Seeing long term success

Our success or failure in fitness is determined by our progress. If we’re making steady, tangible progress, we can be certain we’re succeeding. If we’re NOT progressing (whether we’re stagnating or regressing), we are, by definition, failing.

That’s some serious pressure. Pressure we put on ourselves and on our coaches.

When did we become so shortsighted? When did things become so black and white? When did we lose sight of the process?

The answer: we lose our way when we forget to look back and SEE the path we’ve taken.

Progress is often blurred in the moment. We want to better right NOW. That’s great. That’s what drives many of us: the desire to be 1 percent better every day. Many of us use mantras like that, but the very next moment, we whine and pout about the fact that we had a single bad workout or the scale didn’t budge from yesterday.

Progress is not linear. Unfortunately, it’s often advertised as such.

Never before has it been easier to compare ourselves to others because the lives of others are so public. Want to destroy any and all motivation you may have to get better? Tap the “Explore” tab on Instagram. Or browse YouTube for 10 minutes. The number of insanely strong, ripped and good-looking people on social media is enough to make you want to break down and give up.

What you won’t see in their pictures and videos, however, is the process. It’s easy to assume that these people have been and always will be better than you. But guess what? When they were where you are now, they weren’t publicizing it. They were chipping away at the process. The workouts, the meal prep, the setbacks, the long days, late nights, early mornings – you rarely get to see these.

There’s an illusion of nothing but success that surrounds many successful people. This couldn’t be further from the truth. Instagram hasn’t been around long enough yet to follow someone from the bottom of the bottom to the top of the top. It takes TIME. More time than most are willing to put into the process.

The trick is that progress is moving target.  
You're trying to be one of those circus performers balancing all the spinning plates atop long poles. You have to pay attention to keep all of these things in balance. That's why it's important to have a system for execution. It will ensure that you're working hard, recovering thoroughly, staying healthy, and also dialing in all those details that make the difference between the medal stand and an also-ran. 

The next time frustration threatens to stop you in your tracks, ask yourself, What were you doing a year ago today? It will help you see how far you’ve come. Be proud of your progress, no matter how slow it may seem. Keep moving forward, no matter how slowly. It all adds up in the long run.

- Patrick