Episode 4 of The Grit Theory.

Adjust the plan, not the target.

In this Bonus Episode we will examine what happens when we come face to face with a failing plan and the beauty that can come from honest evaluation. Don’t miss the surprising  influence this “Winter55 Challenge” had on Jon, and his wife Lindsey.

Highlights include:

– The value of candid self assessment.
– The need to look ones own mortality and frailty in the eye.
– The choice to not quit the target, nor give up on the goal.
– The power of adaption, evolution, and perseverance.

Did you find value in today’s conversation? SHARE IT! 

Also, check out Be Relentless: If the obstacle is the way, then we must be waymakers HERE.

Do you want to learn more? Check out:

The Book: Be Relentless: If the obstacle is the way, then we must be WayMakers.

The Podcast: “Be Relentless Podcast”

The Fuel: Sisu Stamina, Performance Evolved

Linktree: Here.

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Episode Transcript

08;06;39;03 – 08;06;18;26

Aaron

Good morning, everybody. Welcome to a very special edition of The Grit Theory. We are actually going to do a slight departure from what we typically do, John, and we’re in that we’re going to we’re going to look at a particular instance and kind of pause for a minute to really dig into a kind of a specific narrative

08;06;18;26 – 08;06;07;17

Aaron

that you’re dealing with right now. We’re actually going to be talking with John Mayer this morning, but we’re really going to we’re going to look into this what he’s kind of hinted at this 100 day challenge and what what came of it?

08;06;06;17 – 08;05;51;01

Aaron

We kind of hit a wall this this last week in just John and I discussion. I feel like some real nuggets came out of that conversation. And John, you’ve also decided this just in the intensity of the moment, just another day.

08;05;51;01 – 08;05;37;17

Aaron

And we’ve all had these. And I think I’m really glad that you pressed pause for a minute said I never articulate this through penning this out. And you, you wrote out a just this is what I’m thinking. This is what I’m feeling.

08;05;37;17 – 08;05;26;03

Aaron

This is that I’m learning about this sort of a journal entry this morning. And what we’re going to be doing is actually taking about is that ten minutes or so of spoken word of just what he actually penned out.

08;05;25;14 – 08;05;06;00

Aaron

And then as needed, we’re going to we may stop and just talk about that a little bit more. We’re just going to kind of see how it goes, but I really want you to listen to this guys and gals out there because I think when when I heard this for the first time, it it it reminded me

08;05;06;00 – 08;04;52;04

Aaron

of a pause that we all have. But sometimes we just don’t take the time to really think about it and let it affect us. And so some of the things I think in this narrative did that. So, John, what I’m going to do.

08;04;51;15 – 08;04;45;13

Aaron

Well, first of all, good morning. I haven’t heard your voice. Are you here, John? Yeah, I’m here. OK, John is here speaking into the wind right now.

08;04;45;13 – 08;04;43;12

Aaron

But how are you.

08;04;43;12 – 08;04;42;21

Aaron

Doing, by the way?

08;04;42;13 – 08;04;41;00

Jon

Doing good man. We had a good start.

08;04;40;23 – 08;04;28;22

Aaron

Yeah, we did. We just won the record this morning and it’s early, but we still wanted to get a little gym time in. And so it was like 30 minutes of very intense. Go, go, go go.

08;04;28;21 – 08;04;27;26

Aaron

Yeah, yeah.

08;04;27;18 – 08;04;25;26

Jon

I was picking up that glass of water.

08;04;25;19 – 08;04;23;24

Aaron

It’s it hurts good.

08;04;22;16 – 08;04;22;00

Aaron

I’m also.

08;04;22;00 – 08;04;21;18

Jon

In pain.

08;04;21;05 – 08;04;19;17

Aaron

So it is a little bit.

08;04;19;17 – 08;04;11;11

Aaron

Right at the end when when the lightest thing is, it doesn’t matter. It is still done. It absolutely spent. So it was a fun little jaunt.

08;04;10;11 – 08;04;09;19

Aaron

It was a good way to.

08;04;09;19 – 08;04;08;14

Jon

Get the blood going, for sure.

08;04;08;12 – 08;04;07;11

Aaron

Yeah, yeah.

08;04;07;09 – 08;04;03;08

Jon

I’m excited about our new recording studio set up also. So we’ll see how it goes.

08;04;03;06 – 08;04;00;02

Aaron

I do like this. This is a nice little environment, so.

08;03;59;29 – 08;03;52;25

Jon

We can’t see we we basically doubled our table space to accommodate additional guests, right? Yep. And cleaned up the wire nest.

08;03;52;18 – 08;03;41;23

Aaron

I do love seeing that. They can see it on the table. Like that to me is potential, like who’s going to be in the seat next year? I can’t wait to just talk to the next person. So, yeah, absolutely.

08;03;41;23 – 08;03;41;11

Aaron

So yeah.

08;03;41;05 – 08;03;40;12

Jon

How do you wanna do this?

08;03;40;11 – 08;03;26;24

Aaron

OK, so John, what I might do is if you got if you have it all teed up here, we’re just going to we’re just going to go ahead and I just want you to to speak it out and we’ll see how this how we want to talk through this.

08;03;26;24 – 08;03;26;16

Aaron

OK?

08;03;26;01 – 08;03;24;25

Aaron

OK, so it’s on.

08;03;24;21 – 08;03;18;00

Aaron

So I present to you, John Mayer’s journey on 100 day challenge, which became a new story.

08;03;17;12 – 08;03;01;11

Jon

All right. So yeah, without further ado, let’s just jump in and see outflows. So, all right, the winner, 55, was a grueling winner gantlet of daily five K runs in 10,000 pound lifts. It spanned through the bulk of the winter season, starting immediately after Christmas and pushing until late February.

08;03;00;18 – 08;02;38;26

Jon

It endured multiple storms, snowfalls and blizzards, not to mention the coldest days in Colorado history, all the way down to negative ten degrees Fahrenheit when actually came the challenge. I successfully finished these 55 days, resulting in over 255 kilometers run in, over £550,000 lifted and you and were there for a good chunk of this.

