Ok so we all do this…when talking with someone, looking back on the path we had to take for results, we’ll say, “It wasn’t that bad.”

Because in the end it was worth it AND we’ve adjusted to the new habits so they feel easier.

But I guarantee many of us to start did some whining about how sucky or hard or confusing the process was.

Because, guess what?

Change IS hard.

Reaching a goal we’ve never reached is OVERWHELMING AND TOUGH.

The learning process sucks.

It’s not fun to not be good at something.

But even the master was once a beginner.

It’s funny though how we start to dislike the discomfort of learning, of feeling out of our element more and more as we get older.

We believe there are things we are slightly entitled to….that shouldn’t be tough.

But if we haven’t learned the way to do something previously, it isn’t going to be easy and we are going to mess up.

Think back to being a kid…I don’t know about you but there were plenty of times I whined about things being hard.

And 99% of the time I was told, yes? Things are hard. But learning how to do them makes it easier!

So if you’re feeling overwhelmed right now with making a change, if you’re feeling frustrated by things being hard?

Well, maybe it’s time to tell yourself to suck it up buttercup and recognize that new can be difficult.

But by practicing and working through it and LEARNING, it gets easier!

Because the path to success means you have to go through the hard to get the result.

Sorry you can’t dodge that learning process.

The simple truth is, you can work really hard and not achieve the results you want.

And I see this becoming more and more the case as people want to post about how hard they’re working. About how they’re spending hours in the gym.

Doing some crazy restrictive diet where they cut out a ton of stuff.

But then they’re frustrated by their lack of results at the end of it.

The thing is…they’ve almost put more of an emphasis on the work than on the plan to get the result!

They’ve confused effort with results.

The sucky truth is working hard doesn’t mean you’re making progress forward. 

You can have a destination and get in your car and start driving, but that doesn’t mean you get to your ultimate location if you don’t have a plan and know the direction.

Actually, it’s a surefire way to get lost.

You did the “hard work” of driving, but you had no clear path forward. No direction.

And honestly you’d have had to have worked less hard, had you just mapped out directions and actually followed them.

Instead you get lost, have to ask for direction. Get more fatigued and frustrated. Buy more gas. Stop for snacks. Get lost again…

It’s why we need to stop focusing on the EFFORT and instead focus on the PLAN.

How many times have you really set down to think about each component and how it may be helping you move forward?

How often have you really planned out a progression and macro ratios and then truly tracked how they were going and HONESTLY HIT THEM to know if they did or didn’t work?

I know it can be scary to back off the effort because it feels like you’re less in control, but trust that GPS. 

Often when we trust the process and implement systems, we get far better results with far less effort!

Feelings aren’t data. 

How we “feel” about what we are doing often isn’t the same as the actual data showing what we are doing.

And data doesn’t lie. 

It’s why it’s so key we track our macros and our workouts so we have that impartial data to use to help us tweak and adjust.

Because often when we don’t have that data? It’s easy to lie to ourselves about how things are going.

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve had clients say to me, “This ratio doesn’t work.” when they haven’t actually hit the ratio for more than a day in that week.

Are they trying to lie to themselves? 

NOPE!

I know because I’ve done it myself.

I’ve seen it happen personally around the holidays where I even get LAZY with tracking because, subconsciously, I want to excuse or ignore the “deviations.”

I want to lie to myself even though it isn’t consciously what I’m doing.

But if we want results?

We have to stop going by how we’re feeling. We have to stop ignoring the data.

We’ve got to take time to step back each week and honestly review our CONSISTENCY.

Because consistency over the weeks, months and years adds up.

And if we don’t implement a program? We can’t know if it works.

So don’t “blame” your workouts or your macros before you truly give them a chance.

This week if you’ve been frustrated by your lack of results? Step back and take an honest look at what you’ve been doing.

You may just find your “feelings” about how hard you’ve been working aren’t the same as your actual implementation.

We can’t confuse EFFORT with RESULTS!

I often get asked, “How long did it take you to get to (insert the result I’ve achieved that they want here)?”

My answer is, “My entire life.”

This isn’t meant to be flippant.

But it’s the honest answer.

Sure maybe I “cut” for 6 weeks to get leaner. Or maybe I did a workout progression that built my pull ups over the last 4 weeks….

But these things are still based off a foundation that, in a way, I’ve been creating my entire life.

Even if you are the same weight or have the same “strength” as someone else, you can’t compare your journey to theirs.

There is just so much more to it than just that starting “number” or spot.

Because it’s even our experiences that make the difference.

Someone who’s “cut” before knows what it entails, even if they have the same weight to lose as you who has never done it.

And maybe they just recently gained the weight while you’ve had it on for years, putting them in a very different position for results.

The point is…each of our journeys will be unique.

We have to focus on what WE need to get results.

We have to make changes and adjustments and tweaks based on our progress over basing what we do on what someone else has done.

What worked for someone else, even if they seem like they’re starting from the same spot, may not work for you.

So remember our “history” factors in.

Focus on what you’re doing and track your changes to make adjustments and tweaks over time. Remember each thing you do is a piece of your journey that can build toward results!

It’s easy to start a new program and get overwhelmed by all of the changes you feel you have to make.

And so..well…we freak out and never end up moving forward.

But before you let your brain go into freak out mode…start by focusing on small tweaks!

Or as I’ve liked saying “Tweak before you freak!”

Because small changes add up. And they help us create something actually sustainable.

Too often we feel like we have to overhaul everything, when really those small changes are what add up and allow us to be consistent.

They allow us to create new habits we can maintain after that initial motivation fades.

So focus on small habit adjustments based on your current routine.

What are just 3 small things you can focus on this week?

Is it drinking more water? Doing a 5 minute workout when you’re short on time? Simply tracking your food?

List out 3 habit changes to start implementing and mark them off each day.

Even make them so ridiculously easy you feel silly listing them.

This helps you build that momentum and see lasting changes!