The following article, The Human Upgrade: Why Transformation is the Best Software Update You’ll Ever Get, was first published on The Black Sphere.

Transformation is a buzzword that gets tossed around like glitter at a drag brunch—everywhere, a little irritating, but undeniably fabulous when done right. At my podcast The DORK Side (Department of Random Knowledge), we don’t take the traditional route to anything, including personal growth. This is not about “finding yourself” in Bali after a breakup or juice-cleansing your way into a new career. Nope. We’re going deeper. And weirder. And more fun.

The idea of transformation is universal. Whether you’re going from caterpillar to butterfly or from procrastinator to productivity ninja, change is the only constant. What makes it fascinating isn’t just the end result—it’s the messy, hilarious, soul-wrenching, deeply human process in between. So let’s dive in.

The Wake-Up Call

Every transformation starts with a moment. Sometimes it’s dramatic—a health scare, a job loss, a relationship meltdown. Sometimes it’s quiet, like realizing one day that you’re living a life someone else ordered for you. It’s the soul’s equivalent of an iPhone notification that says, “Update available.”

But let’s be honest: no one likes waking up. The bed of comfort and denial is warm, soft, and has great Wi-Fi. Stepping into change feels like getting slapped with cold water while someone yells, “You could be doing better!”

Yet that slap can be the best gift. Think of Nick Vujicic—born without arms or legs, he became one of the world’s most inspiring motivational speakers. Not because he denied his challenges, but because he redefined his limits. I use Nick often when talking people off the ledge. If a person with tiny legs and feet can become successful, what your excuse.

Note, no question mark at the end of that last sentence. Why? Because I know you have plenty of excuses, and I’m not buying any of them.

That’s the wake-up: realizing the problem isn’t the obstacle, it’s the outdated operating system you’re still running.

Fear of Change

Hey, I’ve been self-employed for over two decades. I remember when the realization hit me that I’m responsible for me. No more corporate welfare in the form of a check twice a month and that coveted commission check. And when you’re throwing down a solid 6-figures and headed to 7-figures, that anxiety animal of a paycheck can be very comforting.

Transformation sounds great until you’re staring down the barrel of it. Fear of change is real. It’s not because we don’t want better. It’s because “better” comes with the terrifying clause: “some assembly required.”

Change demands shedding skin—and that process is itchy. You may lose friends who liked the older, quieter version of you, or perhaps the meeker more vulnerable version of you.

Also, you give up comforts, routines, maybe even beliefs. It’s why so many of us delay change until something explodes. Yet fear can be a guide. The scariest paths are often the ones with the most freedom at the other end.

Kami Rita Sherpa, who’s climbed Everest 30+ times, doesn’t fear the mountain. He respects it. Fear, when channeled, becomes preparation, not paralysis.

In short: feel the fear. Pack it with your trail mix. Then keep climbing.

Who Are You Without the Old You? 

Once the old version of you starts fading, there’s this weird void. It’s like quitting your job and realizing your identity wasn’t “you,” it was “middle manager with a Costco card.”

This is the wilderness phase—when you’re not who you were, but not yet who you’re becoming. It’s confusing, lonely, and makes you question everything. Which is precisely the point.

Transformation isn’t about becoming someone else. It’s about stripping away what you aren’t. In this vacuum, we rediscover joy, curiosity, weird obsessions (hello, mushroom foraging TikTok), and passions we buried under responsibility.

This is where the DORK part kicks in: when you let yourself nerd out over what lights you up. You become a person driven by purpose, not pressure. A little awkward, maybe, but joyfully so.

The Glow-Up 

Slowly, the clouds lift. Your voice comes back. Your spine straightens. Your laugh returns, full-bodied and uncontrollable. You’re not who you were. You’re better. Not perfect, but present.

This is the Glow-Up phase. And here’s the plot twist: it doesn’t come with a finish line. You don’t get a certificate of transformation. What you get is momentum. You become a person who knows how to evolve—not once, but whenever needed.

Like our Everest-climbing Sherpa or the limbless motivational speaker, the transformation is never about appearances. It’s about access. Access to your spirit, your strength, your sense of humor in a hospital gown or halfway up a metaphorical cliff.

The glow-up isn’t just surviving—it’s thriving in ways you never imagined because you dared to update your software.

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