Easy. I throw on a 50 lb vest and tell the world to go ruck itself.
Some people pop bottles. I pop steel plates into a vest and head straight into the sunset like a weighted cowboy. Some music or audiobooks, no small talk — just my breath, my steps, and a little pain to remind me I’m still moving.
By the time I’m done, my mind’s clear, my stress is gone, and my vest’s still hugging me tighter than most people ever did.
Click this image, you wont!
(By the way — this post is part of the WordPress Daily Prompt. Today’s was: “How do you unwind after a demanding day?” So yeah, just me yelling into the void like a weighted monk.)
Let’s cut through the BS. Being a “businessman” does not automatically make someone a good leader — and it sure as hell doesn’t make them qualified to run a country.
But for years, a huge chunk of America has clung to the myth that success in business somehow equals competence in governance. That if someone has “made money,” they’ll manage the country’s finances like a spreadsheet, fire the bad guys, and lead the nation like a boardroom. It’s a fantasy — and one that’s aged like unrefrigerated mayo.
1. Business Degrees Are the Most Common — Not the Most Impressive
You know what the most awarded college degree in the U.S. is? Business. It’s not rare. It’s not elite. And while many people with business degrees are hardworking, honest folks, it doesn’t mean they’re qualified to steer a 300-million-person democracy with global responsibilities and nuclear weapons.
It’s a basic misunderstanding of what business teaches: efficiency and profit. Not justice. Not diplomacy. Not how to write laws, appoint judges, or handle a humanitarian crisis. Running a country is not about cutting costs — it’s about protecting people.
2. Trump Is Just a Statistical Anomaly — Not a Genius
Imagine every person on Earth flips a coin for survival. One flip per round. Eventually, someone is going to hit heads again and again and again — until they’re the last person left. People would look at that person and say, “How did you do it? What’s your strategy?”
But the truth is: they’re just the statistical leftover of a huge group. They didn’t do anything special. Haven’t created significant value. They just haven’t lost enough yet.
That’s Trump. That’s Musk. That’s a lot of these “once-in-a-generation business legends.” They’re not repeatable formulas. They’re lottery winners standing on top of wreckage, trying to sell you a strategy.
3. Real Businessmen Don’t Brag — They Build
Small business owners — real ones — don’t have time for cults of personality. They’re running HVAC companies, detailing cars, selling tacos, or training clients in a gym. They’re up at 6 AM, not filming themselves eating McDonald’s to impress boomers.
If anyone has the temperament to lead, it’s the guy who actually shows up, keeps books straight, pays taxes, treats workers fairly, and grows something meaningful over decades. But those people aren’t flying around on private jets or lying to investors on social media.
4. Government ≠ Business (and That’s a Good Thing)
A business has one job: maximize profit. That’s it. If fewer safety inspections mean more quarterly earnings, they skip the inspections. If layoffs make the stock go up, people lose jobs.
A government is supposed to serve its people — not just the profitable ones. We don’t privatize police departments or elections for a reason. Public services exist because some things should never be left to whoever can squeeze the most out of you.
5. Privatization Isn’t Private If It’s Funded by Taxpayers
You want to talk about hypocrisy? Elon Musk is the poster child for it. He’s the “free market” guy who takes billions in government subsidies. SpaceX? Tesla? Starlink? All propped up with public money — and then sold back to the public like private genius.
It’s like a contractor getting paid with your tax dollars, then charging you again just to enter the house. Meanwhile, the same crowd that trashes the USPS and NASA somehow worships this guy for launching 30,000 satellites that only reach 0.01% of the population.
6. They Sell You a Fantasy Version of Success — Because They Know You’ll Buy It
Trump standing at McDonald’s like he’s “just like you.” Musk tweeting through meltdowns while pretending to be a savior. These guys aren’t relatable. They’re performing for you — because their empires need your belief more than your money.
You think they care about your struggles? They’re not building ladders. They’re pulling them up behind themselves. And they’ve convinced millions of people to cheer them on while they do it.
Final Thoughts: Stop Worshipping Wealth
The businessman myth is dead. It should’ve died in 2008. It should’ve died in 2020. It should’ve died after January 6th. And yet here we are — still watching people defend wealth as if it’s wisdom, and success as if it’s sainthood.
