Coach Dan John is one of the biggest coaching influences in my life. After almost a decade of following his work, interpreting his work, and being influenced by it, I finally got a chance to have a conversation with him.

Two things stand out, in my head, from my conversation with him.

  1. Understanding the pleasure of not achieving the goal.
  2. With great power comes great responsibility.

On #1, why do a lot of us sabotage our health and fitness goals? Why do we diet real hard for 6 weeks and then let go for the next few months and lose all the progress?

I think it is a combination of factors, some of which could be

  • Not truly connecting with your goal. You think that's your goal but it is not truly what will elevate your life.
  • Resistance. The closer and closer you get to achieving your goal, the harder it gets. The last mile is harder than the previous one.
  • Not allowing yourself to wave up and down, and expecting linear progress.
  • Doing the wrong things. Anything works for 6 weeks, and then stops working. That's around when we might hit a plateau as well, and lose focus and interest.