Once we’ve set our sights on a goal, what do we crave most?
Progress, of course.
We want to see positive change and forward movement, which, we hope, will inspire us to keep going.
But that’s not how it always goes. Progress can cut both ways because the satisfaction it produces can breed complacency, a powerful catalyst for weakening willpower.
Instead of reinvigorating us for another charge into the breach, progress can lull us into following one step forward with two back.
This paradox has been demonstrated in a number of studies. For example, research conducted by scientists at the University of Chicago found that when people were led to believe they were closing in on their weight loss goals, they were 32 percent more likely to choose a chocolate bar for a snack over an apple.
I’ve seen this phenomenon many times over the years, too. All too often, people use weight loss progress as an excuse to loosen the dietary reins and hinder further progress.
How can we guard against the slackening effects of success, then?
What did you think of this episode? Have anything else to share? Let me know in the comments below!
Transcript:
Once we have set our sights on a goal, what do we crave most? Progress, right? We want to see positive change. We wanna see forward movement and we hope that that will inspire us to keep going, but that is not always how it goes. Progress can cut both ways because the satisfaction it produces can breed.
Complacency and that is a powerful catalyst for weakening willpower. Instead of reinvigorating us for another charge into the breach, progress can lull us into following one step forward with two back. And this. Paradox has been demonstrated in a number of studies. For example, research conducted by scientists at the University of Chicago found that when people were led to believe they were closing in on their weight loss goals, they were 32% more likely to choose a chocolate bar for a snack over an apple.
And I’ve seen this phenomenon. Many times over the years as well. I mean, all too often people use weight loss progress as an excuse to loosen the dietary reigns and hinder further progress. What can we do about this? How can we guard against the slackening effects of success? Well, according to another study conducted by the same team of scientists at the University of Chicago, we should avoid getting into the habit of flattering ourselves for all the work we’ve done.
Instead, we should view our wins as evidence of how important our goals are to us and how committed we are to seeing them. Through that is we should discipline ourselves to keep our eyes on the road not slow down and. Take in the scenery and this mindset is powerful. I would say it has been one of my personal quote unquote, secrets to success, both inside and outside the gym.
I’ve always remained more focused on what I still have to do to realize the future I want for myself and my family than on how far we have already come. I’ve always strived to embody doing and becoming, you know, the present in the future over arriving and having, which would be. Past. I’ve also always worked to maintain a healthy respect for the process and for the fundamentals.
The non-negotiables and this type of philosophy has certainly increased the stress quotient in my life, but the payoff has been well worth it, and I don’t just mean that financially, by the way, for me, the non-financial stuff, the non-financial rewards of the game, which can be summed up in one word.
Really just self-actualization mean a lot more to me. Then the money. So the moral of this short little Diddy of a podcast is don’t let success hold you back. Don’t let a win. Take the wind from your sails. All right. Well, that’s it for this episode. I hope you enjoyed it and found it interesting and helpful.
And if you did and you don’t mind doing me a favor, please do leave a quick review on iTunes or wherever you’re listening to me. From in whichever app you’re listening to me in, because that not only convinces people that they should check out the show, it also increases search visibility, and thus, it helps more people find their way to me and learn how to get fitter, leaner, stronger, healthier, and happier as well.
And of course, if you want to be notified when the next episode goes live, then simply subscribe to the podcast and you won’t miss out on any new stuff. And if you didn’t like something about the show, please do shoot me an email at mike muscle for life.com. Just muscle f o r life.com and share your thoughts on how I can do this better.
I read everything myself, and I’m always looking for constructive feedback, even if it is criticism. I’m open to it and of course you can email me if you have positive feedback as well, or if you have questions really relating to anything that you think I could help you with, definitely send me an email.
That is the best way to get ahold of me, Mike, at multiple life.com. And that’s it. Thanks again for listening to this episode, and I hope to hear from you soon.
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Legion Featured Author
Mike Matthews
Mike Matthews is the founder of Legion as well as the author of several award-winning fitness books, including Bigger Leaner Stronger, Muscle for Life, and The Shredded Chef.
His simple and science-based approach to building muscle, losing fat, and getting healthy has sold over a million books and helped thousands of people build their best bodies ever, and his work has been featured in many popular outlets including Esquire, Men’s Health, Elle, Women’s Health, Muscle & Strength, and more, as well as on FOX and ABC.
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Free Worldwide Shipping & Returns
Many companies use shipping and handling fees to increase their profit margins, but here at Legion, we hate profits, so our shipping is free!
Okay, so we do dig on profits, but we also go in for happy customers, and free shipping works like gangbusters. So, if you live in the UK or Canada, your order ships free when it’s over $99.
Why the restriction on international orders? Unfortunately, shipping abroad is very expensive, and if we didn’t require a minimum order size, we’d lose a lot of money. But! We're also hustling to improve our international logistics and will be passing our savings along to our international customers.
Also, if you don’t absolutely love our stuff for whatever reason, we don’t request you deliver it to a PO box in the Gobi Desert by carrier pigeon.
We just . . . wait for it . . . give you your money back. No returns. No forms. No nonsense. Holy moo cows.
That means you can say “yes” now and decide later. You really have nothing to lose.
Free Worldwide Shipping & Returns
Many companies use shipping and handling fees to increase their profit margins, but here at Legion, we hate profits, so our shipping is free!
Okay, so we do dig on profits, but we also go in for happy customers, and free shipping works like gangbusters. So, if you’re outside the USA, your order ships free when it’s over $199.
Why the restriction on international orders? Unfortunately, shipping abroad is very expensive, and if we didn’t require a minimum order size, we’d lose a lot of money. But! We're also hustling to improve our international logistics and will be passing our savings along to our international customers.
Also, if you don’t absolutely love our stuff for whatever reason, we don’t request you deliver it to a PO box in the Gobi Desert by carrier pigeon.
We just . . . wait for it . . . give you your money back. No returns. No forms. No nonsense. Holy moo cows.
That means you can say “yes” now and decide later. You really have nothing to lose.
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Some popular pre-workouts are all-natural. Some contain the right mix of high-quality ingredients. Some provide clinically effective doses. But only Pulse checks each of these boxes.
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While these types of chemicals may not be as dangerous as some people claim, studies suggest that regular consumption of them may indeed be harmful to our health. And that’s why we don’t put any of them into our products.
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Analyzed for purity and potency in a state-of-the-art ISO 17025 accredited lab by Labdoor™, the gold standard of third-party lab testing.
Analyzed for purity and potency in a state-of-the-art ISO 17025 accredited lab, the gold standard of third-party lab testing.
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