It is common for people to look down at the scale or look in the mirror after a few days of being on a diet and be disappointed. The response goes something like this, ” what the actual fuck? I have been on this diet for five days and do not see a difference.” Or they start at the gym, go hard for a few days, and are excited for the changes ahead. A few days later, they check the mirror and cannot see any changes. Once again, the response is WTF? All this hard work for nothing, and they quit!!

The real problem here with the above examples? Distorted or unrealistic expectations.

This is not uncommon, and the reason is expectations and reality are blurred.

Getting fit, losing fat, gaining muscle, increasing strength, and increasing endurance all take time. It is a long game, a marathon, not a sprint. If you want to get on the gain train, you must be prepared to ride it for some time; most people are not. Most people want changes now; patience is not many people’s strong point. And this is where reality is disappointing most.

The reality is that change takes time, and the results you experience directly correlate with the effort and actions you instill daily. You have to play the long game, turning up every day and focusing on your actions, the results will come, and every time they will be an honest reflection of your commitment and effort.

What if you have been playing the long game and are still not meeting your expectations? If you answer this with brutal honesty, then the answer will be pretty simple: your actions are responsible for the results you have achieved. How is your diet? How is your training? Do you do what you need to do consistently to see the results and achieve your desired expectations? For most, the answer is straightforward. Most, though, don’t want to take responsibility for their results. They want to put the expectation and blame elsewhere.

The reality is that the result’s strength is the sum of the effort and consistency of your daily actions.