The Biggest Obstacle in Front of Us May Be Ourselves
My good friend, Zoe, always says "my goal in life is to be just fit enough to do pretty much any adventure at any time." For context, Zoe is a multi-time winner of the Pole Pedal Paddle – a race involving a downhill ski, skate ski, road bike, run, river paddle, and sprint finish. To be up front, she's a former #3 seed on the Canadian National Nordic Ski Team, but her secret isn't just talent—it's HARD WORK. She does something active every day: a run, bike, ski, surf, paddle, gym session, or MOBO session. Zoe's success comes down to one word: Consistency.
If you stay consistent, you’ll be surprised at what you can do. But I want to add another layer to this paradigm —> challenge.
Consistency Shouldn’t Turn into Complacency
Over time, many of us train ourselves into a rut, doing the same thing and hoping for incremental gains. We train with grunt instead of curiosity. What if we asked ourselves, "I wonder if…"? We'd learn so much more about ourselves, and our potential.
Challenges on the Small Scale
We live in a world obsessed with big goals—marathons, mountain peaks, and otherworldly adventures. And big goals are great. But I want you to think about the SMALL ones, because little goals can redefine our progress and get our brain out of the way. so that we can truly succeed.
A few days ago, I challenged myself, and the results will forever change how I train. I've been training for decades—my swim coach had us in the gym at 13. It cemented a foundation in me as I learned first-hand how critical stability, strength, and power were to my times on the clock. I'm now 50, and while I have more in common with dinosaurs than my former 13yrs old body, I still aim to be consistent. And one thing I've stayed consistent with is pull-ups. For years, I'd strap 25-45 lbs around my hips and knock out reps. That became my self-imposed ceiling. I never even tried to go heavier.
Last week I saw a friend—20 years younger—doing pull-ups with 90 lbs. I thought, "I wonder if I could do that." The next day, I tested 65 lbs. It wasn't even hard. I finished the rest of my workout, still wondering if I could do more. So even though I was tired, I anxiously went back and strapped on 90 lbs. I did 2 solid reps. I left the gym thinking- wow – can’t believe it did that - I really need to up my training intensity. I’ve been standing in my own way.
So two days ago, armed with the knowledge that I CAN do 90 lb pull-ups, I knocked out 15 total reps.
Small Results Lead to BIG Ones
“If you're training correctly, you should be doing workouts today that you couldn't do last season.” I’ve shared this little pearl with the athletes I’ve worked with over and over. For a decade, I had limited myself to 45 lbs on pull-ups. In one workout, I shattered that self-perception. I don't really care about the pull-ups—I care that I'm capable of way more than I thought.
That's the point. We need "little wins" to show us we can succeed. Imagine how much fitter you'd be if you dropped 1 second per quarter on the track, bumped up your bike wattage 5%, or added that stability session each week? Those small breakthroughs help us redefine what we're capable of. They keep adding up. And when you show up to the starting line of your next big challenge with the knowledge that you’ve out-trained every person around you, that confidence goes a long way.
Your Homework
Find something you've been training consistently and ramp it up. See how far you can turn up the dial. See if you can surprise yourself. See if if you can redefine who you are and how you approach challenge. The only person standing in your way is you.