We need leaders. Not brand deals. Not coin-flippers. And definitely not guys who inherited money, scammed investors, and bought blue checkmarks to feel special.
Bonus: I’ve Been a Businessman for Years — It Doesn’t Make Me Want to Run a Country
I’ve been selling stuff online since I was a teenager. I’ve packed more orders than I can count. Built multiple websites. Managed inventory, handled refunds, dealt with nightmare customers, and shipped products from Texas in the middle of summer.
I’m a businessman.
And I still think this whole idea that “businessmen should run the world” is one of the dumbest takes out there.
Running a business teaches you how to deal with stress, sure. But it doesn’t make you wise. It doesn’t give you moral clarity. It doesn’t mean you should be in charge of millions of lives and make decisions that affect the globe. Most days, I don’t even want to deal with customer emails — why would I want to fix Social Security?
You know who should run a country? People who understand service, sacrifice, and actual governance. Not people who optimize tax loopholes and tweet through disasters.
Not for myself—but for the algorithm. My goal is to bait it, beat it, and build something real from it.
These days, I’m active on a ton of platforms—Twitter, Threads, Bluesky, LinkedIn, and whatever else lets me post without a filter. But I don’t live on those platforms. I write in one place: my own website. Everything else is just a trail of breadcrumbs. The goal? Bring people back to where I actually own the story.
That’s the point of my guide on making your own website too. If you’re creating content and not collecting the value—someone else is. Social media was designed to monetize you. Unless you flip the script.
Escaping the algorithmic fast food of social media and walking toward real content, real ownership, and real health—PrestonShamblen.com.
Create > Consume
I try to produce more than I consume. Same rule I use for food, energy, and effort. If you’re just scrolling, you’re not in control. You’re not you. You’re a data point.
Algorithms Feed on You
The more I’ve seen how broken and manipulative these platforms are, the more surgical I’ve become. I unfollow aggressively. I block anything fake. I don’t engage with content I hate—because I’ve learned the hard way: if you react to it, even negatively, the algorithm takes that as approval.
They want you angry. They want you addicted. And they’ll sell your attention to whoever pays.
But Me? I Build Funnels.
I don’t want social media to own me. I use it to redirect traffic to my site, where I control the data, the experience, and the story. From there I can present anything—products, thoughts, videos, affiliate links, my actual life. I can be funny, serious, weird, ripped, or writing. Infinite creative freedom. No censorship. No shadowbans. No begging for reach.
So how do I use social media?
Like a crowbar. I pry open doors. And I take back control.
What if the secret to getting everything done wasn’t focus—but motion?
Welcome to Cross-Iterative Learning—a real-world strategy for leveling up across multiple domains by moving between them rapidly and rhythmically, instead of grinding one path to exhaustion.
This isn’t just a productivity hack. It’s a philosophy—a method that mirrors how the world actually works.
What Is Iterative Design?
Before we go further, let’s define the baseline: iterative design is the process of building, testing, refining, and repeating—over and over—until a system improves. You make something, test the output, revise based on feedback, and repeat the cycle.
It works well for software, products, and even habits. But when over-applied to a single track, it risks burnout, tunnel vision, or diminishing returns. You get stuck in the same loop. Sometimes the project isn’t able to suffer the amount of failures required either.
What Makes It Cross-Iterative?
Cross-Iterative Learning is what happens when you run multiple iterative loops in parallel—across different domains—and allow lessons from one area to inform the others.
It’s not “scatterbrained.” It’s smarter load balancing:
You reduce risk by not putting all your energy into one fragile basket
You escape burnout by moving to a new task before fatigue sets in
You gain fresh perspective by comparing domains with different rules, feedback cycles, and creative constraints
It mirrors how we actually live. No one gets to pause their health while they focus on their job. No one learns to walk without simultaneously growing bones, learning balance, and developing a nervous system.
It’s similar to cross-training in sports: an elite sprinter might swim in the off-season, or a basketball player might take ballet. But Cross-Iterative Learning happens daily—not seasonally. It’s how we handle real life, where we’re constantly switching between roles, systems, and skillsets.
