Today we hit the gym in the morning together.  He was back in rare form, hitting all his lifts and pushing himself hard.  He set a personal best on his bench press and tied a personal best on his squats.  He managed some pretty good deadlifts as well.  When he walked out of the gym he had a huge smile on his face and I felt very satisfied.

“Did you used to lift over at the Knott Avenue gym?” he inquires

“Yeah, that was about a year ago though.  I stopped going there because they never opened on time.” I replied

“I thought it was you, but I honestly didn't recognize you.” he replied

“I am the same person today as I was then, why wouldn't you recognize me?” I asked curiously

“Dude, you've lost a ton of weight and you've gained alot of muscle since I last saw you.” he replied with enthusiasm

“Really?  You think I've lost alot of weight and gained mass?” I asked

“Hell yes!” he replied

At that point you struggle with what to say next.  This is a message for every single shredder out there who is doubting themselves as they start a program.  You don't get results overnight.  Sometimes you don't even really recognize your own results.  That's what the daily pictures are for.  If you are not taking daily photos you are cheating yourself.  Get to it today and don't miss a day ever.  People notice you.  They see what you are up to and they recognize the change that is taking place with your body.  You might not see it, but other people do and that's one reason to stick with it.

Is it possible to change and not notice it yourself?  Hell yes!  Should you be sticking with it regardless of your feelings about the changes in your body?  Hell yes!  Would it be tragic if you just gave up like alot of people?  Hell yes!

Keep repeating that over and over in your head–Hell yes! 

I get that we all have expectations for our own progress.  I get that we might not even come close to living up to those expectations at first, but I also get that consistent application of the healthy way of life is going to make an eventual difference.  Consistency and strong effort are the only ingredients that make up the successful transformation you are after.  Look, I will be the first to tell you that I'm not truly satisfied with my progress after 274 days.  I would have expected better results.  At the same time, I realize that I have had to experiment to find what works for me.  It has been a work in progress for the past 40 weeks of my life. 

So, if I measure success just on how I look in my pictures, I would have to say that I am not entirely pleased.  However, I have learned from my mentor that success is measured in alot of other ways.  You see I have had many things happen in the past 40 weeks that could have derailed me completely.  My life hasn't been simple.  I have had my ups and downs.  There have been some emotional times.  Through all of these I posted my blog daily and included my daily photo.  I shared some of what was going on with me and at times, when it was too emotional for me to share, I kept it to myself.  However, the journey I am on has been a successful one so far because my results don't just show in my physical appearance.  My mental toughness has developed throughout the past 40 weeks.  It is something I can carry with me as I go forward into other missions.  I've learned what I am truly capable of.

These are the things you need to learn to cherish.  You need to learn to give yourself credit for these things that happen in your life that you fight through.  You have to remember that when faced with difficulties you have a choice in how you handle them.  It goes back to asking the right questions and giving the right answers. 

At the same time, some people think that they can work at this only half the time and still see great results.  These people tend to focus on topics and symptoms.  They don't understand that there is a greater principle at work.  The topics they focus on and the symptoms they focus on relate to the greater principle, but they are not directly the greater principle.  It really boils down to one thing when you think about it.

I mean why did you eat that candy bar when nobody was watching?  Were you really that hungry that you just had to eat the wrong thing?  What if you are short on time and think you should skip your workout?  What if you forgot your food and you are hungry?  Do you give in and eat junk food?  What do you do?

You figure out the answer to the following question:

Does this thing I'm about to do bring me closer to my desired end result?