08;02;37;18 – 08;02;37;07

Aaron

The winner.

08;02;37;07 – 08;02;21;29

Jon

55, is part of a bigger picture, which is the 100 day challenge that created to push myself the goal in undertaking such an endeavor through the fickle Rocky Mountain, winter is as follows. one. To reap the benefits of 100 days of discipline consistency.

08;02;21;12 – 08;02;05;01

Jon

two. I want to grow stronger physically and mentally. three to untapped new levels of ability and to challenge myself to rethink what I’m capable of and for the primary tool was to complete a minimum of 15 K run a day and 10,000 plus pounds lifted.

08;02;03;10 – 08;01;47;15

Jon

This challenge is the culminating result of a couple of other challenges that we’ve done together and separately. Those challenges are 21 day challenges that have all been successfully completed. Each one upped the stakes to further push me to my limit and create a more capable man.

08;01;46;23 – 08;01;30;12

Jon

In the 30 or so days leading up to the 100 day challenge, I completed just as many five K runs. On day one of the 100 day challenge, I was experiencing pain in my heels and ankles, which I assumed was a natural part of my body, adapting to running again after a couple of years of little to

08;01;30;12 – 08;01;15;18

Jon

no running over one mile. I was wrong over the past 55 days. I’ve not taken a single step. There has not been in pain. Pain that I had learned is the result of severe tendonitis in both of my Achilles tendons.

08;01;14;29 – 08;01;11;07

Jon

The pain culminated around day 40 in a manner that almost caused me to quit.

08;01;10;00 – 08;01;09;16

Aaron

This.

08;01;08;04 – 08;00;52;21

Jon

I had grown desperate and was looking for a way any way up, out of the challenge, out of the grind and away from the pain. Upon waking, I could barely stand much less walk. They took a full hour to get to the point where I could walk swiftly or jog an hour spent in the dark before my

08;00;52;21 – 08;00;33;28

Jon

run. Willing the tendons to warm up and shut up. Thankfully, some of my closest friends offered support and encouragement, and based on their recommendations, I went to a running store where they analyzed foot strike, running form and other personal metrics to prescribe the ideal XI to help aid in the healing process.

08;00;33;07 – 08;00;14;15

Jon

They also urged me to stop the challenge to reassess, to go back to the lab. I refused. There’s too much quit in me and I knew it. Plus, I hated the idea of going back to the lab. Such a sterile and cold way to view the mindset shifts and adjustments I knew needed to be made, but was

08;00;14;15 – 08;00;00;10

Jon

unwilling to face. first, I knew I needed to kill the quit. I need to give the shoes a chance, adjust my pace, focus on low weight, high rep lifts to see if there’s any way to heal through the tendonitis and continue the challenge without significant adjustment.

09;59;58;24 – 09;59;43;17

Jon

Things appear to begin to improve, but my runs grew slower in my lifts, stopped producing strength as I worked to fortify my body, to recover through the injury and not risk snapping and tendon on day 53. I push myself barely faster than my recovery pace.

09;59;43;14 – 09;59;28;24

Jon

I lifted only to my mid-range working weight. I felt good. I hope that maybe I was on the mend. Day 54. I woke up and noticed how the pain had doubled, yet angrily did the same. We were actually together on day 54.

09;59;26;29 – 09;59;14;24

Jon

Day 55, I woke up once again and could barely stand. I slowly hobbled upstairs my body exhaustion beat, put on my clothes and hit the road. I knew that morning leading the house, it would be my last run.

09;59;14;04 – 09;58;59;21

Jon

I knew it would be the last day of 100 day challenge. As I had originally said it, I had to go at least ten days beyond the new shoes to see if things were recovering and I was worse than I was at any point before I barely finished the five K run, much less the lift that day

09;58;59;06 – 09;58;47;25

Jon

. It was at this moment the light switched on as I was limping my way along the road, rage filled my body in. Everything became clear. Long ago, I had learned to face my mortality, to face the ease with which I could die.

09;58;47;01 – 09;58;33;23

Jon

But I have never needed to face my own physical frailty a persistent weakness that could not be pushed through in one consistent go. My body simply would not heal in time for me to continue the climb. The tendons were simply not strong enough.

09;58;33;05 – 09;58;19;23

Jon

I could feel a sense that they were close to tearing to exploding and likely still are. I realized that this is an injury, not just fatigue, and I had to adjust or I’d be forced to adjust by a more severe injury that I cannot afford.

09;58;19;22 – 09;57;53;27

Aaron

OK, OK. So John, before you get to the end of that, we we talk about often no quit. You know, never quit. Never surrender, right? They’ll Churchill kind of like, go get em. Mm-Hmm. And this is you coming up against a quit scenario now you’re going to frame that differently than just quitting.

09;57;53;14 – 09;57;40;13

Aaron

Hmm. But. Someone is hearing this, and I would say there’s kind of two types of people, there’s one that kind of say, Oh good, I need the validation for quitting anyway. That’s kind of the I need an out.

09;57;40;13 – 09;57;25;27

Aaron

This is hard and we all have to face that at some point. I’m not going to be like, you are able to do it. And you can continue to do it, and then there’s this like there’s something actually where it’s you cannot there’s something stopping you from doing this.

09;57;25;27 – 09;57;12;17

Aaron

And then in this case, it was a physical limitation and you could say you could have just said no quit, no quit, no quit until something snaps. Is that wise? Is that the right thing to do? Mm hmm.

09;57;11;23 – 09;56;56;09

Aaron

And then secondly. What is it that you’re really trying to accomplish needs to be assessed, and this is I know you’re going to get into this at the end here, but you had a plan by which you were trying to accomplish your goal.

09;56;56;04 – 09;56;40;11

Aaron

Mm hmm. The plan is failing at this point. Correct. Right. The plan, we can no longer continue with this plan or you’re actually going to ultimately fail at achieving the target. Yeah. So now you you now have to.

09;56;40;10 – 09;56;29;27

Aaron

This is these are the hard questions, these the core questions we have to ask ourselves when we’re doing anything. Why am I really doing this? What target am I trying to hit a plan? A plan can change a plan.

