The REAL Path to Success

Friends, this is what the path to success looks like.

You’re going to make progress. Then you’re going to backtrack ALMOST to zero again. Then you’ll make some more progress, and then you’ll return ALMOST to the point you were at last time. Progress, backtrack; progress; backtrack. Gain weight, lose weight. Get 10 unbroken pull-ups, fall to 4 again.

But here’s the reason to keep going: Every time you loop back, you won’t go quite as far backward as before. The loops get smaller.

And you’ll also start to notice that you’re not backtracking quite as often as before. Someday you’ll look up and think, “Wow, I’ve gone a whole year without gaining any major weight.” And when you have little bumps, thinking this way will help you keep your perspective.

Another gym owner, Nikole, coined the hashtag #highclassproblems. She’s an expert. And I love the phrase, because it reminds me that while problems will never go away, they will get smaller in magnitude and less frequent over time. Deadlift dropped from 500 to 450? Bummer. At least you can still pick FOUR HUNDRED AND FIFTY FREAKING POUNDS UP OFF THE FLOOR!

Many people are forever stuck in that first fitness loop: try something, make progress, fall off. Their programs, diets, and tricks are not always sustainable. They can be boring at times. Sometimes they simply do not work. 

But usually, after six weeks, the exerciser is a bit further along. And even if he or she falls off, the fall won’t be ALL the way back.

Perhaps after a tough holiday season of overeating, drinking, and resting (#highclassproblems), you’ve fallen backward. But you can still workout. You can still come. You have not lost touch. And when you fall back next year, you'll be even further ahead. You're making room for lapses.

Go to the gym today if for no other reason than that today's problems are slightly less terrible than last year's problems. I've been there before.

By Cody Abbey

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