Section 1: The Spider Run — Why It Works
Ever heard of the spider run drill? It’s used in tennis and other sports to train agility, balance, and responsiveness. You sprint to one side, then to another, constantly returning to center picking up tennis balls off the ground.
Cross-Iterative Learning works the same way. Each task, each project, is a direction. You return to the center—your core goals—and then move again. It’s not aimless. It’s structured chaos.
The more you do it, the faster and smoother the transitions become. If the balls were placed in any other way the drill would build an unbalance and inferior athlete. So where do the balls go? Everywhere… You sprint to each area and return to the center. Now you know how to get to every ball in a game.
Section 2: The Illusion of Stability
“My dad used to say he felt like he was always putting out fires.”
That’s what life often feels like—reaction after reaction. But here’s the shift:
If you can put them out fast enough and in the right order, it looks like there were no fires at all.
To outsiders, this appears as calm, control, or talent. But zoom in? It’s momentum. It’s systems in motion. That’s the illusion of stability: not the absence of problems, but the speed of adaptation. A juggling act, a house of cards and the love it’s built from is the guy sprinting to keep them up.
Section 3: Zooming In — Everything Is Effort
People don’t want to know how the sausage is made. But if they looked closely, they’d see:
The person who “has it all together” is just managing more micro-decisions faster
The system that “just works” is constantly compensating for entropy
The great idea you had? It was made possible by your liver still filtering toxins and your brain juggling calories, trauma, and tabs
Everything is effort. But when effort gets distributed correctly, it looks like grace.
Section 4: How to Start Doing It Yourself
Step 1: Accept that you will not master anything by isolating it.
Mastery happens in layers. If you’re stuck, move to a parallel domain. Not to abandon the first—but to return to it stronger.
Step 2: Take on more tasks—but smaller, sharper, and differently timed.
Especially when something becomes less productive, shift. Work in waves. Come back.
Step 3: Make each project teach the others.
In one example, this could be multiple websites. Each one improved the others. SEO learned on one site made the next one better. Product listings got tighter. Automation improved. Back and forth.
It’s not just technical cross-training—it’s perspective gaining. Different tools and platforms will force you to learn in uncomfortable ways. For example, switching between website projects may feel like being thrown into the deep end again, but that discomfort forces growth.
Step 4: Stay uncomfortable.
That’s part of the benefit. When you rotate between tasks or domains, you re-enter “beginner mode.” Like progressive overload in the gym, each return hits differently. You feel slower, but the contrast makes your brain work harder—and better.
Step 5: Embrace the loop.
Don’t aim to be “done.” Aim to be “in rhythm.”
The cross-iterative learner is always revisiting, always upgrading. Whether it’s 10 websites or 10 goals, each one benefits from the work done on the others.
Section 5: Why I Built This Framework (And Coined the Term)
For the past couple of years, I’d been asking people a simple question: What’s the fastest way to learn something? Most didn’t have an answer. Or if they did, it was vague—“Just practice” or “Read more.”
But for me, the answer always felt more physical. More chaotic. More real. My early answer was just: throw yourself in the deep end. Pretend you know nothing. Assume you’re wrong. Be willing to start over.
That worked. But it wasn’t the whole story.
This is the evolved answer—Cross-Iterative Learning. As far as I can tell, I actually coined this term. I’ve searched, researched, and nothing quite like this framework exists—especially not in this general, human-centered way. It’s what I’ve lived and tested. It’s what I now believe is the closest thing to a real strategy for mastering many things at once—without losing your mind.
If you want to learn something, don’t isolate it. Learn all the things around it. Build the roots. It’s like building a house—you don’t start with the bedroom. You lay a foundation, install plumbing, get power working, build out supporting walls. Everything is connected. If you want one part of life to function well, it often depends on unseen systems you’ve built alongside it. That’s how your brain anchors things. That’s how you grow.
You don’t have to get everything right at once. But you should give everything attention in rhythm. Whether it’s websites, writing, training, finances, or health—you’ll see progress faster by moving through all of them than trying to perfect one of them.
