The Problem With Progress

Back in the day, when I was struggling with losing weight, I remember bouncing back and forth between a feeling of elation with the progress I made from healthy changes to my diet, and then absolute frustration with long periods of standstill when I didn’t seem to be moving forward anymore.

I didn't realize what was going on when I was in the middle of that frustrating time, but I recently stumbled across a similar feeling as I made my way back from a hamstring injury I earned after a failed attempt at waterskiing over the summer, and can now more clearly see what was going on. In both instances, I realized what the issue was (I was overweight and wanted to lean out; I had a tear in a tendon and was prescribed physical therapy to remedy the issue) and was bound and determined to get to the other side of what was bothering me, but could never seem to get all the way to where I wanted to be before getting hit with some form of setback.

As dedicated as I was to reaching the other side of my struggles, the regressions came from the same issue I see in many of the equally dedicated people I work with today: seeing some progress lets us justify slacking off before we fully see through our real pursuit.

“I’ve worked so hard to lose this weight; I totally deserve some junk food!” Or, “this injury is starting to feel better! I don’t need to follow the doc's recommendations anymore, right?” These were the thoughts going through my head as I derailed my own progress.

Since there are certainly times when it’s good to let our hair down and have that indulgent meal or to test our capacity a little further, this can be a slippery slope. But the problem with progress in this grey area is that we all too often see the small advances as a sign that the hard work is now done.

No matter what our pursuits are, progress is both a necessary goal and a helpful roadmap to our end state. But, it’s letting the little advance we’re—for good reason—so happy to celebrate derail our path to the true finish line that we need to be mindful of avoiding.

What I hope you take away from my struggles is that it’s imperative for us to keep our sights on our real goal. Whether it’s losing weight, nursing an injury back to health, or something that has nothing to do with fitness at all, be mindful of what you’re truly after and never let a little progress distract you from seeing through your endeavors. Set your goals, map out a plan for taking them on, and then be merciless in seeing them through!