You Can’t Think Your Way Into A New Life

We don’t need more insight. We need more reps.

I caught myself doing it again last week. I spent hours researching an updated exercise routine, reading studies and listening to fitness podcasts. Meanwhile, I hadn't broken a sweat all week. The irony wasn't lost on me.

I used to believe that change follows a neat, linear path: first comes understanding, then comes action. Read enough books. Attend enough seminars. Accumulate enough knowledge. Then, finally, you'll be ready to change.

But transformation almost never works that way. The most profound shifts in thinking don’t come from thinking at all. They come from doing.

The entrepreneur doesn't think her way into courage. She makes the call, pitches the client, launches the product - and discovers courage was there all along.

The musician doesn't study his way into mastery. He shows up at the piano day after day until his hands physically know something his mind never could.

The athlete doesn’t (only!) visualize their way onto the podium. They push through hundreds of grueling workouts until their body can achieve what their mind visualized.

And I am never going to get back into shape by listening to a podcast. I had to just put down the phone and get back into the gym.

We don't think ourselves into new ways of living. We live ourselves into new ways of thinking.

This isn't just philosophical. It’s practical. When you're stuck, the answer isn't more analysis. It's more action. Start the project. Have the conversation. Make the change. 

You don’t have to see the whole path. Just take the first step