Mike McCready

Tag: Personal Development

  • My Struggle with Stupid People

    My Struggle with Stupid People

    Let’s get something straight right off the bat—I’m not talking about people with below-average IQs. Intelligence isn’t the issue here. Some of the smartest people I’ve met couldn’t change a tire or balance a checkbook to save their lives, and some of the most practical, insightful people I know wouldn’t do well on an IQ test.

    And I don’t hold myself up as some kind of genius. Believe me, I’ve made my share—and probably some of your share—of dumb decisions. Decisions that would make the Three Stooges look like Nobel Prize winners. But here’s the thing: I am not stupid.

    Because stupid isn’t about IQ—it’s about refusing to think critically.

    So, let’s run a quick litmus test for critical thinking:

    When was the last time you heard a better argument than the one you had and thought, ‘Damn… I might be wrong’? If you can’t think of a single time, that’s a red flag.

    Do you ever get new information and just… ignore it? If your instinct is to double down instead of reconsider, congratulations—you’re human. But critical thinkers push past that reflex.

    Here’s where I struggle: I have to work hard to feel empathy for people who have all the information they need to make good voting decisions but still choose to vote against their own interests.

    It’s one thing to be misled. It’s another to be willfully ignorant. And when people keep making choices that actively harm themselves—and the rest of us—it’s hard not to be frustrated.

    The truth is, democracy depends on people actually thinking. And if we can’t do that, we’re in real trouble.

  • Regrets! Regrets! Regrets! And The Eternal Blooper Reel in My Head

    Regrets! Regrets! Regrets! And The Eternal Blooper Reel in My Head

    I’ve got a blooper reel running in my head. No, it’s not the kind of reel you’d expect after a day of business or trading mishaps. This isn’t about missed opportunities or the times I could’ve done better in my career. This is the real blooper reel. The one that plays on a loop whenever I let my guard down.

    It’s the awkward social moments, the times I misread the room, and the moments when I know—deep down—I’ve let people down. It’s about failing to live up to my own standards. Every time I should have been more present, more compassionate, or just plain more human… I’m there in my head, replaying it all.

    What’s strange is that it’s always running. Every conversation, every social interaction, every moment where I didn’t say the right thing or dropped the ball—it loops in my mind, over and over. And I’m not sure how to turn it off. Not because I haven’t tried, but because it’s like the movie I didn’t ask to be the star of. It just keeps going.

    I’m not diagnosed with OCD (though, who knows, maybe that’s in the cards for later). I’ve got ADHD—which is probably part of the reason why I sometimes struggle to focus on what’s in front of me rather than the endless mental reruns. But ADHD doesn’t explain the constant mental commentary. That’s all me, every day, reliving these moments in vivid, technicolor detail like I’m trapped in an infinite loop of social faux pas.

    Maybe the “blooper reel” is universal—we just don’t admit it out loud. But I can’t help but feel like I’m watching a never-ending series of mistakes, and the worst part is, I imagine everyone who has been on the receiving end missteps is constantly watching too. So the shame and embarrassment are always turned up to 11.

    I don’t want this to sound like some “woe is me” post. The reality is, I’m working through this. I’m figuring out how to let go of the things that don’t serve me and focus on what’s ahead. But it’s hard. It’s exhausting. And for someone who’s spent years building businesses, trading gold, and dealing with the stresses of life, it’s a whole new level of self-inflicted pressure.

    I know I’m not the only one dealing with this. There are so many of us out there—fighting to silence the self-doubt, the moments we didn’t do or say enough. The truth is, it’s a battle. And some days, I’m winning. Other days? I’m stuck rewinding the same mistakes, trying to “fix” things that are long past fixing.

    But here’s the thing: I’m learning to embrace the fact that perfection doesn’t exist. That reel may never stop playing, but maybe I don’t have to listen to it on repeat. I’m still human, and I’ll still make mistakes, but I’m trying to make peace with the fact that I don’t need to be perfect.

    So if you’re out there feeling like I am—stuck in your own head, running your personal blooper reel—just know you’re not alone. We’re all trying to find a way to live with the past, move forward, and make the future just a little less complicated.