's the only time you'll get together
โข Meal prepping Sunday because Tuesday night is a warzone
THAT'S advice that actually works.
So no, I'm not taking health advice from someone whose biggest inconvenience is their supplement stack being shipped late.
I want the guy who's been elbow-deep in a diaper blowout and STILL hitting their goals.
That's the guy who I'm listening to.
Find your people. Take their advice. Ignore the rest.