Stop Slashing Your Tyres Because You Got One Flat

Let's not detonate the road to progress

Author’s Note

This week, we’re diving into a little habit most of us have mastered… spiralling. You know the drill: one slip-up, and suddenly you’re auditioning for the role of self-sabotage champion. I’ve done it too. More times than I’d care to admit. Behind bars. In business. In moments that really mattered.

But there’s a better way.

To bring it home, I’ve covered the topic two ways… in writing, and in a short YouTube video below. Read on here, and if you want to see both (or just hear the accent), give the video a watch too.

Stop Slashing Your Tyres Because You Got One Flat
Let’s not detonate the road to progress

We’ve all done it.
And I’ve done it in the worst ways.
Behind bars. In limbo.
Clinging to businesses long after the wheels came off, convinced I could salvage the wreck if I just pushed harder… like sheer grit could replace a missing engine.
But instead of pulling the ripcord, I doubled down… and paid the price.
Those consequences? I’m still facing them today long after my sentence concluded.

So yeah… try to think before you act.
Because sometimes the fallout doesn’t just knock you off course… it rewrites the entire trajectory of your life. It did to me.

Real-life spirals don’t usually start with chaos… they start small.

Had half a block of chocolate? Might as well finish it.
Missed two workouts? May as well wait till Monday to “start fresh.”
Drank too much on a Wednesday? “Already drunk… shots, please!”
Had a fight with your partner? Might as well bring up that “resolved” issue from 2017 while you’re at it… “just for the craic, like.”

That’s when the “F**k It” voice kicks in.
Loud. Persuasive. Sounds like freedom.

But it’s not.

It’s freedom’s dodgy cousin… the one who talks a big game, then robs your house. Wrapped in self-sabotage and stinking of regret.

It’s like getting a flat tyre and then slashing the other three just because one thing didn’t go your way.

You don’t just veer off course, you blow up the entire road like you’re auditioning for a demolition derby.

What’s worse? It doesn’t hit when you’re strong.
It sneaks in when you’re tired. Behind. Lonely. Hungover. Heartbroken. Ashamed.

Viktor Frankl said between stimulus and response, there’s a space… and in that space lies our power to choose.

But shame?
Shame packs that space tighter than your holiday suitcase when you’re determined to dodge Ryanair baggage fees.

Brené Brown calls it the voice that whispers, “You’re not enough. You’ve already failed. Why bother?”

And here’s the kicker:
Slipping isn’t failure. Staying down is.

Take it from someone who’s tangoed with more banana peels than a Looney Tunes marathon.

When life hits a low, most of us go hunting for the reset button. Or worse… an excuse to throw in the towel entirely.

But there’s a better way.

Remember the old fable about the thirsty crow? He finds a jug with water just out of reach. Now, he doesn’t throw a fit, knock it over, or blame the jug for not being full. Instead, he starts dropping in stones. One by one. Until the water rises to meet him.

He doesn’t drown the goal. He doesn’t smother the opportunity. He builds a path to it slowly, steadily, and without losing his beak.

That’s the mindset we miss when we wobble.

We think one bad decision ruins the whole journey. But that’s only true if you let it.

Real freedom… real power… isn’t in the perfect streak.

It’s in what you do next.

So…

Had half the block of chocolate? Eat something nourishing next.
Missed two days of your goal? Recommit today.
Got drunk? Hydrate and reset.
Didn’t follow through on your intention? You’ve got a new moment now.

It doesn’t have to be grand. It just has to be next.

The Al Pacino Moment.

Remember that iconic Any Given Sunday speech? Pacino’s coach doesn’t talk touchdowns. He talks inches, the small fights that make up the big wins.

That’s life. That’s redemption. That’s change.

If you think change only happens in giant leaps and perfect streaks, you’ll slam the F**k It button every time life gets messy… like a toddler with a sledgehammer.

But real change? Tiny, unglamorous choices are your base metals… dull and unremarkable… but keep stacking those stones on the jug, and eventually, you’ll turn lead into gold. You’ll rise.

Here’s how I’ve found some success in over riding the panic button.

Name it. Own it. When the spiral starts whispering sweet chaos, say it out loud: “I’m about to slash all the tyres.” Just naming it breaks the spell. Suddenly, you’re the person with the solution, not the victim.

Then do Two Minutes Better.

Walk. Stretch. Drink water. Call someone who actually cares… even if it’s just to complain about your terrible tyre-slashing plans. The tiniest act of self-respect is your philosopher’s stone; it transforms the moment.

Remember the crow… steady, persistent, adding one stone at a time. You don’t have to fix the whole week today. Just honour this moment.

You’re not a robot. You’re human. Falling is allowed. Deciding to stay down? That’s optional.

Progress isn’t killed by imperfection. It’s killed by believing you can’t get back up.

So don’t burn it all down. Don’t wait for Monday. Don’t listen to the voice screaming it’s all or nothing.

Whisper back, “Not today.” Drop your next stone and know you’re back on track.

And if you’re reading this after a slip, a spiral, or a moment that made you feel unworthy… I see you.

You’re not broken.

You’re building… So keep on building…

Stay Unshackled, my friends.