Day thirteen of the Just Do Ten challenge arrived after a needed reset. I’d been grinding for nearly two weeks—getting the website live, editing the videos, and weaving together the blogs—while still trying to show up for the work. Some nights I barely slept. Yesterday, I honored recovery and slept. That choice kept me on the path.

This is also the second blog post in this run where I’m embedding video. That matters. It makes the journey transparent and raises the stakes on accountability. I’m not waiting for perfect; I’m shipping progress.

No Excuses, No Delays

At 7 a.m., I scrolled and saw my brother Floyd had posted: No Excuses Club. It’s football season, which is another way of saying: consistency season. My guy Spanky joked that Florida State didn’t even need face masks to beat Alabama. That’s the energy I carried into set one—humor, community, and a no-excuses mindset.

Iteration > Perfection

Dr. Trenice Brinkley’s wisdom kept ringing in my ears: “Put your bad draft out there and keep moving.” SpaceX’s iterative engines came to mind—version one, version two, version three. You learn by doing and keep improving. Day one of this challenge, I had no shoes on. Today, I’ve got better shoes, better headphones, and better form. That’s iteration. That’s progress.

Community Shoutouts

• Kevin & Vicki — The first college couple I knew with a house, a dog, and stability. Kevin put in his burpees. Respect.
• Kristen Ariza — Fellow Seminole and accomplished actor (appearing in The Accountant 2). Happy fiftieth! Ten burpees in your honor.
• Dui Jarrod — Creative force with films, plays, and a powerful one-man show. His advice after the show: “Keep going. No matter what, keep going.” (I mispronounced your name in the video—getting it right here. Respect.)

Movement for Every Body

My shirt rode up. My phone storage filled. The garage corner isn’t a dream gym. None of that matters. What matters is movement. And your movement does not have to be burpees. It can be:

• Ten steps
• Ten stretches
• Ten leg raises or arm lifts
• Ten quiet, focused breaths

This is a community fitness challenge built on adaptation. If you’re moving, you’re in.

Closing Out Day Thirteen

By set three, I was spent and smiling. Thirteen happens to be Taylor Swift’s favorite number; the synchronicity wasn’t lost on me. Between the football jokes, creative shoutouts, and the reminder to adapt your “ten,” today distilled the philosophy:

Keep going. Just do ten. Show up today. Don’t wait for perfect. Iterate forward.