What I Learned Competing at the World Championship (When your muscles have to travel internationally)

1. Things won't go as planned. Ever. The universe will throw curveballs — annoying queues, weird food, insufficient sleep, unexpected weight gain or loss. But guess what? You'll survive… unless you let it take up prime real estate in your head. Stay chill.

2. Travel + new environment = diet & recovery disaster zone. That "just one bite" turns into three, and suddenly, your pre-bed routine is doomscrolling hotel Wi-Fi. Habits don't follow you — you must drag them along like a suitcase with a broken wheel.

3. Big-name athletes are just humans with better lighting. They may look flawless on

   Instagram, but behind the scenes, they're also stressed, sore, and silently judging the organisers' mistakes. Most of them are super chill.

4. Fear of failure vs. fear of disappointment: Pick your poison. One keeps you from trying, the other just stings for a bit. Spoiler: disappointment fades faster than regret. Go for it.

5. Self-belief is a performance enhancer. It is not as fast-acting as caffeine but is far more sustainable. If you back yourself, magic happens. Or at least, solid effort does — and that's close enough.

6. Mistakes feel massive at the moment. You'll replay them in your head like a bad movie — but give it a week or two, and they shrink. They become… character development or hilarious stories. Either way, you grow. (Emotionally. Not height-wise. That ship has sailed.)Learn, laugh, and move on. Bonus points if you can turn things into a funny meme later.

Notes for next time: Less pride and more protein bars. (just joking, I'm not a big fan of artificial bars)