Tag: mindset

Stop Waiting. Start Showing Up.

December 9, 2025 / / 1 Comment

From the series: “What I Learned Between Reps (And Why You Probably Need It Too)”

If you’ve ever struggled to put those feet on the floor early in the morning, you know what I’m about to say. If you made that New Year’s resolution only to walk away from it by mid February, then you’ve felt this same thing.

Motivation is a liar.

It shows up when it wants, leaves when it wants, and it never texts you back.

Routine? Routine is a completely different animal. It’s not sexy, it’s not inspirational, and it doesn’t care how you feel at 5 a.m. But routine is the quiet beast that actually builds your life.

I forgot that until I walked into Fit One Four, the new gym I joined this week.

It’s small. Raw. No hiding behind crowds. No room for ego. Just you, the weights, and the truth. And if you haven’t stepped into a new gym in a while, let me tell you… that first day feels like dropping into a cold lake. Shocking. Energizing. Exposing. But man it wakes you up.

And here’s the first lesson I relearned between reps:

Show up before you feel ready. Always.

Your body won’t change if you keep waiting for a perfect moment.
Your mind won’t reset if you keep negotiating with yourself.
Your life won’t level up if you keep telling the same old story about “someday.”

The weights don’t care about your excuses.
They don’t care about your past.
They don’t care about your comfort.

But they will respond to your consistency.

And that’s the point not just in fitness, but everywhere.
Want more clarity? Show up.
Want deeper relationships? Show up.
Want to grow as a leader? Show up.
Want to stop feeling stuck? Show up.

Not tomorrow. Not next Monday. Not when the stars align.

Now. Today. Before you feel ready.

Every rep in that gym is a reminder that the smallest act of discipline beats the biggest burst of inspiration. Because inspiration fades fast. But discipline compounds.

And here’s the wild part. They talk about gains at the gym, but the real gains start long before anything shows up on your body. They start in your resolve. Your grit. Your willingness to be uncomfortable again and again.

You don’t need a whole new plan.
You don’t need a new mindset podcast.
You just need to walk through the door and do the work.

That’s it.

So if you’re reading this and waiting for a sign to get moving. This is your sign.

Don’t wait for motivation.

Be the person who shows up anyway.

That’s the power of the first rep.
That’s the start of strength.
And that’s only Week 1.

Mindset

May 17, 2023 / / 0 Comments

There has been a lot of ink spilled in books and articles on the idea of changing your mindset. Some call it self help. Others call it mind over matter. Some think it’s the best advice ever while others think it’s all a bunch of hocus pocus superstition. But if you really take time to think about it, what you think about and how you think about it affects how you approach something.

There’s a quote attributed to Henry Ford that says whether you believe you can or you can’t, either way you’re right.

The idea here is that of a self promoting or defeating mindset. Yeah I know, sounds kind of wizardish at first. It sounds like saying if we think about something one way then it’s sure to happen that way? Kind of but not really.

Think about the last time you didn’t feel well. There are two ways to react when you’re not feeling 100%. No I’m not talking about death bed feeling bad. I’m referring to the crummy, I have a cold and don’t want to do anything kind of feeling. If you’ve ever had one of those feverish, tired, achy kind of moments, did you realize that the more you just laid around and thought about feeling crummy the worse you actually felt? Then when you had something to distract you and take your mind off of the crummy feeling, you almost felt normal for a moment? Yep that’s what Ford was getting at I think.

There is a really powerful thing that happens in our brain. When we don’t think we can do something and when that’s the focus of our attention, then we pretty much set ourselves up for failure.

I love to workout. I like to throw heavy weight around. So I’m not a big dude by any stretch and I’m not a powerlifter or anything like that. But once upon a time I maxed out my benchpress at 350lbs. And I remember the first time I tried it. I got all settled and grabbed the barbell then told myself there is no way you’re going to lift this. It is way too heavy. You weigh less than half this amount.

Guess what…I didn’t lift it. It was too heavy. The moral here is that we can convince ourselves that something is impossible or too much or too hard or whatever the case may be.

So what’s holding you back? What are you wanting to do that you just can’t accomplish? What is it that you have been dreading? If we follow the mindset shift analogy, then we can approach things a bit differently and actually make a real effort to get the job done. Be honest with yourself but don’t sell yourself short. Change your mindset and watch as the possibilities open up!

© 2026 derrickhurst.org

Theme by Anders Noren — Up ↑