The truth about making progress in ANYTHING
I’m only partly joking when I say I’m about *this* close to my Instagram becoming a fitness/influencer account. I’m just waiting for a second ab to come in…
Anyway, I’m going to share something very personal because I think if it can help even one person, it’s worth putting this out there.
The photo on the left is from last August at my daughter’s bat mitzvah, a day when I knew there would be tons of photos taken…
I hadn’t worn regular clothes in a while and ended up needing to get a suit because the ones I had didn’t fit. I hated the idea of buying new clothes due to an ever expanding frame but to be honest I kinda gave up hope of regaining any semblance of control.
The worst was when I saw myself in photos and cringed at what I saw but I still didn’t do anything about it.
Then on thanksgiving night I found myself facing what probably was my last warning shot -- after so many others -- letting me know I really could die if things didn’t change.
Even though I was practicing taekwondo, I knew that knowledge of martial arts was one thing and improving physical fitness was something totally different. At least it was for me but that disconnect was something I wanted to change.
These other two photos are from two days ago. The jacket is the same one from the left. And the pants are actually from a different suit that I couldn’t fit when I was trying to figure out what I was going to wear to the bat mitzvah, which prompted the purchase of the suit on the left…
It’s wild looking at this but the reason I’m sharing it is because that first day on the new regimen wasn’t easy. Prioritizing exercise and eating better with so many things happening at work wasn’t easy.
I got help on the food front. I kept coming back to doing more cardio exercise too. The truth is the fear of dying young and leaving my wife and kids behind outweighed the feeling I would give almost anything to avoid — failure. Failure when trying to compare myself to what I “should” be.
My perspective has never been clearer. It’s kinda funny because I thought it was but not like now that I was forced to put action behind my thoughts and words.
Over time, changes started happening. I started feeling stronger, more energetic...
Clothes started to fit differently… but in a good way, for the first time ever.
None of it happened overnight though.
This journey isn’t over yet and I have to admit the fear isn’t gone either. But I feel good right now. I feel hopeful. I feel lucky. I feel resilient.
I hope it doesn’t take such an extreme life event to get your attention to focus on the right things -- or at least order of importance of things -- and will offer this encouragement. If you’re feeling stuck or trapped or like you’re fighting an uphill battle with weight, health, career, or anything else in your life, that damage wasn’t done overnight either.
So give yourself some grace as you take your motivation and turn it into discipline. And if you need some encouragement, I got you.