| Yesterday, we talked about post-workout protein – I’ll get back to that soon enough. But today, let’s take a step back and ask ourselves two simple questions about our goals in 2025… 1. What’s different this time? First off, be proud of yourself for starting again. But, what is different about this attempt at fitness, fat loss, better golf, etc? If you pick the same strategy that you unsuccessfully tried in 2024, the end result will be the same. As they say, “If you do what you’ve always done, you’ll get what you always got.” Let’s all be deliberate about what’s different this time. The temptation is to just go on XYZ Diet, or quit carbs, or train for a marathon again. Something has to be different this time: Make fewer changes Pick ONE goal and focus on it Pick a different workout routine Pick a different nutrition change Pick a different schedule Pick an accountability partner Prove to yourself that your past failures weren’t done in vain – they were valuable learning experiences that didn’t work for you, so you move on. 2. What are you afraid of? It’s the beginning of the year, so we’re all dripping with momentum. In three days or three weeks, something will go wrong. When this has happened in the past, what has been your reaction? Are you going to “take a break until things slow down?” Are you going to have one bad day that sends you off the rails? Are you going to give up even though you really, really want to push through? Our co-founder Ryan has been very open about this, so I’m comfortable sharing it with you… We were at a retreat 10+ years ago when he had an emotional breakthrough. When asked that question – “What are you afraid of?”, the light bulb went off. “I’m afraid that if I give 100% and I fail, then I have nowhere to go. That will prove that I’m a failure. I’m the problem. So, up until now, I’ve never given it my all.” And that’s a hard truth to realize. But, admitting that changed the game for him. He’s set a goal to bike across the state of Missouri this May. And there is zero doubt in my mind that he’ll do it. He’ll consistently get on his bike a few times a week for the next five months (either outside or in his basement). He’ll be prepared. He’ll ride 250 miles. And he’ll celebrate with a few cold suds at the end. This time CAN be different for you. If we honestly answer those two questions, if we can try differently…then even if this next attempt doesn’t work either, we can remove that strategy from the list of successful paths, and try again. It can be messy. We may have to try, fail, pivot, and restart. But, self-awareness will dramatically stack the deck in your favor. STAY STRONG, Jeff PS – If you don’t want to go on this journey alone, we’d be proud to have you join the 18STRONG Membership. Our Crew is awesome, and we’d love to help you reach your goals. |
