I think the most common reason for giving up is thinking that you have already failed.
Usually this happens because even when we set ourselves realistic goals – they’re still GOALS – that means we don’t already do that thing very well – which means we need to make changes and we need to try and SUPRISE! It’s hard. And we’re not perfect at it yet (hence why it was a goal in the first place!). Somehow, we’re still suprised, disappointed and think we might as well be done with it.
One of the most common responses we get from our members when we follow up with them after they’ve had a break is that they don’t want to come in – it’s too scary – the results will be too terrible and they don’t want to face it.
What they have forgotten is that sure, maybe your results for THIS month are not as amazing as you might have hoped – but what about all the massive changes and progress you have made up until this point?
Nutrition clients will often tell me “I’ve been bad this month, I don’t want to weigh in!”. Maybe this wasn’t their best month ever, but 99% of the time, they ate more vegetables, drank more water or packed more lunches than they would have a year ago.
Success is not a straight line. We don’t decide one day “Right, I’m going to get fit, healthy and lose heaps of weight” and then just do it, day in and day out until we achieve it. Nobody does that.
First of all, you’re ALWAYS achieving it. We might have end goals, but we need to know what progress looks like and be ready to appreciate it. If your goal is to lose 10kg, losing 100g is an achievement, progress and a huge step in the right direction. If your goal is to improve your health and fitness but you only make it to the gym once this week – how many more times is that than last year?
We’re very quick to beat ourselves up, but we often sleep on celebrating our small progressions!
So, we don’t just “decide” we’re going to get fit now and that’s that. It’s more like, we decide, forget to go to the gym in the morning and have to “decide” all over again next Monday. Then maybe we nail it and hit the gym 3x a week for a couple weeks, but all of a sudden we miss a whole week again. Or we’re food prepping like mad but next minute we’re in the Maccas drive thru.
Here is where you make the choice about your success. These situations are where the real results are made.
Do you give up and think ‘why bother?’ Say f*** it and start eating even worse? Start up all those “next month will be my month” conversations?
OR do you lap up that greasy cheeseburger, go home and book your next class in?
Success is not a straight line. We win some, we lose some. You will fail, a lot. You might be disappointed sometimes, but then you need to get over that disappointment, move on and give yourself something to be proud of. The longer you let that feeling linger, the longer you put it off, the slower your success will be. The cheeseburger had minimal impact, what you do after is what really matters.
We all fail. Get over it, put ya gym pants on and make a salad for tomorrow. You can do this!
Big love team,
Coach Feebz x