Inspiring stories of triumph always hit different when you’re the one who’s been eating dirt for months, right? Like, right now I’m sitting in my tiny apartment outside Denver, January 2026, snow piling up outside the window, my space heater making this weird clicking noise, and I’m about to tell you some very unglamorous inspiring stories of triumph that somehow still manage to ignite my motivation every time I remember them.
When I Literally Failed at the Easiest Thing (And Somehow Kept Going)
Back in late 2024 I decided I was going to “get fit” because I was tired of wheezing up the three flights to my place. Simple goal: run a 5K. No big deal. Everyone does it.
I lasted six minutes into the first run before I had to stop and pretend I was “stretching” while gasping like a dying fish on the sidewalk. A lady walking her dog legit asked if I needed an ambulance. I wanted to evaporate.
But here’s the embarrassing part: I kept the stupid running app on my phone. Every single day it sent me those mocking notifications: “You’re on a 0-day streak! Let’s get back out there! 🏃♂️🔥”
I hated that bird. But I also kinda loved that bird.
Three months later—three months of mostly walking, a few pathetic jogs, and one actual sprint when a loose dog chased me—I finished a 5K. Dead last. Time so bad I won’t even type it. But I crossed that line and ugly-cried in front of like 200 strangers.
And yeah… that stupid little medal is still hanging on my fridge. It’s inspiring stories of triumph like this one—super unglamorous, super human—that still ignite my motivation when I feel like quitting everything.
Here’s a quick pic of what those shoes look like today. They’ve seen some things.
The Time I Got Laid Off and Turned Into a Napkin Philosopher
March 2025. Tech layoffs hit my company. My name was on the list. I remember sitting in my car in the parking lot staring at the email, snow melting off the windshield, and just thinking… “Cool. I’m officially worthless now.”
I spent two weeks doing nothing but doom-scrolling and eating cereal at 3 p.m. Then one night, drunk on cheap wine and rage, I wrote on a bar napkin:
“Day 1: still unemployed but breathing. That’s gotta count for something.”
I kept that napkin. Every single morning for the next five months I wrote one sentence. Some days it was “Still sucking at interviews lol”, others “Got rejected again but didn’t cry this time”, and eventually “Signed offer letter. Holy crap.”
That napkin pile is now in a shoebox under my bed. It’s messy. The ink is smudged. Some days the handwriting is barely legible because I was shaking.
But every time I look at it, those inspiring stories of triumph—mine, tiny, pathetic, real—ignite my motivation all over again. Because progress doesn’t look like Instagram reels. It looks like crumpled napkins and bad handwriting.
Here’s what one of those notes actually looks like (yes I photographed it because why not embarrass myself fully).
A perfect visual of small, tangible proof of progress:
Try these tough race-prep workouts for unstoppable stamina on road …
Quick Lessons I Actually Learned (The Hard Way)
- Most inspiring stories of triumph are 90% embarrassing moments and 10% highlight reel
- Motivation isn’t a feeling, it’s a decision you make when you feel like hot garbage
- Keep evidence of your tiny wins—even if it’s just a napkin or a pair of destroyed shoes
- Comparing your low point to someone else’s peak is emotional self-harm (I’m still working on this one, badly)
If you want to read more raw, real comeback stories that aren’t sugar-coated, I really like this piece by Mark Manson – “The Most Important Skill in Life: Knowing When to Quit” and Brené Brown’s whole thing about vulnerability and rising after failure.
