The trolley was already judging me.
I grabbed it because it looked normal, shiny-ish, stable-ish, the supermarket equivalent of “trustworthy.”
But the moment I pushed it forward, it revealed its true nature:
One wheel was possessed.
Not squeaky.
Not stiff.
Possessed.
It yanked violently to the left like it had political opinions.
It shuddered with every tile.
It made that haunted scraping sound that announces to the whole store:
“A fool has entered.”
Every aisle became a battle.
Trying to steer a rogue trolley is like wrestling a small, angry metal goat.
You lean.
You fight.
You pretend nothing is wrong while a pensioner watches with silent disappointment.
People online say stubborn trolleys choose you, not the other way around.
And honestly?
It felt personal.
I kept thinking:
This is not the trolley I planned for.
This is not the experience I envisioned.
Why is it pulling me into the cat food section?
I don’t even own a cat.
But the longer I fought it, the clearer it became:
This was my year.
This trolley…this chaotic, grinding, uncooperative trolley was my entire 2025.
You start the year with a list.
A plan.
A relatively functioning wheelbase.
And somewhere between March and “just one more meeting,” the thing veers off course.
A wheel locks.
A dream stalls.
A boundary squeals.
Suddenly you’re being dragged into metaphorical cat food aisles you never signed up for.
By December, every one of us has a stubborn trolley:
No matter how carefully we plan, something pulls sideways:
A document goes missing.
A process buckles.
A deadline starts judging you.
And suddenly you’re fighting with more force than dignity.
The stakes sneak up on you:
A stuck wheel becomes a slow file.
A slow file becomes a late night.
A late night becomes burnout wearing a Santa hat.
The broader truth?
A stubborn trolley isn’t a failure, it’s feedback.
It shows you where the structure is broken.
Where the friction lives.
Where the system needs adjusting.
Where you need adjusting.
And here’s your tiny, human-sized audit tip for December:
You don’t have to fix the whole trolley, just straighten one wheel.
One habit.
One task.
One conversation.
One thing that keeps pulling you off course.
Fix just one, and suddenly the whole aisle feels easier.
Because the trolley will still be the trolley but you won’t be the same person pushing it.
The only question is:
Will you keep fighting the same wheel in 2026…or finally fix the thing that’s been steering your whole year?
Until next time,
Christiaan
.png)
.png)
.png)
.png)
.png)
.png)
.png)
.png)
Enhance your Excel with this powerful add-on, designed to make your audit work faster and more efficient.
Inspiration not perspiration with tips and insights to audit smarter, straight to your inbox.
You can unsubscribe at any time. We respect your information and won’t share your data with any 3rd parties. Learn more about our privacy policy.
.svg)
.png)
