Patience & Willpower: The Key to Results

Sometimes we feel like giving up.

Actually, many of us want to give up.

A lot.

It’s something that Steven Pressfield calls Resistance. It’s something that works against us to distract us or discourage us from doing the things we want to do and see true results.

This can come in the form of a family member criticizing our desire to get in better shape.

"It’s just one piece of cake. It’s not going to kill you." - Aunt Betty

How many times has that been said?

In all reality, one piece of cake will not kill you. But the cake does severely damage your willpower. The ability to continue toward a healthy lifestyle is based on your ability to resist the many temptations that you encounter in your daily life.

This is hard.

But in reality, it is resistance that is trying to push you off course. How many times do we begin a New Year with lofty fitness goals, then find ourselves at the Taco Bell drive-through after a night of drinking Mid-February?

What happened?

Resistance.

It could have come in the form of friends pushing you to go out for “just one drink,” or a significant other’s request for you to “take a day off from the diet just once.”

All of these things happen in reality. Resistance happens in many ways.

It’s your job to resist those influences.

If you stay the course, your willpower will grow and you will recognize the influences that make it hard to continue toward your goals.

I don’t mean to vilify anyone, including friends and family. But sometimes the people that love us the most make it the hardest for us to achieve our goals. Those are the ones that like how it’s been.

Change is not welcome.

But change must happen for you to grow.

Here are some practical ways to fight resistance and continue toward your fitness goals:

Acknowledge friends and family in their opinion, but leave it at that.

We all have our own opinion and in the end, it is important to be confident in your choices. If you’ve made a decision to change something, usually it means you weren’t happy with how things were. Keep that in your perspective so you understand the reason why you chose to change your diet, start working out or lose those 10 pounds.

Keep in mind the many distractions that can veer you off course.

It’s easy to stay on the couch and watch Netflix instead of going to the gym, but know that resistance comes in many subtle ways. It’s not always blatant.

Know that progress happens over time. 

Nothing happens right away. If you started on a new routine on January 1st, you would only be 7 weeks into a lifestyle change. Most don’t see incredible changes in their bodies for 10+ weeks. Continue to be patient and develop willpower and you will see change!