Assume That You Won’t Want To

The days when I want to are bliss. It’s easy to get up. It’s easy to get out the door. It’s easy to get started.

Unfortunately, they are few and far between. 

As the damn process would have it, the days that I don’t want to are far too often. And, it has nothing to do with enjoyment. I love working out. I love challenges. I love hard. But, I think as humans, we’ve evolved to take the path of least resistance. That time on the couch with a book is much easier than getting out the door for a workout. Heck, that time on the couch without a book, staring aimlessly at the ceiling, is even easier.

For that matter, why would I even get up for the day?

Doing is hard.

But, if we assume a mindset of “I likely won’t want to” we are most of the way there.

Doing when we don’t want to is the magic dust to transformation because, unfortunately, those days are going to far outnumber those days we’re filled with motivation.

Today, I had both a lifting session and a run session on my schedule. The day, in and of itself, was a grind. As I do too often, especially in the early phases of getting back into peak shape, I put the lift and run off until the end of the day telling myself, “oh, I’ll definitely be ready to stop and then head out the door for a workout.”

Our mind is really good at telling us stories to continually trick us throughout the day.

Well, when I closed my computer at 5pm, that drive for “wanting to do a workout” was no closer to being there than when I woke up 12 hours earlier.

Assume that you won’t want to and you’re most of the way there.

So, I laced up my shoes, trudged down to the gym, and just started. 

I didn’t want to do any of it. But, I kept reminding myself of that—"assume that you won’t want to”—for each rep of the lifting portion of the workout. And, before I knew it: done. I walked to the treadmill. One more “rep” to go. The resistance wasn’t as strong, but I still wasn’t thrilled about having to put in more work. It would have been easy to go back home and just lounge for the day justifying to myself as I walked back home, “Heck, I put in a good day.”

“Assume that you won’t want to.”

The first mile passed.

Then the second.

And, with each passing mile, as had already been subtly happening with each portion of the lifting session, the groove—flow—started to get more pronounced.

And, that’s the way most days go.

The fun happens when we do—when we get into the work that our minds told us that we didn’t want to do. And, I think that is the trickery of it all. By doing the work that we didn’t want to do, we feel good about ourselves. We feel accomplished. We can feel the transformation slowly happening. And all those feelings are fun and, likely, that’s what keeps me coming back day after day after day.

“Damn I feel good after finishing that run. I’m pumped for tomorrow.”

What a stark contrast to where I started.

Tomorrow, my alarm will go off at 4:20am to start the process before I head out the door to go to the pool at 5:10am. Inevitably, no amount of coffee will make me want to. 

If tomorrow is like today—like most days—I have to assume that I won’t want to. And, in doing that, I’ll be most of the way there. 

Today, as your workout looms, assume that you won’t want to and, oddly, that may just get you up, get you going, and get you out the door.

As each rep, mile, or interval passes, repeat to yourself—as many times as necessary—"assume that I won’t want to” and then, just start. Eventually, you will find your groove, feel good about your accomplishment, and be tricked into looking forward to what tomorrow’s workout has to offer.

And, if tomorrow happens to be one of those lucky days that you do want to get out the door for your workout, take it all in.