09;56;29;16 – 09;56;10;10

Aaron

You can abandon a plan if it’s not working correctly. There’s, you know, we’ve all done construction projects or or work tasks, and there’s 100 ways to get that thing done. Not the first plan is likely, oftentimes not the correct one, and you have to adjust it to make the right plan.

09;56;09;29 – 09;55;54;10

Aaron

So you are now about to really be honest about what target I’m trying to achieve. And then also be OK with the plan not working and how to adjust the plan. Do you want to comment to that or you want to continue reading your choice?

09;55;54;01 – 09;55;41;19

Jon

A really short comment. Yeah. And then we can continue reading and then comment once it’s all out is the plan should not be worth more than the reward that it was set up to accomplish.

09;55;41;18 – 09;55;40;10

Aaron

That’s good, right? Yep.

09;55;40;07 – 09;55;26;19

Jon

In. I think that’s something I just had to come to grips with is right. These are tools to accomplish the original goal. They weren’t the goal itself. And they were the plan to achieve the goal. Just, you know, like a hammer to put a nail on a piece of wood.

09;55;26;02 – 09;55;22;15

Jon

And yet when I got a box of screws instead of nails, I needed to adjust my tool.

09;55;22;07 – 09;55;21;21

Aaron

Right, right.

09;55;21;14 – 09;55;05;19

Aaron

Well, and there are other well, yeah. And then there were other warnings, too. It was like, you know, the pain is one thing, but you know, you mentioned your your wife is like saying, Hey, John, you need to think about this and not that every friend around us is the right voice.

09;55;05;19 – 09;54;58;20

Aaron

But in this case, you know, if your wife’s like asking questions like that, you need to pause like any you get out of my own head for a minute.

09;54;58;00 – 09;54;51;12

Jon

If those closest to you are saying, I think you’re being dumb, I’m going to pick you up on the side of the road if you don’t stop.

09;54;51;11 – 09;54;46;29

Aaron

Yes, that’s not a good. I probably should think so.

09;54;46;15 – 09;54;40;27

Aaron

So it’s always like that. The reason for having more good friends is that you make less mistakes.

09;54;40;26 – 09;54;39;01

Aaron

Yeah, yeah.

09;54;38;16 – 09;54;35;14

Aaron

Either by watching theirs or them, by keeping you from your own.

09;54;35;13 – 09;54;34;25

Aaron

So, yeah.

09;54;34;06 – 09;54;18;15

Jon

And as you jump back in, I just think I had to get to the point where I knew inside that I wasn’t quitting prematurely write a plan. I needed to exhaust that before I was able to say, OK, let’s really just win the ultimate day, right?

09;54;16;24 – 09;54;16;09

Jon

Don’t jump back.

09;54;16;09 – 09;54;15;24

Aaron

In. Yeah, yeah.

09;54;15;23 – 09;54;14;29

Aaron

OK, let’s finish up.

09;54;14;06 – 09;54;09;29

Jon

So more injury that I a more severe injury that cannot afford.

09;54;09;16 – 09;54;09;04

Aaron

Um.

09;54;08;15 – 09;53;50;22

Jon

So our bodies are frail physical things. Our minds look for comfort and security, but are spirits here and saw something had changed over the last 15 days. The quit is gone. Snuffed out on the side of the road, crushed in the gym and extinguished by the flame that filled my chest and burned it out of my being

09;53;50;00 – 09;53;34;05

Jon

. Now I looked at myself with an almost out-of-body perspective and realized that journey to a fork in the road. I could choose to stay the course. Pushed through the pain without paying attention in everyday risk. A critical injury while also watching my strength fade away in spending my days in pain.

09;53;34;04 – 09;53;14;00

Jon

Born from the inflamed tendons or. I could face my frailty and overcome the obstacle presented to me. My goal in the 100 day challenge is to reap the benefits of disciplined consistency, to grow stronger, to unlock new levels of potential and capability, not to break myself stubbornly and foolishly.

09;53;13;12 – 09;53;13;04

Aaron

Here.

09;53;13;04 – 09;53;01;28

Jon

In the open country roads into my cold, iron laden gym. There are no medical professionals or instructors to give me an out. It is up to me to determine the right path ahead or to allow injury to force me off the path.

09;53;00;27 – 09;52;41;29

Jon

I refuse to leave the path, so back to the Forge, I’ve gone. An analogy I relate to so much more strongly than the sterile lab. When a sword is made, it is heated to a red hot glue, beaten into shape and plunged into icy water to give it strength through smoke, searing heat and 1000 hammer blows.

09;52;41;29 – 09;52;29;13

Jon

Something of value is created from the lump of iron or steel. The forge is my workspace, the place I go to shape myself in my future. It is here that I cleave off the worthless bits and burn out the imperfections.

09;52;29;05 – 09;52;20;07

Jon

It is the metaphorical forge that I have reassessed the material that I am working with in him, adjusting the design of the tool that I wish to create in my body and mind.

09;52;19;05 – 09;52;17;22

Aaron

So the first.

09;52;17;22 – 09;52;03;15

Jon

55 days now called the winter 55 are done by the. But the challenge is far from over. I will continue to shape myself into something of greater value day by day hammer formed by Hammer Fall. The challenge will continue with the majority of the original goal intact.

09;52;03;11 – 09;51;43;03

Jon

In the following adjustments made one to reap the benefit benefits of 100 days of discipline consistency to to grow stronger physically and mentally. three to untapped new levels of ability and challenge myself. four to learn to adapt and obliterate limitations when they reveal themselves at cost of achieving the ultimate goal.

09;51;42;16 – 09;51;37;08

Jon

five to complete at minimum £10,000 lifted in all necessary movements to heal my legs.

09;51;36;22 – 09;51;36;06

Aaron

six.

09;51;35;23 – 09;51;17;13

Jon

To conquer the mornings in either wake up at 4:30 a.m. daily or sleep for four hours and 30 minutes when I’m unable to bed down by midnight. The winner, 55, has taught me a lot. It has caused me to view a 20 degree Fahrenheit morning as pleasantly warm and to appreciate the beauty of the empty countryside as it

09;51;17;13 – 09;51;03;28

Jon

transitions from night to dawn. It has forced me to face my own frailty and taught me to outthink that which I cannot at. Will they quit is now far from me, and I feel alive every nerve on fire as I set my sights on the new path forward.

