Mission Impossible – Final Countdown for the both of us

Back in 1996, when the first Mission Impossible movie hit the screens, I was 26, close to 90 kilos and gradually tipping the scale past 100. While Tom Cruise was leaping off buildings and outsmarting villains on screen, I was silently battling a mission of my own — the long, slow war against weight gain, self-doubt, and the whispers of “it’s too late” echoing in my head. Touching my ideal weight felt just as impossible as those stunts he pulled.

Fast forward to today — it’s 2025. Tom Cruise is gearing up for his final Mission Impossible release, and I’m at the fittest, strongest, and most grounded version of myself. The countdown is on, not just for his cinematic farewell, but for me too — a farewell to old patterns, old narratives, and a body that once felt like it was working against me.

What’s poetic, though, is how our missions, though vastly different, share the same soul.

Here’s what I see in common in both these journeys, taken up by two relentless spirits in their 50s:

• We didn’t let people’s opinions stop us. Whether it was critics saying the franchise was done, or voices around me saying I couldn’t do it post-50, we tuned it all out and stayed on track.
• We did what it takes. He trained with elite stunt coordinators; I trained with discipline, habits, and tools that supported my health. Both needed endurance. Both needed commitment.
• We never let circumstances slow us. Life threw curveballs. Age, work, personal storms. But the mission didn’t pause. Not for him. Not for me.
• We aimed beyond ‘good.’ We chased greatness. Tom wasn’t here to just make another film. I wasn’t here to just lose a few kilos. We both chose to redefine what was possible.
• And above all, we enjoyed the ride. Every drop of sweat, every new milestone, every scene, every step — we stayed present. Not because we had to, but because we wanted to.

So as the curtains prepare to fall on Ethan Hunt’s last mission, I stand here, applauding more than just a movie legacy. I celebrate the mission we all have — to become our best, not when it’s easy, but when it seems impossible.

And that, dear reader, is a mission worth choosing. Every. Single. Day.