Section 6: Cross-Iterative Living
This isn’t just about learning—it’s about living.
Humans aren’t ASICs. We’re not designed for single-purpose optimization. We’re meant to adapt, to connect patterns, to cross-train across life itself.
The body doesn’t stop breathing every time you bleed a little. The mind shouldn’t stop creating just because you’re broke. The world doesn’t pause.
But if you move with it—if you learn to navigate through cross-iterative loops—you become what looks like magic to the outside world:
A system in harmony.
And yeah—it’s still effort. But you’re moving fast enough that it looks like fire never caught.
“Stability isn’t stillness. It’s speed, synced perfectly across systems.”
Rucking is walking—just harder. You throw weight on your back and go. I do it almost every day, usually 50 pounds. Sometimes more. I started with a CamelBak backpack, then a cheap Gold’s Gym vest, and now I use a Wolf Tactical weighted vest. It’s not about what you wear. It’s about moving. Sweating. Showing up. Alone.
I ruck solo, no podcast motivation, just dirt and time. You’d be amazed how much clarity you gain walking with 50 pounds strapped to your chest in 100-degree Texas heat. Some people do yoga. I do rucking. Go ruck yourself—I did.
What Is an Anti-Influencer? (And Why We Need Them)
Honestly, I hadn’t even heard the term until recently, but I like it. An anti-influencer is someone who posts without pretending. Someone who doesn’t filter out the truth. Think of it like Deadpool—still technically a hero, just not the polished kind.
Don’t get me wrong. I believe in mirror neurons. I believe in the power of seeing someone else do something and thinking, “Maybe I could too.” But I’m not standing on a mountain yelling inspiration down at you. I’m out there, still walking, still rucking. Like a lizard in the West Texas desert. Sun-powered. Drenched in sweat. Unbothered.
My Journey: 90 Lbs Down, No Filters, No BS
I didn’t follow a fad. I didn’t buy a program. I didn’t hire a coach. I walked. I counted calories. I quit drinking—over two years ago now. That’s it. That’s the story.
At one point, I looked down and saw the scale flash “250.” That was enough. I didn’t need a motivational video. I didn’t need Shia LaBeouf screaming “Just do it!” in my face. I just decided it was time.
It started in the mountains. At night. Alone. I was filming the Milky Way, dragging around a car battery to keep my camera powered. That’s how it began. That’s how the fat started melting off. One walk. Then another.
Bucked Up, Rucked Up, and Still Standing
After I posted one of my progress photos, Bucked Up reached out. I’m a brand ambassador now. But I didn’t do it for that. I didn’t ruck to get noticed. I did it because it worked.
That’s the irony of the anti-influencer life. You stop trying to be seen—and suddenly people start looking. But if nobody ever had, I’d still be doing the exact same thing. That’s how you know it’s real.
The Power of Real Progress Pics (vs. Instagram Fakery)
Filters are why people can’t track reality anymore. That goes for calories, finances, and fitness. You don’t count your drinks, your shots, your bank balance—because you’ve been trained to ignore what’s real.
I saw 250 lbs on the scale and decided it was done. I made the call. I started walking in the mountains, at night, with a car battery on my back powering my camera so I could film the stars. Alone. There was no audience.
But there was progress. And that progress was real. No apps, no gimmicks. Just momentum.
Final Thoughts: You Don’t Need Permission—Just Persistence
Persistence is everything. Turns out, yeah—you can polish a turd. You just need the right kind of pressure.
How were the pyramids built? Doesn’t matter if aliens helped or not—those stones still moved one at a time.
You want to build muscle? Cool. What’s muscle made of? Protein. What’s a pyramid made of? Stone. You wouldn’t build it out of paper, would you?
So take your stone. Take your sweat. Take your steps. That’s how I did it. That’s how anyone can.
What are 5 everyday things that bring you happiness?
The sun. Call it a mood boost, call it nature’s power-up—when that UV light hits skin and cholesterol converts to vitamin D, you feel it. It’s not just warmth. It’s energy, clarity, and balance. Tanning beds get prescribed for seasonal mood disorders because sunlight is medicine. If I had to pick one thing that brings me happiness every day—it’s the sun.
