by Michael Plank
Life right now is AMAZING.
You can literally touch your phone in the right places and a car will show up wherever you are to take you to wherever you want to go.
You can say things, like “Alexa, order me shampoo” to what is basically just a speaker and it will show up on your doorstep. Maybe even that day if you live in the right place.
I had a delicious apple the other day. It’s the middle of May.
We can get almost anything in the world that we want, and we can get it pretty much immediately.
So it’s no wonder that we get discouraged if we don’t immediately lose 20, 40, or 60 pounds in 6 weeks… or 6 months… or 2 years. It’s no wonder that we start looking for another quick fix, or secret training program, or supplement because we still don’t have that 6-pack even though we’ve been at it since 2023. It’s no wonder that we almost quit when we don’t have pull-ups yet even though we’ve trained for 3 months. But the truth is that it takes time.
We want weight loss and jacked abs and cool skills today. But we can’t have them. And that gets frustrating, I know.
But the truth is that almost everyone who you see who looks like they have it together has been at it for a long, long time. People tell me that it looks easy when I do pull-ups. Guess what? When I started CrossFit I couldn’t do one. But I’ve been doing pull-ups now for 14 years. That’s why they look easy.
The magic of powerful results comes from consistency, not over 6 weeks, but over months and years. That’s not as sexy as a program that promises you results in 4 weeks, but guess what? The slow results you get are much easier to keep. And most people I talk to don’t really want amazing health that lasts them for 3 months… they want to be strong and fit and healthy for the rest of their lives.
It’s annoying that it takes time. But do you know what? The time is going to pass either way. Whether you get discouraged and quit for something else, or show up with consistency and dedication for slow, measured progress, the years pass in the exact same amount of time for everyone.
You might as well be patient and buckle in for the ride.