Mom was wrong. Sometimes following the crowd works in business, health, and life.
Even My Doctor Has a Subscription Now
The moment I realized the subscription economy has gone too far.
“If everyone jumped off a bridge, would you?” It was a popular rhetorical question around my house when I was growing up. You might have heard it too.
It usually came after me saying something like, “everyone else is going,” or “everyone else has one.”
Besides being a tad insensitive, it’s also not exactly one-size-fits-all advice.
I was reminded of that recently when a video popped up on my TikTok FYP. Mine is mostly dog videos and podcast clips, but this one was a fitness influencer talking about workout supplements.
He said something like, “If niche supplements like BCAAs and L-carnitine worked, everyone would take them.”
Which sounded a lot like that bridge question. What he meant was simple. In the fitness world, most people agree on the basics.
Protein.
Creatine.
Caffeine.
Almost everyone serious about training uses some version of those because the science backs them up, and your eyes back them up too. You see results every day.
The weird trendy powders come and go. The basics stick. So in this case, yeah. We probably should all join everyone on the bridge.
It hit me because the same idea plays out everywhere else in life and business.
The basics work because they’re basic.
Not flashy.
Not complicated.
Just consistent.
We love chasing hacks. Morning routines. Magic bullets. But most success comes from doing boring things well, over and over.
Think about how many problems come from people skipping fundamentals: Not responding to messages, not showing up prepared, not following through and not listening.
Meanwhile, everyone is searching for the next big trick. It’s like buying the fancy supplement while forgetting to eat real food.
Covering the basics quietly solves a shocking number of issues.
In work, the boring bridge looks like:
• Responding to emails and texts in a reasonable time
• Showing up when you say you will
• Treating the CEO and the intern with the same respect
• Listening without planning your reply
• Giving clear feedback instead of vague hints
• Doing what you said you’d do
None of that goes viral. All of that works.
In relationships, the fundamentals are even simpler.
Pay attention.
Keep your word.
Say thank you.
Apologize when you screw up.
Be present.
Again, not sexy. No Mel Robbins book. Just wildly effective.
Even in health, the fundamentals win every time.
Sleep.
Move your body.
Eat decent food.
Drink water.
People will spend hundreds on powders, trackers, and programs while ignoring the stuff everyone already knows works.
We’re drawn to complexity because it feels like progress. Basics feel too easy, so we assume they aren’t enough. Enough usually is exactly what they are.
Most successful people, high performers, aren’t doing secret things, aside from some of those freaky CEO types in Silicon Valley. They’re doing simple things consistently. And constantly.
They show up, communicate, follow through, respect people and don’t skip the boring parts.
So maybe the old bridge question needs an update.
“If everyone successful is doing the fundamentals well, should you?” Yeah. Probably.
Not because everyone is doing it. Because it works.
Before chasing the next tactic, tool, or trend, look at your basics. Are you responding, listening, and following through? Treating people well? Doing the unglamorous stuff daily?
If not, no supplement, or podcast, is going to save you.
The bridge isn’t dangerous. Skipping it is.