Rucking. Weighted vest on, sun overhead, feet moving. Rucking turns the whole world into a gym. I don’t just feel stronger after—I feel alive. It clears the mind, strengthens the body, and gives me direction, literally and mentally.
A clean pool. It’s the small wins. Skimming leaves, brushing tile, flipping the pump switch. There’s satisfaction in making water sparkle—and in knowing I did it.
A good protein smoothie. Cold. Nutritious. Bucked Up. It’s the daily ritual that tastes like progress. Not fancy. Just right.
Making things that last. Whether I’m building an app, writing a post, tuning up a kayak, or launching a new site—creating real value brings real joy. Every little thing stacks toward something bigger.
⚠️ WARNING: Collecting these may cause extreme productivity, enhanced IQ, and unexpected bursts of sarcasm.
The action figure trend hit the internet like a tidal wave. But while others were letting some sketchy app auto-generate Barbie clones, I built a supercomputer, designed the figures myself, and unleashed Preston from across the multiverse.
Welcome to the Prestonverse Collection — where every variant of me is ready to save a different dimension (or at least clean the pool).
🏋️ Rucking Pro Preston (White Vest Variant)
Equipped with Wolf Tactical weighted vest in Arctic White
Signature orange Apple Ultra 2 ruck-tracker
Hydration: Bucked Up pink shaker for max endurance
Limited edition packaging for elite-tier loadouts only
🏋️ Rucking Pro Preston
Weighted vest mode: ON
Personal best: 105 lbs rucked with zero excuses
Accessories: Bucked Up shaker + indestructible legs
💻 Elon Slayer Preston
Now with Terminal Muskosis Vaccine™
Features: Steel confidence + fact-based payload
Action: Disproves hype with a single quote
🌌 Multiverse Enforcer Preston
Cosmic guardian with infinite variants
Weapons: Glowing baton, Bucked Up cup
Catchphrase: “Fitness ain’t fiction.”
🔧 Pool Dimension Defender Preston
Armed with the Chlorine Blaster 9000
Sidekick: SKIM-TRON, robotic cleaner with sass
Poseable net arm for maximum algae elimination
🏕️ Appalachian Cabin Preston
GoPro-ready
Comes with “Triangle Vent” nostalgia dialogue chip
Outfit: Tactical throwback flannel
💾 Supercomputer Operator Preston
Triple-monitor command center
RTX-powered wrist console
Voice button: “Run diagnostic.”
🪖 Desert Ops Preston
Equipped with Tactical Vest and Desert Boots
Accessories: Bucked Up Shaker + Violet Energy Saber
Bonus: Sand-resistant rifle with zero Elon-compatible parts
In high school, I was unknowingly preparing to dismantle billion-dollar lies.
I didn’t realize it at the time, but value investing, calculus, and physics would become the backbone of my adult ability to debunk hype, challenge narratives, and cut through marketing fluff with actual numbers. While some people were getting high, I was getting really into compounded interest.
I played varsity tennis and was president of the chess club—not for the resume, but because I genuinely loved to compete, to strategize, to adapt. I once had perfect attendance for a full school year. Not because it was easy. Because I refused to let anything keep me from showing up.
I even started rucking before I knew what it was called—just a teenager with a heavy backpack and a stubborn streak.
High school wasn’t perfect, but it taught me to show up, to think critically, and to carry weight—literally and figuratively. Turns out, those lessons are more useful than ever.
Instead, you’re sitting at a desk—scrolling between Slack messages, ChatGPT drafts, and finance apps telling you your rent just went up. Again.
Welcome to the new American economy, where everything got smarter except the part where you were supposed to benefit.
🤷️ The Greater Fool Theory, Applied to Life
In investing, the greater fool theory says you can profit off a bad asset—as long as there’s a bigger idiot willing to buy it from you later.
Now apply that to your labor, your time, your whole adult life.
We work jobs that don’t matter, for companies that don’t make money, building software no one uses, pushing paper no one reads, hoping someone will eventually buy the stock we’re granted for more than it’s worth.
