The Middle
January is coming to an end. We are well over the holidays. Most of us are getting good at writing 2018, and we are getting some of the structure and consistency back after the chaos of December. But the end of January is also the time when the excitement of those 2018 goals have worn off. Maybe the reality of working really hard towards your goal has kicked into high gear. Maybe the goals were too grand. Or maybe you are smashing your goals and making them into easy habits. If you fall somewhere short this month, if the struggle is beginning to set in. Relax, it is time to take a deep breath and put it all into perspective.
Every time I open my social media, there are the “before” and “after” photos filling up my screen. The “before” photo usually shows someone looking sad, bad posture and bummed out. On the other hand, the “after” photo shows pure happiness, the sparkle in the eyes, a smile that stretches across their face, posture that proves they are more confident. These photos are meant to inspire, they are meant to motivate, but they also leave out the most important part of the whole process…The WORK. People don’t just get to the “after” photo. There is this whole middle time frame that isn’t shown. And the middle is where all the work happens. The middle is made up of tears and tantrums. The middle is where giving up is a constant temptation and expectations have to be adjusted. The middle is where failures happen and learning to get back up is sometimes the biggest successes. The middle can take a few months or a few years. The middle is exhausting and taxes more than most people ever could have expected. But the middle is also where the true transformations happen.
How do you achieve the “after” effect? I actually don’t have the simple answer, nor do I have the magic pill or any special shortcuts. What I do have is a little perspective to help you push through January and not only look towards February but to keep looking ahead to the months further into the future. First of all, start simple. I am not looking at what I can be successful with today or tomorrow, I want to own my success and be there in another month or three. Second, failure is a moment not the new normal. If you fall away from your goals one day or one night, don’t let guilt ruin the next day. Just continue on as if that day/night never happened. One moment or one day is not going ruining anything, allow yourself to not be perfect, just get right back on track. Third, It is going to be a lot of hard work, learn to enjoy it. Seriously, most of the success stories come from a lot of hard work. Prepare yourself to put in the work. There will probably be days where you wonder why are you are doing this, have an answer and stick with it. Sometimes we have to push ourselves past our comfort zones, a lot of growth can happen in that place. Be uncomfortable and see where it takes you.
Hopefully by pushing through some of those hard moments, by struggle through the middle, you will come out an “after” photo. When I have worked one-on-one with people towards a specific goal, my favorite part is how different their ideas of success become once they really work through the middle, through some struggles. Sometimes the face smiling back in the photo isn’t because they hit their goal weight, but because they noticed how amazing their arms looked in a photo. Sometimes it’s not because they hit that personal record they were hoping for, but because they realized they just did their previous personal record for an easy set of doubles. The work isn’t easy but it’s usually worth it.
Remember, every day you have a choice to make. Your decisions from yesterday don’t dictate your today. Sometimes you just need to remember that tomorrow you don’t have to workout or eat all that protein, but you might as well give today the benefit of the doubt. And who knows, tomorrow you might not feel the same struggle and it might seem a little easier.