Hey there. We live in a world where we are constantly told what we should be doing. Social media is filled with fitness influencers and self-development gurus shouting about discipline, willpower, and taking action. You scroll through your feed, nodding in agreement, thinking, “Yeah, they’re right.” But you don’t act on it. You don’t make the change. And then, the guilt creeps in.
Change happens when you’re ready. Not when someone pressures you into it, not when you feel guilty, and not when you think you should do it. It happens when you are truly ready.
For years, I saw people attempt major lifestyle changes only to fall back into old habits. Not because they were lazy or undisciplined, but because they weren’t ready. They were chasing outcomes, focusing on results that were months or years away without finding enjoyment in the process. That’s where most people go wrong.
If you don’t enjoy what you’re doing, you won’t stick with it.
Instant gratification gets a bad reputation, but it plays a crucial role in long-term success. You need to experience small wins along the way, things that make you feel good in the moment. If you enjoy the process, you will naturally develop delayed gratification. If you don’t, you will always feel like you are forcing yourself to do something you don’t really want to do. And that never lasts.
This is why restrictive diets and intense workout programs rarely work long-term. People try them out of guilt or frustration, not because they are ready. They do it because they feel like they should, not because they have found a way to make it enjoyable.
You may have spent years “or even decades” cycling through different plans, always feeling like you are one step away from getting it right. The missing piece isn’t more willpower. It’s figuring out how to make the process enjoyable for you.
When you build habits around what you genuinely like, everything changes. Instead of forcing yourself to work out, you move in ways that feel good. Instead of restricting foods, you create a plan that fits your preferences. From there, you can experiment, test new things, and refine your approach. But it all starts with what you enjoy.
If you are constantly fighting yourself, you will always feel like you are falling short. But when you build your lifestyle around things you actually want to do, you can keep going for the rest of your life. That is how real change happens.
If you’re ready to take an inside-out approach to your health and fitness journey, join The YLF Experience. It’s time to build a lifestyle that works for you, not against you.