The Transition Curve can be so applicable to so many different situations in our lives. When we try something new, we are bound to face challenges along the way. But so often, we throw in the towel way too early, before the going actually gets good.

The steps to successfully making a LASTING positive change are actually quite predictable.

Uninformed Optimism

1.First, we set out to embark on something new, and we are excited about it! We have no idea what it will be like, but it’s going to be great! In our case, perhaps we saw Krista on instagram posting all sorts of fun recipes while rocking her summer shorts and tank top. Or perhaps we have a friend who, “has had great success with macro tracking” and is looking lean! We can’t wait to embark on the journey! So we sign up and we are READY. This is uninformed optimism.

Informed Pessimism

2. But we quickly learn that there is real work to be done, and we will have to consciously change our habits. Playing macro Tetris every single night is so frustrating! OR, maybe playing macro tetris isn’t hard, but weighing everything sure feels daunting. Maybe we feel frustrated when we quickly figure out that we can’t go to restaurants as sporadically and we can’t order whatever we want purely on the basis of it sounding really good. Maybe the idea of giving up alcohol feels like a battle we just can’t win. We are now in the phase of informed pessimism. We have learned that in order to be healthier and more fit than most, we have to put forth more effort than most. The glitter isn’t gold anymore, and we have figured out that there’s a reason everyone doesn’t magically take up macro tracking. The results are clear, but it’s not thoughtless or simple! Suddenly, our motivation is gone, our fire has died and we don’t think we have what it takes to have success like others have seen. 

Crisis of Meaning

3. We now move into the pivotal moment in our journey, which is the dreaded crisis of meaning. This is the “make or break” moment where we will either overcome our obstacles and find practical solutions to adversity, or we will let our obstacles be the reasoning for throwing in the towel. For example, we could say, “I’m not macro tracking anymore because I can’t go out to eat and have drinks without feeling guilty for it!” OR, we could say, “You know what? I’m going to make this work in my life. I’m going to go out to eat by doing research on the restaurant ahead of time, viewing the menu and guesstimating an option that works well with my macros. It won’t be perfect, but I know perfection isn’t necessary. I only need to be consistent and put my best foot forward.” Maybe we can’t have multiple untracked cocktails, but we can certainly have one that we have worked into our macro budget. We could also say, “Forget this, I’m not seeing any changes in my photos or on the scale! Why put forth all of this effort?” OR, we could say, “What I have done hasn’t worked in the past, so I’m going to place trust in my coach and prioritize honest macro integrity. I’m okay with delayed gratification because I know it will be SO worth it.” That moment is the defining moment. That moment is the difference between a beautiful lifelong health journey and both a physical and mental transformation, or another checkmark on a list of failed attempts when the going got tough. This is when we face two optional roads. We can either move on to: 4. Crashing and Burning, or 5. Informed Optimism. 

Informed Optimism

Let’s skip ahead to Informed Optimism. That moment where we have chosen to break down the walls of what we think we are capable of (because we ARE capable of hard things!). We realize that our clothes are fitting differently, and people are complimenting us on how “good” we are looking lately. We sleep well at night, we are enjoying more movement and sunshine than ever, we are feeling so satisfied and balanced in the realm of nutrition, AND we are fitting into clothes we couldn’t wear in the past. Maybe we are even sitting down as a family again at night to enjoy dinner together AND, everyone is eating the same thing! We are also seeing a downward trend on the scale – finally! This is when we begin to experience the fruits of our labor. The most transformative changes we make are the most uncomfortable. But uncomfortability is what pushes us to be better versions of ourselves. That’s where growth happens. Let’s learn to accept and embrace what is hard and uncomfortable, rather than using our obstacles as a reason to end the journey. When we commit to overcoming any obstacle that stands in our way, we can become excited for what it will feel like to reach our goals.