What Got You Here Won't Get You There

Hello friend,

Have you ever wondered why you stopped feeling motivated to do something you once couldn’t wait to do?

Everyone has been there: they start up something new: the gym, a new diet, a new routine and they crush it when they first start, motivated to make the change they vowed to themselves they would make.

We wish the story would end right there. We wish that it was happily ever after, easy peasy, but it isn’t. It never is. If you have found something where that is the case, let me know, I’d love to try it because that honeymoon phase is amazing: it is where we gain that spark and feel proud of ourselves. However, we can’t stay in that phase forever.

Something I have come to realize recently is that just because something got you to a certain point, that doesn’t mean that it will take you to the next level.

I see this in climbing all the time. I am a rock climbing instructor, and so often people come into the gym and get hooked. They improve rapidly at the beginning, moving up one “V grade” almost every week until it stops. They plateau.

Why does this happen?

Well, it occurs for a multitude of reasons, many of which are completely unrelated to this newsletter (if you actually want to know, you should check out my podcast episode with Ben Mills). One thing, however, is applicable. These new climbers realize that they can improve the grade they are climbing at through pure, raw strength. The initial strength they gain climbing and the comfortability with the new muscles help them improve very fast, so they keep building up their strength because if it works once it must work again, right?

No.

Once they reach a certain point, the strength they have started to build doesn’t help them improve. They need technique. They plateau.

In self-improvement, or any other area of your life for that matter, these same principles are present. You cannot expect what got you to where you are to help you any further than it has.

If you raw-motivationed yourself to success, pushing yourself to get up at 4 in the morning to workout before you spend 3 hours on your side hustle ALL prior to you going to work every day of the year, and now you’re successful, it would be dumb to think that you still have to do that exact same thing to fill the gap of self-hatred and loneliness you feel in spite of your success. 

When I say it like that, it seems obvious, but what I explained is not rare. So many people think that because they got themselves to where they were through an unbalanced “fuck you” mindset, they should keep doing that. In reality, they’re just digging themselves into a cycle of being unworthy of real balance and fulfillment.

That is why I created the Grateful Podcast, for people like that.

We need to find something we are grateful for, even if it is just one small thing, to root us back into what we love and appreciate about the world, and about ourselves. Our self-belief reflects the way we see the world.

I am not advocating for mantras of self-love and acceptance. Those may work for some people, but, personally, I know that being hard on yourself has a time and a place. You just have to remember that although it has shown to be useful in some cases, that doesn’t mean that it is your go-to solution for every problem. In many cases, it will fail and you will plateau.

Don’t be afraid to adjust. Call an audible. Switch it up.

If you want to succeed, you can not let your previous success blind you to the future.

The Grateful Podcast:

I have a podcast where I interview people much smarter and more qualified than me talking about how you can live a more purposeful life full of gratitude and ambition. 
I release episodes every Monday where I go over a lesson I’ve recently learned.

Every Wednesday and Saturday I release an episode with a very cool guest. 

You can subscribe on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, or find the video version on YouTube.

This week’s episodes:

Monday: A more in-depth analysis of the concept I spoke on above

Wednesday: Why Everything You Know About Business is Wrong with Jonathan Goodman

Saturday: Building Successful Businesses while in College with Judah Payeur

Coaching:

If you’re ready to take action and need guidance, I’d love to help.

I have limited space available so if you’re interested, book a free 15-minute call with me to discuss your dreams and how to start making them happen. 

You can shoot me an email at [email protected] where we can get scheduled.

Make this week rock. Thank you so much for reading this; I’ll see you next week.

With love,

Jack Wagoner