09;51;03;17 – 09;50;56;24

Jon

I’ve gone back to the Forge, created an improved tool for myself and in myself in this time to put it to the test.

09;50;56;09 – 09;50;35;15

Aaron

John, well done. Well well-spoken. You have not failed. You stopped a plan. That’s important to make that distinction. Right? I want to say Bravo, by the way. I mean, 55 days of consistency of a plan is pretty incredible.

09;50;35;09 – 09;50;21;24

Aaron

In fact, for a plan to last that long, it’s pretty. That’s pretty awesome there. The plan began family a little earlier than that, and you had to come to terms with that. You probably might have stopped a little early and just the plan, but you learn something in this right?

09;50;21;23 – 09;50;12;05

Aaron

Mm hmm. And then you made a new list. So you look, I’m not getting off the road. You know, I may have a sprained ankle, but you know, I’m just going to do crutches. I got to get to the goal.

09;50;11;26 – 09;49;54;02

Aaron

It’s that important to you, right, to get it done. So first. Awesome for that. But a couple nuggets. I just want to point out there, I like that you use that term, the forge. Right, so we talk about because that was a change moment for you.

09;49;54;02 – 09;49;39;00

Aaron

You had to you had to adjust your mind, but it wasn’t a easy like, you know, bending pewter, you know, kind of thing, right? You had to. It’s like, yeah, to bang it out of you. It was like, I like that analogy.

09;49;38;24 – 09;49;35;14

Aaron

Tell me when you think, Forge, what do you what do you mean by that?

09;49;34;21 – 09;49;20;01

Jon

Yeah. When I think forge, I think of it in like a very literal sense, right? There’s a lot of analogies, like going back to the drawing board, going back to I put the Forge just connects with me because it’s raw right in its.

09;49;18;20 – 09;49;01;05

Jon

You can create incredible things out of it, but if you’ve ever done any metal working, you are dripping sweat seared by the heat of that faudrait. Yeah, you were beating with a heavy hammer blow after blow the shape that you want and do something.

09;49;00;21 – 09;48;55;12

Jon

And, you know, strength in the metal in the cool off session at the end, if you’re.

09;48;54;09 – 09;48;54;03

Aaron

If.

09;48;54;03 – 09;48;49;06

Jon

You’re carrying it or you putting it back in the heat to continue beating it. All right. But it’s this very.

09;48;46;18 – 09;48;45;16

Aaron

Flight volved.

09;48;45;14 – 09;48;42;23

Aaron

And violent, almost kind of Brussels.

09;48;42;21 – 09;48;41;19

Jon

There’s a rawness to it.

09;48;41;19 – 09;48;41;04

Aaron

Right? Yeah.

09;48;41;00 – 09;48;32;26

Jon

You’re not fine tweaking something. No, you know, you aggressive. You may be making small minute adjustments, but it is.

09;48;32;26 – 09;48;32;11

Aaron

Not.

09;48;31;26 – 09;48;26;27

Jon

From a lack of passion or skill or willingness you. You’re still hitting it with the bloody hammer.

09;48;26;19 – 09;48;05;15

Aaron

You know? Absolutely. I mean, it’s it’s like, it’s like it’s it’s been written as iron shape sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another and like that that word picture for me is violent. Yeah, it’s like it’s two swords hitting each other.

09;48;04;27 – 09;47;59;05

Aaron

But but ultimately, the end result is sharp. It’s a sharp tool. It’s useful.

09;47;58;29 – 09;47;43;19

Jon

Well, if anyone’s ever sharpened a kitchen knife, they’ll notice the shavings of metal, right? Yeah, better on the counter when they’re done or the ground. When you’re working with metal, there is a violence, there’s a yeah, it’s not a calm, comforting thing, right?

09;47;43;14 – 09;47;39;28

Jon

No, it’s harsh adjustment to get it to the desired state.

09;47;39;20 – 09;47;30;27

Aaron

Well, and if it’s shrapnel on the ground, then it’s almost like something’s leaving you as well. Yeah, you’re not just reworking the materials. Some things need to go.

09;47;30;17 – 09;47;24;12

Jon

I think a lot needs to go in myself. I think there’s probably about 10% of something worth maintaining.

09;47;23;16 – 09;47;23;07

Aaron

Yeah.

09;47;22;09 – 09;47;19;03

Jon

And the other 90%, like my life goal is to burn that out.

09;47;18;23 – 09;47;17;20

Aaron

Uh-Huh. Cut it off.

09;47;17;18 – 09;47;15;27

Jon

That’s right. And bring out the 10%.

09;47;15;21 – 09;47;15;09

Aaron

Yeah.

09;47;14;29 – 09;47;04;18

Aaron

That’s cool. That’s cool. But you don’t really know until you get into the intensity and find out what the drive’s needs to be taken off the top, you know, as you talk about a refiners type mentality. But yeah.

09;47;04;16 – 09;47;01;26

Jon

Well, and that’s where it’s like these challenges have become so important.

09;47;01;24 – 09;47;01;15

Aaron

Yeah.

09;47;01;05 – 09;46;52;00

Jon

You know, you learn a lot about yourself when you’re consistently going up against something difficult without an out. Yep, and it’s self-inflicted. All the more.

09;46;51;04 – 09;46;33;23

Aaron

So. The first is the Forge. The second was ditched the plan, not the target. Yeah, I love that. So when you rework that at the end, that was you like at the target is is not going away, you know, and whatever is, whatever challenge it is, you have.

09;46;33;08 – 09;46;19;11

Aaron

It was if it was important when you started, why would it stop being important? It’s more the idea that how you’re going to get it done right and that that should be revisited often. If the plan is failing, then don’t don’t quit.

09;46;18;24 – 09;46;05;08

Aaron

The target doesn’t go away and we’ve talked about that. I think last time is that, you know, that that feeling of failure when you quit something is way worse than if you just stick to it and go to the jury of getting it done.

