The number one reason that people fail to reach their fitness goals is that they quit.
The number one reason people quit is that at some point the training, eating right, and hard work becomes uncomfortable.
The number one reason people quit when they are uncomfortable is that they view comfort as something to be valued.
Comfort has a purpose, but it should never be the goal if you want to achieve anything of substance in life.
A little sleep, a little slumber, A little folding of the hands to sleep—So shall your poverty come on you like a prowler, And your need like an armed man.
Proverbs 6:10-11 (NKJV)
Quitting is a choice. We may want to blame it on our schedule, our trainer, the diet, hot weather, cold weather, darkness and light, but at the end of the day, we quit because it was uncomfortable, and we wanted it to be easier.
But quitting is contagious. Do it once, and it can quickly become a habit. Quitting makes us feel weak, out of control, and that downward spiral can destroy our confidence, self-esteem, and peace and can draw us away from our God-given purpose. The culprit, however, is not weakness of character; it’s our insatiable appetite for comfort.
Just ask any kid who enlisted in the Marine Corps and survived basic training. The moment they got off the bus and stood on the yellow footprints, they became immersed in a world devoid of comfort. Thirteen weeks later, soft and spongy, self-indulged boys and girls are transformed into principled, responsible, determined, mentally and physically strong, and highly capable men and women fully prepared to defend our nation. Just ask any US Marine how comfortable they were during basic, and they will tell you how the pursuit of comfort only makes you weak.
You may not wish to join the Marine Corps, but ending your relentless love affair with comfort is the only way you are going to stay the course. When training progress slows and you are tempted to put things in your stomach that are not in line with what you want to achieve, you have to embrace the challenge and know that by overcoming temptation, you just got stronger.
“I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”
Phillipians 4:13 (NKJV)
The goals need to be oriented more toward shorter-term goals, like doing all of the workouts you had planned that week or making the work more challenging in some way. The challenge with food may be to prepare meals for the week so you always have something to eat on hand that is in line with your goals.
There is a time and place for comfort. After the work is done, we rest, we recover, and we heal.
If the ax is dull, and one does not sharpen the edge, then he must use more strength; but wisdom brings success.
Ecclesiastes 10:10 (NKJV)
But when it’s time to work, comfort is a foul word that should not be in our vocabulary. In fact, ensure everything you tell yourself about your desire to train and your ability to train is positive and focused on accomplishing the task ahead.
405lbs for 20 reps
At one point, I hated doing squats. Every leg day was filled with dread and my constant complaints. I made the work sound horrible, and that
is exactly what it felt like when I did it. One day, I read a magazine article by a powerlifter I admired, and he talked about how he had felt as I did, then started to speak nothing but good about leg day and would not allow a negative or defeatist thought about leg training to come into his head. Soon, leg days became his favorite workout.
My maximum squat at that time was 250lbs. I took his advice, and within a year, I was squatting over 500lbs, and within two years, I hit 705lbs. I changed how I thought about leg days, embraced the discomfort, and took pride in doing the hard work, and leg days became my favorite workouts.
Nothing that comes easy in life is worth having. Change how you look at challenges, embrace discomfort, as everything good usually comes
with discomfort. Comfort is not a reward; it’s a lie that will steal everything that matters to you.
There are times when it’s good to be comfortable, when the work is done, and it’s time to rest. But if comfort is your ultimate goal in everything, then you will ultimately fail at reaching your potential in everything.
Never quit, embrace the discomfort, and work until the work is done.
