I’ve surrendered to the TikTok flow

I’m addicted to TikTok. My feed is mostly podcast clips. So many podcast clips. When you are on TikTok a lot, you start to realize that the number of podcasts out there is probably not a number that can be perceived by the human mind. It’s like space. It just keeps going. The amount of white people broadcasting their never-ending journey of self-discovery is incredible. And for some reason I can’t look away.

I spend an absurd amount of time in this new world of motivational podcast clips. A lot of them begin with a super jacked guy saying something like, “Dude, I’m at this point now where I’m realizing…” before dropping a few dope-ass truths about life. And we’re all watching on TikTok. I couldn’t tell you the name of a single one of these podcasts. Never listened to an episode, never will. I just need that one juicy clip to shake me to my core and push me a little closer to finding my life’s purpose. At least until I’ve moved on to the next clip, which is another super jacked guy, and he’s at a different point than the last guy. He’s at this point now where…

And it just goes on like that. That’s most of the content on Tiktok. An endless stream of white people having an endless stream of epiphanies. And we’re scrolling through all of them, listening to each epiphany, liking the ones that speak to us. One really popular TikTok epiphany is white people waking up to the importance of “surrendering to the flow.” Obviously white podcasters did not invent this idea, but they’re good at making it seem like they did. The beauty of TikTok is no matter how obvious a statement is, when you throw some inspiring music behind it, it sounds like the first time anyone’s ever said it.

Unfortunately, I don’t think any of them have actually helped me surrender to the flow, because there are also a lot of guys on TikTok telling me to do the opposite. Not everyone believes in surrendering to the flow. Retired Navy SEAL David Goggins has a lot of TikTok clips, and he thinks surrendering to the flow is for losers. He wants me to grab the flow by the balls and make it my bitch. I love a David Goggins clip. The soundtrack is always so awesome. I’m hyped. In about five seconds, my entire self-concept has changed. Wait, what am I doing? I’m not a surrenderer. That’s not who I am. I’m out here grinding. The flow is my bitch. But then the next clip is another Cali bro telling me that all the David Goggins stuff is bullshit, and what I really need to do is tune out all the noise, get in touch with myself and let go of everyone else’s expectations.

In the end, the only flow I’ve surrendered to is the flow of podcast clips on my TikTok feed. Dope-ass clip after dope-ass clip. Clips from the guys who just ride the wave and clips from the guys who wake up at 4 a.m. with one goal: go harder than they did yesterday. The guys who don’t stop hustling and the guys tuning it all out. It’s hard to decide which guy to be, especially when they’re all putting such sick beats behind their podcast clips.

I feel like I’m more of a flow guy. Am I really, though? Did I just make that up about myself and start believing it? Would I be more successful if I was a follower of former Navy SEAL David Goggins? Maybe, maybe not. Maybe I’d just be a really annoying guy who won’t shut up about David Goggins. Hard to say. I don’t know which side I should be on, but I think the answer will be revealed to me once I find the perfect motivational podcast clip on TikTok. One day I’ll find it, and it will change my life forever. In an instant it will show me who I am, what my purpose is, and what I have to do to get there. I just have to keep scrolling until I find it.