Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. Therefore I do not run like someone running aimlessly; I do not fight like a boxer beating the air. No, I strike a blow to my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.
— 1 Corinthians 9:24- 27
1) Your goals are lazy.
I’m going to be honest. Lots of people fail because they don’t want the things they say they want. We tend to look at other people’s goals and think,”That sounds good, I’ll do that.” Change for the sake of change isn’t vision. It’s lazy.
Do the hard work of finding out where you need to make changes in your life. Don’t make stuff up because it seems like a good idea or because it worked somewhere else. If the only vision you have for your life is to be like someone else, you are destined to fail, or at least never know what pure joy can be like.
2) Your focus is all wrong.
When you dream about what your life looks like at its best, don’t let your vision be about your weight, your money or surface stuff. Think of those things as tools to accomplish the vision. As Christians, we should never focus on things that are fleeting and meaningless, because those things cant satisfy us, emotionally or spiritually.
Your prize is things that are lasting, things that are worth having. Think about why you want to be healthier, make more money or have a bigger home. Stuff for the sake of stuff is pointless in the big scheme of things, and not very motivating. However, being healthier so you can play with your kids, go on that mission trip or love your spouse better, those things can be very motivating. Get emotional about those things, get spiritual about those things. If you want to make a change, you have to feel as strongly about the change as you do about not changing.
3) You give up too soon.
You mess up, and you quit. Don’t do that anymore. You allow the reasons to quit to be bigger than your goal. You let your body call the shots. Its goal is self-preservation, but your goal is so much more! Who cares what your body wants? It’s your slave, given to you by God to accomplish his will in the world.
Make your body your slave. Use it to accomplish the things you care about. Don’t worry about wearing it out. I hear we are all going to get new ones anyway! Don’t give up in the middle. Take back control, and stop existing on default.