Resetting expectations.
Smarter Sundays - Issue #165.
During a check-in last year, my client who had resumed working on their health for the first time since 2020 was constantly annoyed with the fact that they couldn’t match up to the standards they had set for themselves during the lockdown stages.
“I used to be able to walk a minimum of 10,000 steps every single day, and these days I barely hit 5,000 steps despite my best efforts. It is extremely frustrating!”
“Have I somehow - in a span of ~2 years - forgotten how to walk more?
Have I suddenly gotten too weak to walk 10k steps/day?
Were my best days behind me?”
“Nope, that’s not the issue. I will tell you what is” I responded.
I understood their frustrations very well for I had gone through the same back in 2014-15.
The years 2012-13 were some of the fittest years of my life.
And it is clear why: I used to workout 2 times a day, on most days.
I had no other responsibilities, I had not stresses, and all of my spare time was spent working out, recovering from the workouts, taking a nap, and working out again.
It was an ideal scenario for someone who wanted to take their fitness up a few notches.
All of this happened in 2012 and 2013.
Come 2014, things had changed. I was now getting “only” 5-6 workouts per week, for I had more responsibilities on my plate. I wasn’t just coaching at a CrossFit centre, but I was actively managing it, doing sales, and all of the other work that is associated with such a role.
Quite a few times through 2014-15 did I try and emulate my regime from 2012-13 only to fall short.
It was frustrating, and I wasn’t able to figure out a solution.
It took me until 2016 to realise, I was doing fine, and that working out 4-5 times a week was still a very good cadence for someone with multiple responsibilities to juggle.
What I went through earlier, and what my client was going through the last year dealt with the same issue: Expectations.
Before my client hit 10k steps daily back in 2020, getting even 3k steps/day was an achievement. But once 10k steps were hit regularly the expectations reset, and now they had a new base level when it pertained to their daily activity.
Similarly, when I first started working out, getting 1 workout every alternate day was a good start, but as I got more consistent and my fitness improved, my expectations went up with it.
In 2012-13 I was free, and could workout as much as I wanted. In 2020, my client had all the time in the world to walk because everything else was shut or off-limits.
Carrying forward the expectations into a different year, and a different time is a common pitfall.
This holds true for many people whose expectations surpass their reality:
If you’re a new parent, do not expect to have the same amount of time for your workouts.
If you’re recovering from an injury, do not expect to have the same levels of speed, strength, and power as before the injury.
If your new job requires you to work extra hours, do not expect to have the same levels of commitment as earlier.
If you’re now a start-up founder, do not assume you’ll have the same freedom to workout whenever like you did when you were an employee.
Author Morgan Housel has a great quote:
“If your expectations grow faster than your income you'll never be happy with your money no matter how much you accumulate.”
Paraphrasing: If your expectations do not match your current realities you will never be happy with your fitness no matter how regular you are.
One Suggestion - Do an audit of your goals every 1-3 months. See what goals you’re able to hit easily, and upgrade them. See what goals you’re constantly missing on, and then downgrade them.
One Question - “Am I frustrated with my efforts or am I frustrated because I’m falling below my high expectations?”
PradTip - You don’t need to live up to the expectations you set for yourself at a different time, under different circumstances.