Happy hump day, Dudes. It’s Wednesday, January 14th. We’re here to deliver you this week’s roundup, designed to make you a more interesting Kentucky Dude.

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Turns out, our main source of inspiration for many articles is a pint-sized, 10-year-old dude (my son) who thinks he's got all the answers, forcing me into a constant state of fact-checking.

Through that fact-checking chaos, we turn his “dad, did you know…” moments into bite-sized wisdom you can actually use, or at least laugh at over a beer.

your PTO is worth more than you think

Kentucky Dude Original, 1-minute read

Your PTO calendar is quietly hiding something it doesn’t advertise. These two Kentucky dudes have mastered the art of milking annual PTO. Once you see it, you won’t plan time off the same way again.

the lie that keeps us stuck (sunk cost)

Kentucky Dude original, 1-minute read

There’s a reason it feels harder to quit than to keep going, even when you know better. It’s not discipline, loyalty, or grit doing the talking. It’s a lie so familiar we rarely notice it anymore.

Self-awareness doesn’t show up in big breakthroughs. It shows up in small, repeatable moments. And it doesn’t need to feel like therapy homework.

Here’s the move: I’ve decided to start taking five minutes. Same time every day. No fixing. Just noticing.

I ask myself three simple questions.

1. What am I feeling right now?
   Name it. No explaining. Tired, calm, irritated, flat. “Fine” counts.

2. Where do I feel it?
   Tight shoulders. Heavy chest. Clenched jaw. Nothing at all.

3. What’s one thing pulling at my attention today?
   Something you’re avoiding, replaying, or worried about.

That’s it. No solutions. No action steps. No working through it.

This works because it’s boring on purpose. You’re not trying to improve yourself. You’re taking inventory. And inventory compounds.

Why bother? Because what you don’t notice builds pressure.

Stress turns into burnout. Frustration turns into short tempers. Fatigue turns into bad decisions.

When you check in daily, things don’t pile up in the background. You catch them early.

Five minutes. Every day. That’s the version that actually sticks.

fitness ain’t just muscles and miles: the 5 pillars of real health

Kentucky Dude Original, 1-minute read

Most health advice treats fitness like a single scoreboard: lift more, run farther, look better in the mirror. But real health isn’t built on one obsession, it’s built on a handful of unglamorous habits that keep the whole system running. Here/s our take.

alcohol was here before civilization and that explains a lot

Kentucky Dude Original, 1-minute read

Alcohol didn’t sneak into society through the back door. It was already there when the doors were built and that explains more about modern life than we’re comfortable admitting. This is an interesting read for sure dudes.

Most guys will look for a golf ball. 😂

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