Sponsored by
Welcome back to Retire & RISE {{first_name}}
I have a black lab named Bradley who is convinced our television is a window. He is a protective fellow. The moment an animal appears on screen or there are gun shots, or any commotion between people, he is up and barking the TV down, ready to defend the house. The set sits on an outside wall, and I am fairly sure he believes that if he deals with whatever is on the other side of that glass, he can head straight out and finish the job. Sure enough, after nearly every skirmish, he trots to the door wanting out.
I love him for it. But I am not writing to tell you to be more like Bradley. If anything, most of us have the opposite problem. Bradley throws himself at every new thing without a second thought – no hesitation, fully committed, every time. We do the reverse. We freeze at the edge of something new, certain that stepping toward it means we are locked in. Bradley never once confuses looking with committing. We do it constantly.
🌱 What This Short Note Gives You
Why "just trying" and "committing" are two completely different things
A simple way to test any new direction for one week, with no pressure to continue
A little more lightness about the thing you have been putting off
One small, no-risk step you can take today
🎯 What We Are Really Talking About
Somewhere along the way, many of us started believing that if we begin something, we have to see it through. So we hesitate. We wait until we are sure. And because we are never quite sure, we never quite begin.
But trying is not committing. Tasting a dish is not ordering it every night. Test-driving a car is not buying it. Sitting in on one class is not enrolling for a degree. You are allowed to sample something, learn how it feels, and walk away – and walking away is not failure. It is information.
This matters because the thing you are curious about is almost always smaller and safer than the story in your head. The story says, "What if I start and it does not work, or I look foolish, or I have to keep going?" The truth is quieter: you can look, you can try, and you can stop, all without owing anyone anything.
🛠 How To Try Without Committing
There is a simple method for this. Psychologists call it a "change sampler": you pick one small thing and try it for one week only. That is the whole rule. One week. After that, you decide what is next – continue, adjust, or set it down. Robert Taibbi describes it well in Psychology Today: "It is only for one week. After that, you can decide what's next."
So this week, try this:
Pick one direction you are a little curious about – not the biggest one, the most interesting one.
Give it twenty minutes. Open ChatGPT and ask it one question. Watch one short how-to. Read one article. Whatever "dipping a toe" looks like for your curiosity.
When the twenty minutes are up, stop. You are done. You tried it. There is nothing else you are required to do.
That is it. No plan, no goal, no commitment. Just one honest look at one thing.
🧭 What Happens Either Way
If you try, one of two good things happens. Either you enjoy it and want a little more – wonderful, now you know. Or you find it is not for you – also wonderful, because now you can stop wondering and let it go with a clear conscience. Both are wins. The only losing move is carrying "maybe someday" around for another year.
And if you do not try? Nothing bad happens. Life goes on exactly as it is. But that small itch of curiosity tends to stay, quietly, until you finally give it its twenty minutes.
📣 Today's Sponsor
15% Off Your First Order of Fresh-Roasted Pods
Most K-Cups sit in a warehouse for months before they reach your brewer — and you can taste it. Angelino's, a third-generation roaster in Los Angeles, does it differently: every pod is roasted, ground, and sealed fresh in-house, then shipped to your door within days of roasting.
Choose from 50+ specialty coffees — single origins, dark roasts, flavored favorites like Jamaican Me Crazy, plus decafs and teas — all compatible with your Keurig® brewer. Mix and match any coffees you like, and watch the savings climb: bulk discounts start at 5+ boxes and reach up to 34% off at 12+.
And here's the best part: new customers get an extra 15% off their first order, on top of bulk savings. It's applied automatically at checkout — no code, no subscription required. Free shipping on orders over $49 or 4+ boxes.
Fresh coffee shouldn't require a coffee shop.
This is how I support this newsletter.
💬 One Tap Before You Go
I would love to know one thing, and it takes a single tap – no typing, no commitment (fitting, given the subject).
Which direction are you most curious about trying right now?
There are no wrong answers, and "still figuring it out" is a perfectly good place to stand. Your tap just helps me aim the next couple of notes somewhere actually useful to you.
That is all for today. One tap, if you feel like it. And remember – you can always just try.
Talk soon,
Bob
🔁 Hashtags
#RetireAndRise #DigitalConfidence #StartSmall #TryDontCommit #Over50 #SeeYouAtTheBank