09;46;05;08 – 09;45;58;07

Aaron

But. But if you had the wrong plan, don’t. Don’t be miserable. And that figure out a new way to get it done.

09;45;57;18 – 09;45;57;10

Aaron

Yeah.

09;45;57;10 – 09;45;50;24

Jon

And I think there’s a big shift in from the day, like 40. Mark, where I was wanting it out.

09;45;50;24 – 09;45;50;18

Aaron

And.

09;45;50;06 – 09;45;39;08

Jon

At that point I knew I just wanted to stop like everything at climax to a point where it’s like, OK, I could take two weeks off, do barely anything and then start climbing again and healing.

09;45;39;08 – 09;45;39;05

Aaron

And.

09;45;38;19 – 09;45;31;00

Jon

That. That’s the path I wanted to take, and that’s what I refused. Like, I knew I couldn’t yet because I wasn’t looking to refine the plan, I was looking to stop.

09;45;30;24 – 09;45;30;16

Aaron

Mm hmm.

09;45;30;12 – 09;45;09;20

Jon

I was looking to genuinely quit. Mm hmm. Right. And that was the biggest shift when. You know, this last week I readjusted the plan, the shift was all right. I’m not quitting anything, I have to stop the run because there’s a difference from pushing through fatigue and pain.

09;45;09;09 – 09;45;00;21

Jon

There’s a significant difference between pushing do that and pushing into an injury and causing a potential lifelong injury or the need for surgery or something more significant.

09;45;00;19 – 09;45;00;06

Aaron

Yeah.

09;45;00;06 – 09;44;48;02

Jon

And what a loss, right? What would I have learned if I had snapped a tendon ten days from now because I didn’t ingest? Yeah, the lesson the conversation would be, I should have addressed it. That’s so good. And then there would be nothing.

09;44;48;02 – 09;44;35;18

Jon

100 day challenge would fail. Get right? That’s right. But in adjusting it, it it. And that was the coolest thing because I pushed past the excuses of, Oh, I should probably stop. I confirmed, No, I need to addressed it.

09;44;35;10 – 09;44;18;07

Jon

And there wasn’t a fiber of my being that was like in this adjustment, I’m going to take a day off. Mm hmm. That was the shift for me, right? As like when I created this, the tool to see what would happen in 100 days was these two exercises, right?

09;44;18;02 – 09;44;05;15

Jon

Mm hmm. And that’s what I care about. I want to see what the value of 100 days of consistency in, you know, more minimal physical ways. What that will produce in the rest of my life. And like, it’s fun to look.

09;44;04;16 – 09;43;54;23

Jon

We started the podcast during this challenge as an example, you know, and it’s one of many things, so it’s it’s definitely worth not walking away from.

09;43;54;15 – 09;43;40;11

Aaron

Absolutely. John, you know, as we were visiting it, as you know, as you’re getting into pain to where like you’re apologizing for, I can’t you can’t go as fast, you can dig, you can push like you want to like it was there.

09;43;40;11 – 09;43;28;19

Aaron

It was all in you mentally, but your body was like, Nope, it’s not going to happen. And I remember just telling you, it’s like, John, that’s not why we’re doing this. Like you told me why we’re doing it.

09;43;28;10 – 09;43;13;29

Aaron

You know, if you had told me, Aaron, I have to get a certain time every time, that’s fine. We’ll push it unless there’s an injury. We to talk about that. But but but when you say I’m just trying to be consistent, like, well, good, then we showed up mission accomplished.

09;43;13;17 – 09;43;08;04

Aaron

You know, we did it. So why? Why feel bad about that? You did it.

09;43;06;24 – 09;42;55;05

Jon

Yeah, that’s something I had to really get a hold of to, and I realize pride. It’s in like start to seep in there, man. It had started to sneak in and and that was one of the things I had to be like, Well, pride rhymes with foolishness.

09;42;53;29 – 09;42;53;23

Aaron

And.

09;42;53;11 – 09;42;38;28

Jon

And that is being evident that we can’t afford to quit this, right? Yeah. And I realized I started to like the sexiness of, you know, 500 kilometers around, and I started to like the sexiness of £1,000,000 lifted, which will still be accomplished by hand.

09;42;38;06 – 09;42;19;25

Jon

And I realized, like, there’s this, this older part of myself from from my past where I started to mix with the original intent and goal was with this kind of machismo aspect of I’m in a situation I can’t afford to adjust.

09;42;19;23 – 09;42;19;16

Aaron

Yep.

09;42;19;04 – 09;42;02;02

Jon

And that combined with the I don’t want to deal with the ramifications of adjustment. Oh yeah. And you know, facing those head on made me realize, Well, no one’s out is out here with me every day. This is the goal from the onset was for the consistency, not the run.

09;42;01;25 – 09;41;59;02

Jon

Yeah, right. Not for the lift. Those are just the tools.

09;41;59;02 – 09;41;47;29

Aaron

And you didn’t need the brag. Yeah, the brag was an important the brand that’s in the wind. You said few people are maybe impressed by you, but by the mental is what you’re really going for.

09;41;47;29 – 09;41;36;20

Jon

Yeah. And I had to remind myself of that. Yeah, I really did. Because you just get to this rhythm and you start getting, you know, you start thinking about yourself a certain way and it’s like, Well, I’m not invincible.

09;41;36;03 – 09;41;23;17

Jon

I knew that on a like a life and death thing, I didn’t realize, you know, it had a sink in and a new level on a more injury. Physical limitation while living. It’s harder to be alive, right? Yeah.

09;41;23;09 – 09;41;07;06

Jon

And continue forward. So, you know, facing all that, it just it was a good adjustment of, well, I need a the pride. I need a look at this at its original intent. I need make the healthy adjustment and I need to make sure it’s dang hard for myself still.

09;41;06;29 – 09;40;49;29

Aaron

Absolutely right. Yeah, I’m glad you stopped it. You adjusted it and realized it’s more about the consistency than just being super potent about something, you know? Mm hmm. I I I heard Buddy. Here’s some dating advice for you or our marriage advice.

