Our newsletter/blog last Monday titled “Results May Vary” led to a reply from a former member who trained with us 100% virtually. They were as much a part of our community as those who were training in the gym. We are grateful that despite how the pandemic played out, it led us to connect with people like this.
I’m sharing the bulk of their reply for a number of reasons.
First, it’s incredibly insightful.
Second, it’s proof that you must take risks if you desire change.
Third, you’re not failing, you’re discovering.
Last, resist complacency and take action.
“It reminded me that I wanted to get back to you on a question you had asked about the one thing that had the biggest impact on the improvements I’ve made. I’ve thought about it and would say it was pivoting to a discovery, risk-taking approach.
What I mean by that is in biotech there is a phrase “Fail fast, fail often.” Because clinical trials are so expensive and time consuming, you’ve got to pick your shots on goal and cut your losses quickly when something is not working so you can learn, move on, reapply resources and adapt. Trying something and it not working is embraced because it gets you closer to breakthroughs where you find what actually works.
In my personal health journey, I realized I had to do the same thing and treat myself as an N of 1 in my own experimentation. That meant being willing to make investments in multiple areas simultaneously and being critical of what was working or not working, evaluating and reevaluating decisively. Then, not lamenting or thinking I was being wasteful if something didn’t work but seeing it as a valuable lesson learned and leveraging that learning towards a better solution fit for me.
I think many people are risk averse, complacent, or passive and want a 100% guarantee with a bulletproof roadmap before committing to something. You might eventually achieve your goals but it’s going to take a longer time to get there. More often, you settle into mediocrity.”