Two Steps Forward One Step Back

James 1:2-3 says "Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness."

There I was, the beginning of 2021. I had set some aggressive fitness goals and was motivated to pursue them throughout the year.

But then, my faith got tested.  About two months into the year my right shoulder started to hurt.  I passed it off to an old football injury and didn't think much of it.  I was used to my shoulder getting stiff and was always able to get it under control.

Not this time.

What started out as a sore shoulder turned into a frozen shoulder.  I came to realize the issue wasn't going away anytime soon and my upper body training was really beginning to suffer as a result.

It took 9 months of dealing with the trials of my shoulder, but it is finally almost back to normal.  

Needless to say, I did not reach the 2021 goals I had set for myself.  But even so, I'm glad my faith was tested with this trial.  

Why would I say that?

Because it made me mentally tougher and I gained valuable wisdom on shoulder health.  

I always tell my clients "Fitness is two steps forward one step back."   

This was definitely a step back for me when it came to fitness.

Working through the 'one step back' produces the steadfastness you need to carry on in all aspects of life. You will always end up way ahead in the long run.

That doesn't just go for fitness but EVERYTHING.

There are weeks you are killing it!

Then comes "that week" that deals you a trial.

Trials like...

• Your kids get sick
• Things blow up at work
• You have to help an aging parent

Situations like these can really throw you off making it tough to believe in your faith.

When these trials come you have two choices:

Keep pushing forward and grow stronger...or give up and settle.

Give up and settle and you will continually struggle.  Keep pushing forward, remain steadfast and you will be consistently successful.

I get that it's hard to keep pushing forward at times.  Let me tell you how I do it.  

I connect to a powerful "WHY" and clearly laid out goals that are congruent with that "WHY." 

I knew WHY I wanted to make 2021 a strong fitness year for myself - and I was clear on the goals I needed to hit to make that happen.  Just because my shoulder froze didn't change the WHY or the goals.  It just modified the timeline.  Understanding my WHY helped my focus on the steps to fix the shoulder.

Do you want 2022 to look better than 2021?

Do you have a plan? Have you set goals and identified your WHY?

I'm guessing not.  Most people don't do this because it's hard work.  The harder work is NOT doing this and meandering through the year without clarity.

This year I want to see you succeed so I'm officially inviting you to my special 2022 GOAL SETTING AND PLANNING WORKSHOP webinar on zoom.

I will provide you with a goal setting packet to work on during this webinar.  This is dedicated time to map out a gameplan to make 2022 your BEST year ever.

I'm doing this live on Wednesday, January 5th at 7:30pm. All you have to do to get access is reply to this email and RSVP.

There is no cost for the workshop.  This is my gift to you so you can make 2022 your Best Year Ever.  I hope you will join me.

Erik Peacock