Just Do You

Some thoughts on the common misconception about the significant effort required to achieve our own physical and mental goals that you may not be aware of

Things are easier for others than they are for us

With this opener, I shoot straight into what I believe to be one of the biggest hurdles people face in overcoming the inertia that can paralyse us. I’ve been guilty of this in the past and hope to avoid it in the future.

We often take a snapshot of the present and ignore the journey that brought us here. For example, we might see fit people and assume they don't need to work hard to maintain their fitness.

In this context, I find many parallels with people who are new to exercising or those that don’t exercise at all. I’ll use running as an analogy. Take a look at elite trail runners like Kílian Jornet¹ or Courtney Dauwalter². We can look at their feats and their effortless runs over 100-mile races and casually think they must have super genes, they are rich, they started in childhood, and so on…

While these factors are often used to justify our own [in]actions, they do help in some ways. In the end though, the effort one puts in determines what one gets out.

In the end though, the effort one puts in determines what one gets out.

It’s easy to mistakenly think we can jump from 0 to 100 quickly, or start at 100 without progressing through steps 1, 2, or 3. We all start at zero. And we want to start small, progressing from short distances: 5k to 10k, then a half marathon and so on… In that way we’ll build up tolerance and give our bodies time to fully adapt. That’s true progress.

I emphasise it because this is a crucial part when someone plans to start something. As when we have no previous experience, we first feel initial excitement to motivate us. This is what gets us going. Once in motion, we need commitment. Commitment is what keeps us going. Comparing ourselves to someone far more experienced does no good.

Here are three good reasons: 1) their motivation and commitments likely differ from ours; 2) it overlooks their history and hard work; 3) it wrongly focuses on the polished end result. This creates a gap that can feel impossible to cross, which can be demotivating and can prevent progress towards our goals.

This is where accountability, self-awareness and reassessing our own thoughts are crucial. Breaking down these beliefs into tangible bits is where progress can take place. It requires a long‑term view, aligned with short‑term goals that will make things more achievable.

Patience is trained, not given

With experience, we learn to draw inspiration from others while working at our own pace. Ultimately, you have to do the work.

I also want to point out there’s nothing wrong with dreaming big about doing better or having more of something. The point for me here is not for one to stop dreaming. It’s about putting in place a strategy that works for you, allowing you to take the right steps towards your big dream. Rather than blindly copying what someone else does, be inspired, motivated and committed to fulfil your own goals.