09;40;48;23 – 09;40;31;15

Aaron

My I was at a conference in the in. The speaker said, OK, ladies, what would you rather have? Would you rather have a dozen roses? Once a month or a rose every day for twelve days, and all of them said the rose every day, right?

09;40;31;08 – 09;40;09;02

Aaron

It was for them it was about. It’s about every day he’s showing up, not just being great for a minute, like a bottle rocket, you know, and and that’s that those pauses when we when we have to readjust the plan is saying, Look, who do I want to be every day, not just right now, because you don’t

09;40;09;02 – 09;40;03;17

Aaron

want your story to be like, I used to be something great. And now you’re done.

09;40;03;05 – 09;40;02;23

Aaron

Yeah.

09;40;02;09 – 09;39;48;28

Jon

And it reminds me of a quote I’m struggling to remember the source of. I can’t remember if it was a leader from the world or tea period or someone from more like stoic thought, you know, from back in the day.

09;39;48;28 – 09;39;39;00

Jon

But essentially, it’s excellence is a disciplined habit or discipline. Consistency? Right? Excellence is 1000 actions. Not one.

09;39;38;22 – 09;39;38;10

Aaron

Yeah.

09;39;37;19 – 09;39;36;14

Aaron

Yeah, that’s good.

09;39;36;09 – 09;39;20;08

Jon

Yeah. And into your points like the roses or the daily thing, it’s. I’m thinking about this thing of value in investing in it consistently over time. Right, if if I take 10,000 gallons of water and have a young tree and I dump all 10,000 gallons.

09;39;20;08 – 09;39;19;22

Aaron

On it, yeah.

09;39;19;13 – 09;39;18;15

Jon

I’ll probably kill the tree.

09;39;18;12 – 09;39;17;10

Aaron

Right, right, right.

09;39;16;19 – 09;39;15;03

Jon

Especially if it’s an animal right.

09;39;14;20 – 09;39;14;01

Aaron

It will drown.

09;39;13;08 – 09;39;01;23

Jon

But if I save that 10,000 and give it what it needs daily for 10,000 days, I’ll have a large oak or whatever it, whatever the thing is, will grow and prosper. Yes, you know, and there’s something to that.

09;39;01;09 – 09;38;46;19

Aaron

And you get to keep that once it once it transforms you. That’s you every day. Yeah. And that that’s the journey, really. You’re like, I’m trying to change my mindset about how I look at everything. I want to be very intégrés about what I do.

09;38;46;19 – 09;38;36;06

Aaron

I don’t want to be like this one person on Monday and a different person on Friday, like every day that I want to think the same way I do the right things. And and then and then you can adjust daily habits.

09;38;36;06 – 09;38;22;20

Aaron

That way it’s it’s like, well, maybe the daily thing I’m doing is not good, but but if it’s an honorable thing, you know, and it serves those around you and you could just cement that b by being consistent, what a gift you keep that the rest of your life.

09;38;21;13 – 09;38;05;26

Jon

Absolutely, and looking at this, it’s been really interesting because today’s day 59, so it’s been four days since the adjustments been made and I’m still sore. You know, we’re still getting after it. I’m force functioning more time in the morning.

09;38;05;26 – 09;37;50;12

Jon

So like on those levels, it’s really good. But I shared this the article that we were the journal injury, whatever, with just a like three people just sanity check. Like, Is this something that should even be shared in any context ever or should I light it on fire?

09;37;50;09 – 09;37;49;28

Aaron

Right?

09;37;48;08 – 09;37;38;24

Jon

And every one of them, in their own words, said, What’s really cool is the fact that you’re doing this consistently, like every day you’re showing up.

09;37;38;22 – 09;37;38;11

Aaron

Mm hmm.

09;37;37;16 – 09;37;28;00

Jon

That’s that’s the thing that at least for those who are real close to me that read this or like, that’s where the value is, right? And you just said that to you, it’s none of the rest of it matters.

09;37;28;00 – 09;37;13;08

Jon

It’s what’s going to happen from the daily hammering, from the daily steps layer by layer. Right? And one thing I do just want to give a little shout out on because it absolutely blew me away and I’m excited to see how it goes.

09;37;13;04 – 09;37;12;23

Jon

Right?

09;37;12;10 – 09;36;58;13

Aaron

Are you going to say what I think you say the little brag about? Yeah. OK. Before you say that this is so cool, how redemptive was this? So you’re in your humility, John. Something was reborn or awakened. Mm hmm.

09;36;58;10 – 09;36;47;18

Aaron

Because you just told me that this of this is so cool. I can’t wait for you guys to hear this, but that you had to. You had to come to the end of yourself and be honest about it.

09;36;47;12 – 09;36;31;06

Aaron

Like, you didn’t internalize that you actually said to people who are closest to. Here’s where I’m at. And I’m so mad. This is difficult. You know, all the things that you go through, kind of thing. And then and then someone very special picked up on that and responded, Yeah.

09;36;30;20 – 09;36;17;01

Jon

And one of the people I wrote it to was my wife. And you know, this decision was emotional one for me because I tied a lot into it, right? And I still do. Yeah, this is formative. I know that if I stop, that will form me, right?

09;36;17;00 – 09;36;11;03

Jon

So it’s been a deep investment in emotionally taxing and a for human experience.

09;36;11;02 – 09;36;10;08

Aaron

Right? Yeah.

09;36;09;28 – 09;35;58;18

Jon

So the first person I shared it with was actually my wife, Lindsey, and I wrote it to her and I didn’t know I was facing my screen and it was against the war and she was behind me. So I didn’t look at her, but I didn’t realize it.

09;35;57;13 – 09;35;47;07

Jon

Affected her as well. And I was embarrassed reading it, so I didn’t want to look behind and see what she was like. Look at me like I’m crazy or something, but you know, we talked about it. I read it.

09;35;47;07 – 09;35;44;06

Jon

I said, Yeah, so what do you think? She did get scared and she walked out of the room.

09;35;44;06 – 09;35;43;19

Aaron

Is like, Okay.

