In this motivational monologue, the speaker celebrates Shepherd “Shep” Thomas’s 19th birthday and first day of college while sharing a personal running experience that felt physically uncomfortable after a period of inactivity. He describes the run as painful and clunky, acknowledging that returning to an activity often “sucks.” The core message, framed as the “Moment of Yes,” is that it’s okay for actions to feel bad; the value lies in committing to the act itself rather than the feeling it generates. He urges listeners to prioritize showing up—whether in exercise, yoga, meditation, or any habit—regardless of discomfort, emphasizing that consistent effort leads to increased ease over time. The talk concludes by prompting the audience to identify one good‑for‑them action they will commit to today, even if it doesn’t feel great, and wishes Shep a happy birthday.
Chapters
Good morning, everyone! Here is your Moment of Yes for Monday, August 24th. How do I know it's August 24th? Because it is the Skinny King, Shepherd Thomas's birthday today. He is the big 1-9. Shepherd is 19. Also happens to be his first official day of classes, freshman year of college. Here we go, Shep! Happy birthday to the Skinny King! Your Moment of Yes for today. So, I've been able to remain pretty active, as far as whether it's walking, or like working out, or pickleball, and stuff like that. But the thing that I really haven't been able to do consistently over the last few years, like with some ankle issues, and then some back issues, is feeling like I can go out for a run, or a jog. And so, yesterday, I'm like, I'm just gonna do it, right? You know, my back felt well enough. My calves aren't acting up too much. And so I went out yesterday and I told Hollister, it felt like I was trying to run in a 90-year-old body. You know, joints hurt, knees were sore, I felt clunky, my lungs were burning immediately. And I did like— it was basically a 2, I don't know, 2-mile-plus run-walk. You know, ran for a mile, walked for a bit. you know, ran up some hills. All that to say, it sucked, right? It sucked because it, you know, it's like we know what we've been able to do in the past. We know maybe what we feel we're capable of. And you're just like, man, my current reality, this just sucks. And as I was running and I got to the point where I'm like, oh yeah, like this is This— that's just all it is. Of course it sucks. Like, I haven't been able to run consistently, you know, and, um, of course it's going to feel clunky. It's going to feel all of that. And so instead of having that be so discouraging that I just stop or quit and I don't do it, I'm like, yeah, like, yeah, of course it's supposed to suck. And it's not about— it's not about how good it feels. It's knowing that, like, hey, it's the willingness to do it. Knowing that that I'm capable of of of continuing on, and I know that the more I do something, not the easier it's going to get, but the more comfortable, the more loose I'm going to get. And so just embracing it. And so I just felt like I'm like yeah yeah okay like yeah the moment of yes for today is it's okay when it sucks, and it's okay when it's uncomfortable. And and so much of the obviously our physical physicality, but it's not just a response to our physicality as well. But it's okay when we get back into the groove of anything and we're just not that good. It's like, of course we shouldn't be that good. But it's not about the feeling of good. It's the feeling of, are we actually doing it? I'm doing it. I'm committing to it. If I feel crappy every time that I do it, it's the fact that I'm doing it. The fact that we're showing up. The fact that we're putting in the time, the effort, the behavior. We're making it a priority. We're making it a commitment. These are the things when people are like, oh man, I do yoga and I suck at it. No, you're doing yoga. Oh, every time I do meditation, I'm not great. I get distracted. No, you're doing meditation, right? That's— it's the act. It's the act of doing something that is the benefit, not the feeling while you're doing it. So your moment of yes for today is don't get distracted by the feeling. Commit to the act. What are you going to do today that you know is good for you, even if it doesn't feel great? That's your moment of yes for today. Happy birthday, Shep. Have a great week.
