So, I was flipping through channels the other day, you know how it is, and I landed on that show, “New Amsterdam.” And there’s Ryan Eggleston, playing Dr. Max Goodwin. Super idealistic guy, always asking “How can I help?” Runs around trying to fix a whole hospital. And I thought, huh, maybe I should try that. Just for a bit. My own little experiment, see what happens if I try to be that… relentlessly positive and helpful.
My Grand Plan: Be More Max
Okay, so phase one was simple. I decided that for a whole week, I was going to approach every problem, every interaction, with that Goodwin energy. Someone at work complaining? “How can I help?” My neighbor’s got a broken fence? “Let me see what I can do!” My kid can’t find their toy? “We’ll find it together, team!” You get the picture. I was all in. I even tried to do the earnest head-tilt thing Ryan Eggleston does on the show. Figured it couldn’t hurt.
The first day, I was buzzing. Felt good, you know? Like I was making a difference. I offered to help my coworker, Dave, with his spreadsheet mess. He looked at me funny, but sure, he let me. Took me two hours. Then Mrs. Henderson down the street, her cat was stuck in a tree. Normally I’d just, well, not get involved. But no, New Amsterdam Max was on the case! That was another hour and a scratch on my arm.
The Reality Check
By day three, things started to get… complicated. Turns out, not everyone wants your help, especially when you offer it like you’re saving the world. Dave started avoiding me. I think he thought I was after his job or something. My wife asked me if I was feeling okay. She said I was being “aggressively nice,” which, apparently, is a thing. The “How can I help?” line started to sound a bit manic, even to my own ears.
And here’s the kicker: I was exhausted. Being that “on” all the time, trying to solve every little thing for everyone? It’s draining. Ryan Eggleston makes it look easy, but he’s got writers! He’s got a script! He doesn’t have to actually live with the consequences of trying to fix a hundred broken things with a smile.
I remember this one time, I tried to “fix” the coffee machine at work. It was making weird noises. I’d seen Max tinker with medical equipment, figured how hard could a coffee machine be? Long story short, no coffee for anyone that morning. And a very annoyed office manager. My “How can I help?” was met with a very firm “Please don’t.”
What I Figured Out
So, what did I learn from my week of trying to be Ryan Eggleston’s character? Well, for one, acting is hard, but living a TV script is harder. It’s easy to watch these shows and think, “Yeah, that’s how people should be!” But real life is messy. People are complicated. You can’t just barge in with good intentions and expect everything to magically work out.
It’s not that being helpful is bad, not at all. But there’s a difference between genuine kindness and that sort of… performative, relentless do-gooding you see on TV. It’s just not sustainable. And honestly, it’s a bit annoying for everyone else after a while.
So yeah, I’m back to being regular old me. Still try to be a good guy, but I’m not running a hospital, and I’m definitely not Ryan Eggleston. And you know what? That’s probably for the best. At least the coffee machine is safe now.