09;35;42;23 – 09;35;37;22

Aaron

Not knowing what’s going on in her head and she’s an intern. Is she more of an internal processor or.

09;35;37;13 – 09;35;24;07

Jon

We’re going to see? I am a verbal deal. Yeah. Let’s mash this out, right? I can say something to her. I won’t know until she’s ready. It could be months. It could be hours, could be months if it was a positive or negative experience.

09;35;23;26 – 09;35;18;25

Aaron

And that is a whole separate side of it. So she she walks out. I’m like, huh?

09;35;18;16 – 09;35;01;18

Jon

Well, she said it was good, I’ve learned, and he just trust what she says she’ll tell me if she doesn’t like it, right? About 40 minutes later, I get a picture and text from her and she has an Apple Watch, and it says 3.82 miles ran in the time and in the text, it says, picking up what

09;35;01;18 – 09;34;53;21

Jon

you were unable to finish. This will not go unfinished. Wow. Right? Wow. We will finish this together.

09;34;53;21 – 09;34;51;21

Aaron

What did that? Did you see in that?

09;34;50;00 – 09;34;46;06

Jon

I mean, on the same thing it does when I say it, right, like it really hit.

09;34;46;06 – 09;34;42;16

Aaron

Me when I was like, How cool? And.

09;34;41;12 – 09;34;38;27

Aaron

The Viking broke down. You know.

09;34;38;15 – 09;34;37;26

Jon

I broke.

09;34;37;22 – 09;34;36;29

Aaron

Oh, wow.

09;34;36;29 – 09;34;31;04

Jon

And my my bride, right, who is a warrior of herself.

09;34;31;04 – 09;34;30;27

Aaron

Yet.

09;34;30;07 – 09;34;19;14

Jon

Was like, Well, that is what marriage is. Yes, you know, it’s not just on you. And were you failed here or you couldn’t continue this one aspect?

09;34;19;04 – 09;34;18;18

Aaron

Yeah, it’s.

09;34;18;18 – 09;33;59;25

Jon

Not going to go in finished. And wow, I think that’s such a fun segue way to a conversation on the value of marriage. Yes, right? Because that the person closest to me right the her and I are each other’s completion without request, without any understanding.

09;33;59;25 – 09;33;46;19

Jon

I thought she thought I was crazy and reading it. I knew she was mad at me for continue to push through the injury because she saw the state I was in when I’d get up and stuff. Yeah, now she’s like, This is not going on finished and we’re in this together.

09;33;46;19 – 09;33;46;01

Jon

I was like, Whoa.

09;33;45;21 – 09;33;30;14

Aaron

You and John like, How dare we think that we’re on the journey alone when we’ve when we have shared this, these stories with those closest to us, especially our wives? You know, I’ve forgotten that my my wife is my biggest cheerleader.

09;33;30;01 – 09;33;24;21

Aaron

And when I forget that she’s also in pain when I’m in pain.

09;33;24;17 – 09;33;24;06

Aaron

Mm-Hmm.

09;33;23;00 – 09;33;09;21

Aaron

I need we need to open our eyes to that. Like we’re thinking, we’re all alone in this thing, which is a gigantic lie. When you have people that love you, they’re there on it with you. They’re on the run and she’s literally on the run with you.

09;33;09;20 – 09;33;04;27

Aaron

She’s she’s like, Hey, let me, let me help you. I want to support you in this one.

09;33;04;25 – 09;32;46;05

Jon

It’s interesting, too, because I realized and unwittingly I was being selfish, right? What I’ve been doing has been affecting her. You know, we’ve sacrificed our mornings together for these charges and these other things, and she’s watched me, Winston, be in pain and the highs and the lows of every seeing this.

09;32;46;05 – 09;32;28;11

Jon

And I don’t know how it’s affecting her because I, you know, my focus has been elsewhere. So when she did that, I don’t know how to reconcile this yet, but I want to understand better, you know, her thought process and interactions with this and what it’s meant to her and.

09;32;27;04 – 09;32;11;22

Jon

Why in the heck, she decided I’m going to pick up this torch and keep keep the running going. And I look forward in the future to having that conversation, having her potentially with us. And, you know, look at this in retrospect when the whole hundred days is done, I think would be really cool.

09;32;11;17 – 09;31;54;12

Aaron

Absolutely. Man, what a cool story that is. I think that was so redemptive and all this not. I mean, certainly you’re getting you’re working on your own internal, but externally is affecting you. And it’s amazing. I think we needed one of the challenges we need to be thinking about this.

09;31;54;11 – 09;31;41;26

Aaron

Remember when you quit on something or when you continue to do something, it will affect people around. You don’t don’t believe the lie that you know, if I quit, this is only me. If you had people around you, it it’s absolutely affecting them.

09;31;41;25 – 09;31;27;27

Aaron

If they if they really care about you, you know, don’t don’t be arrogant, internal jerk, you know, just understand that. Be compassionate about those around you. And they they really do want you to understand how much they care about you.

09;31;27;17 – 09;31;19;16

Jon

Well, and I think there’s something pulling a little bit more there. And one of our previous conversations, we talked about how we are the products of consistency. Period.

09;31;19;02 – 09;31;15;10

Aaron

Whether that’s good or bad doesn’t matter. You know, if.

09;31;15;00 – 09;31;11;21

Jon

You know we eat £5 of Twinkies every day, we will.

09;31;11;12 – 09;31;09;10

Aaron

Look like a guy who eats £5 of Twinkies together.

09;31;09;10 – 09;31;06;16

Aaron

Right? We will be a product of that consistency, right?

09;31;06;09 – 09;31;00;08

Jon

And if we do something different, whatever we do consistently, we will become a product of our. You know, it’s kind of like, you are what you eat.

09;30;59;26 – 09;30;59;04

Aaron

Yeah. Things like that.

09;30;59;04 – 09;30;58;03

Aaron

Garbage in, garbage out.

09;30;57;24 – 09;30;56;07

Aaron

Yeah, we will do that.

09;30;56;07 – 09;30;44;02

Jon

But what you’re touching on? Is not only are we a product of consistency, but we are going to lift up or pull down those close to us by.

