One of the most common struggles I help people with is the “all or nothing” trap. We often think if we aren’t sprinting toward our goals, we aren’t moving at all. This mindset leads to burnout and makes maintaining success much more difficult. Instead, imagine your health journey as a walk between two cities: City A (where you are right now) and City B (your healthiest self).
(Short on time? Click here for The Bottom Line)
Progress is not about how fast you go, it’s about the direction of your steps. If City B is North, then any step towards the North is helping you move toward your destination. That is a success, no matter how small it may seem.
- Going for a 5 minute walk
- Choosing water over pop/alcohol
- Prioritizing 7-9 hours of sleep
- Eating an extra serving of vegetables
- Doing 10 squats
These are all steps in the right direction.
If you move in any other direction, it is not “failure.” You are simply moving away from your destination. The goal is to keep your compass pointed North.
By the way, it is impossible to walk between two cities without stopping. You will eventually need to stop for a meal, a bio-break, or a place to sleep. These are pitstops.
A “bad” meal or a missed week at the gym is just a pitstop. If you pull over on a road trip, you don’t drive all the way back to City A to start over. Sounds silly, right? Yet we often do exactly that with our health goals. Instead, get back on the road and keep walking North.
3 Strategies to Put This Into Practice:
- Find Your “North”: What is one small habit that moves you towards your goal today? Commit to that single step.
- Normalize the Pitstop: Life happens. Don’t judge the pauses. Ask yourself: “How can I point my feet back toward City B right now?”
- Enjoy the Scenery: The journey changes who you are (cliché or not). You reach your destination stronger and more resilient because of the kilometers (or miles) walked and the experience gained.
As long as you continue taking steps towards the direction you wish to go, you will get there, no matter how messy it feels along the way.
The Bottom Line
Health is a journey of direction and progress, not perfection. Every choice is a step toward your destination. If you stumble or stop, you haven’t failed, you’ve just taken a pitstop. Reorient your compass, point your feet in the direction of your destination, and take another step. Chase progress, not perfection.