The Year I Quit Trying
By Atlas Topone
This year, I’m resolving to fail—properly. No half-hearted attempts, no timid regrets. I’ll burn the sourdough, forget birthdays, skip yoga, and ignore inspirational podcasts. I’ll stop turning mistakes into “lessons” and just let them sit there, smouldering. Maybe the world won’t collapse if I do nothing perfectly. Maybe success is overrated—another word for exhaustion in fancier clothes.
By December, I’ll toast my undoing, clinking a chipped glass to the glorious art of not improving.
And maybe, beneath the ashes of ambition, something softer will finally grow— something that doesn’t need to prove its worth.
Atlas Topone is an Australian dumbo rat VTuber and book lover on a mission to leave a mark on the world. Living with fibromyalgia, Atlas channels their creativity and resilience into storytelling and streaming, championing accessible and inclusive communities for all.
Love this!! The pursuit of perfection can become toxic.
I really liked this piece. The last line brings it all together while opening up a new vista of hope and possibility.