09;30;43;21 – 09;30;42;24

Aaron

What we are?

09;30;42;17 – 09;30;33;15

Jon

Yes. So if I’m going to consistently do something and not quit, that’s going to inspire and be an example to my wife, my sons.

09;30;33;00 – 09;30;32;11

Aaron

My friends.

09;30;31;22 – 09;30;09;18

Jon

And myself. Right, obviously. But the important thing is, wow, I should probably be a little bit less self-centered and selfish. And look at this as to how is it affecting other people? If it’s setting an example for my children to become men of character who look at challenge in adversity, difficulty in things that aren’t good and say

09;30;09;09 – 09;29;55;13

Jon

, yeah, another day let’s push through, then that’s a good thing. Yeah. You know, if it’s not doing that, then I need to readjust it. And that was one of the things that was also a turning key for me is if one of my sons was doing this challenge, right?

09;29;55;02 – 09;29;38;00

Jon

Because like my my oldest seven years older in his first five count these days and my youngest, a four year old, did his first mile plus. So they’re definitely watching and observing. And if they’re in the position I was in, I would be very firmly telling them to readjust and attack, and I said, Well, I need to

09;29;38;00 – 09;29;35;10

Jon

look at this from other perspectives and step out of that also.

09;29;35;09 – 09;29;21;09

Aaron

That’s Jordan Peterson’s twelve rules for life. He says that treat yourself like someone else you’re taking care of. Yeah. So you kind of get out of your own head for a second. It’s like, what if you’re watching someone and how would you want to care for them, support them?

09;29;19;25 – 09;29;08;28

Aaron

And I and I believe if your son said he wanted to do something, you wouldn’t let him quit. But the plan was killing him. You’d be like, OK, let’s let’s figure out a new way to get this done.

09;29;08;23 – 09;29;07;03

Jon

Well, we even see it in the gym, you and me.

09;29;07;02 – 09;29;05;28

Aaron

Right? Yeah. You know, like.

09;29;05;28 – 09;29;03;08

Jon

You’re if you have an injury, you’re nursing. I’m not saying.

09;29;02;15 – 09;29;01;26

Aaron

Push through it.

09;29;01;13 – 09;28;59;07

Jon

But 100 more pounds on a break yourself. You don’t.

09;28;59;07 – 09;28;55;00

Aaron

Quit. Don’t quit. Yeah. Oh, like I’m saying, Well, Aaron.

09;28;55;00 – 09;28;53;10

Jon

Let’s smoke.

09;28;53;10 – 09;28;51;14

Aaron

Ourselves. Yeah, let’s get growth.

09;28;51;01 – 09;28;41;14

Jon

But not at the cost of further injuring that. Yeah, we need a drop weight increase. Reps change the movement entirely. That’s what we’re going to do. And I was foolishly not taking my own advice.

09;28;41;05 – 09;28;22;23

Aaron

Yeah, yeah. Well, good. Well, and that’s that’s the importance of friendship around us. Yeah. And yeah, so thanks for sharing that, John. I think that’s just one of those like, hey, if if you feel like you’re beating yourself up over having to to quit a plan, I just encourage you.

09;28;22;23 – 09;28;08;08

Aaron

Did you quit this? Did you quit the target? And if not, if you if you’re staying the course with the target, Bravo. We applaud what you’re doing. Absolutely. And there is no mocking of someone who has to adjust course.

09;28;07;12 – 09;27;52;24

Aaron

That’s those type of people. Get them out of your life. If they’re making fun of you for trying to do accomplish something and you had to change course the friends you should keep around. You say, Hey, I don’t want you to kill yourself.

09;27;52;24 – 09;27;45;11

Aaron

But at the same time, I understand this is important to you. How can I partner with you to continue to help you run in the metaphorical? Yes.

09;27;45;03 – 09;27;41;06

Jon

It’s I don’t want you to break yourself, but I’m not trying to make this easier for you.

09;27;41;05 – 09;27;40;29

Aaron

Yeah.

09;27;40;19 – 09;27;24;22

Jon

How how do we successfully finish this up, right? And I know the two things I took away and I hope kind of show forth right or like show through, you know, to those who get engage in this conversation with us is.

09;27;23;06 – 09;27;09;08

Jon

If you’re on something. And you’re afraid that you’re about to feel that that you’ve already started right? Because it’s not working. Maybe it’s an encouragement to not lose that goal. Yeah, right. And to be able to readjust the tactics to accomplish it.

09;27;08;20 – 09;26;56;02

Jon

And also, I think that especially right now, a lot of people are bound in fear to start, right? Yes. Like a lot of frozen ness of action and.

09;26;55;22 – 09;26;55;07

Aaron

Thought.

09;26;54;19 – 09;26;42;19

Jon

With the isolation, everything else that’s going on. Mm-Hmm. And I hope it’s an encouragement to say, well, if the plan to get there doesn’t work, I can adjust that and keep going. And maybe that reduces the fear to start also.

09;26;42;16 – 09;26;22;23

Aaron

Yeah, that’s so good. That’s as good, John. I think that was encouragement for everybody today. So. Guys, guys, gals, if you’ve heard this story, we would really like to you to encourage everybody else in the community by maybe commenting on something that you some target that you actually were trying to accomplish.

09;26;22;23 – 09;26;04;28

Aaron

Maybe you’re currently doing and you had to change course. So by putting that comment in there and us reading that, I think all of us can be encouraged by, Oh yeah, oh yeah, oh yeah, because it is a very common thing for all of us to to want to achieve something but feel like there’s a lot of

09;26;04;28 – 09;25;49;24

Aaron

failure along the way. But be encouraged today where we are and we are with you. We are, we are running with you. And we’re just we’re just hoping that you are also encouraged today by our podcast. John, any closing remarks?

09;25;49;06 – 09;25;47;24

Jon

Yeah, let’s keep getting after it, man.

09;25;47;16 – 09;25;46;23

Aaron

Absolutely. Thanks.

09;25;46;23 – 09;25;46;09

Jon

Thanks, everyone.