We’re the fools. But we’re told someone greater is coming.
🧠 AI Is Writing This. You’re Still at Work.
It’s cute, really. While you’re optimizing LinkedIn profiles or scheduling your next Zoom call, an AI can already do your job. Sorta. Maybe not well. Maybe not safely. But cheaply.
And that’s all that matters…until it isn’t…
You’re not being paid to produce value. You’re being paid to stand in front of the automation long enough to not notice the trap.
Meanwhile, CEOs are cashing out. Valuations are propped up. And you’re still logging 40 hours a week to keep the illusion alive and the country goes into more and more debt.
🤚 Tech Was Never About You
Moore’s Law got faster. Your bills got higher.
For decades, we believed technology would create abundance. Instead, it created monopolies.
You pay for Uber, but can’t afford a car.
You pay for DoorDash, but can’t afford groceries.
You pay for AI, but can’t afford a raise.
You were supposed to be the consumer. Now you’re the product and the subscription.
🌋 Productivity Isn’t the Problem
You’re more productive than ever. That’s the scam.
GDP went up. Tech exploded. And somehow your buying power went down.
This isn’t because you’re lazy. It’s because the value you create doesn’t go to you.
It goes to a shareholder. To a startup founder. To a billionaire who got there first and used your optimism as leverage.
⚡ The Truth Is Physical
Real value is work. Movement. Output. Energy burned.
Your body knows it. Your rent knows it. Even your phone, melting in your palm from overuse, knows it.
But the greater fool theory has no room for truth. It only needs you to believe that your life is an asset someone else will want to buy.
Spoiler: They won’t. They already automated it.
🔺 So Why Are You Still Working?
Because you still believe. Because you’re still hoping to cash out before the music stops. Because someone on YouTube said Tesla will hit $3,000 per share.
Because you were told you’re smarter than your parents. Because your job has a Slack channel with a meme channel in it. Because you’re scared of what happens when you stop.
Because you’ve mistaken activity for agency.
🤔 Maybe It’s Time to Opt Out
Not from life. Not from tech. But from the delusion.
Ruck a mile. Fix something. Grow something. Make something heavy move.
Do something that doesn’t need a boss, a share price, or a login.
Because you’re not the greater fool. You’re just the last one still pretending it all makes sense.
Came to the state park to ruck. Ended up rescuing a bat from a urinal. No cape, no glory — just a weird little moment that somehow made me Batman for the day. Continue reading →
How do you unwind after a demanding day? How do I unwind after a demanding day? Easy. I throw on a 50 lb vest and tell the world to go ruck itself. Some people pop bottles. I pop steel plates into a vest and head straight into the sunset like a weighted cowboy. Some music … Continue reading →
We’ve been sold the myth that being a businessman makes you fit to run a country. But real leadership isn’t about profits, branding, or coin-flip luck — and men like Trump and Musk prove just how dumb that myth can be. Continue reading →
I use social media like a crowbar—to pry open reach and pull people back to what I actually own: my site. Here’s how I flip the algorithm and use it to my advantage. Continue reading →
For two years I asked people how to learn faster. No one had a real answer. So I built one. It’s called Cross-Iterative Learning — and it’s how I’ve leveled up everything in my life by switching between projects instead of obsessing over one. It works because it mirrors how real life works. Continue reading →
I lost 90 lbs alone in the Texas heat—no filters, no followers, no hype. Just rucking with 50 pounds on my chest and the decision to change. This is the rise of the anti-influencer, and why being real is the only way to win. Continue reading →
The sun. Rucking. Smoothies. Clean water. And creating something real. These are the five things that make life better—every single day. Continue reading →
I didn’t just join the action figure trend. I became the trend. Introducing the Prestonverse: fully customized, AI-powered, collector-worthy versions of me — and no shady Facebook app required. Continue reading →
High school taught me how to show up, think critically, and carry real weight. From varsity tennis to chess club president, those lessons are still carrying me. Continue reading →
You were told tech would free you—but you're still grinding while AI takes your job and billionaires take your future. This is the economy of illusions, where effort doesn’t equal reward, and productivity means nothing if you're not the one getting paid. Continue reading →
