Not long ago, this (see the video here) was a challenging weight for me to Behind-the-Neck Jerk. Today, it felt like it just floated up there — easy.
Training is so much like life. Day by day, it often seems like not much is changing. Sometimes it even feels like I’m taking steps backward. It’s really hard for me to not get hung up on how I’m not as far along as I think I “should” be.
And then one day like today, after months of consistent effort and persistence, I look back and the thing that used to feel challenging has now become comfortable. This is what progress looks like in the real world — slow AF.
The best and most rewarding things in life take time. I’m grateful for this sport that allows me to see tangible proof that every thing I do matters — even when it doesn’t feel like it at the time.
We’ve all got goals and aspirations of some sort so I thought I’d roll with that today for #twothingstuesday and share two things you can do to stay focused during the long-term personal growth process.
(1) Commit to the process. When you hope to change or improve something about yourself or your life, there will be a process involved to get you there. Commit to it and stay committed regardless of the day-to-day results. In the end, the process that got you to the destination is the process it’ll take to keep you there — so buckle up and get used to doing the things because you won’t get to stop doing them once you’ve arrived. Lasting change requires lasting focus and effort.
(2) Work with what’s in your control and let go of the rest. I think it was Mike Tyson who said “everyone has a plan until they get punched in the mouth.” One thing is certain, things will not go to plan. But remain committed to the process and don’t throw up your hands every time something happens that’s outside of your control. Accept that things will go wrong from time to time and remember that your job is simply to not let the thing that happened derail you. The things that mess with your plan may not be within your control, but your response always is.
How do you stay focused on long-term growth?