Flexibility: The key to finishing the year strong
As the year wraps up, it’s normal to take a step back and ask yourself: What went well? Where did I fall short? Did my health, habits, relationships, or career actually move forward, or stay the same? Maybe you hit some milestones, maybe not.
But the truth is, most goals don’t fail because we lack discipline or motivation—they stumble because life happens. Nobody really taught us how to roll with it, stay flexible, and keep going. Growth isn’t about perfection; it’s about adapting, bouncing back, and moving forward.
How flexibility changed the way I’ve gotten results through the years
I’ve learned that achieving results isn’t about having the perfect plan—it’s about staying consistent even when life throws you off. Weather changes, cancellations happen, and then, there are the mood swings, illnesses, stress, cravings, or simply waking up feeling off. That can derail anyone.
The intention to do well is there, but our ability to adapt predicts the results we get in health, fitness, and life. Life is never perfect, and learning how to navigate it is what makes success possible.
For most of my life, I had an “all-or-nothing” mindset and found it hard to adjust when things didn’t go as planned. But over time, through experience and life lessons, I learned to train myself to be flexible. Flexibility didn’t happen overnight. It took practice, self-awareness, intentional effort, and a lot of repetitions—trying again and again until it started to stick.
Through the years, I’ve realized that flexibility becomes actionable and sustainable when built on three core skills: self-awareness to understand your habits and limits, the courage to let go of what no longer serves you, and positivity to maintain self-belief and a growth mindset—even in the face of challenges.
That said, this year-end moment is the perfect opportunity to finish strong and step into the new year with momentum.
Self-awareness: The first step to flexibility
Most people don’t give up because they’re weak—they give up because their plans can’t adapt to real life. One missed workout or “off” day feels like failure, so they stop entirely. One of the most powerful ways to build this kind of flexibility is through self-awareness.
By understanding your habits, triggers, energy levels, and thought patterns, you gain the insight needed to adapt without guilt or frustration.
• Journal your way to flexibility: Journaling isn’t just about goals; it helps process challenges and stay consistent in wellness, work, relationships, and life.
• Develop principles, not rules: Flexibility means letting go of rigid rules, adjusting your approach while staying true to your purpose, bouncing back after setbacks, and seeing mistakes as feedback instead of failure. Strict rules, like “I need to eat perfectly the whole day” or “I can’t miss an exercise session,” often create pressure, guilt, and burnout, but setting guiding principles can keep you consistent without demanding perfection.
Having the discipline to let go
Flexibility in life becomes easier when you release habits, expectations, and pressures that drain you. Often, people don’t fail because they lack motivation—they fail because they’re holding on to routines, roles, or mindsets that no longer fit who they’re becoming.
Letting go creates the space needed for routines and choices that actually support lasting results.
• Simplify to protect your energy: Remove what no longer serves you. Doing everything may feel productive, but it often leads to burnout. Letting go creates space for what truly matters: your health, fitness, and growth. This applies even to everyday choices: choose foods that fuel your body and satisfy you instead of forcing “perfect” meals, adjust workouts to match your current strength and lifestyle, and let go of long work hours or commitments that drain you—focusing only on what truly aligns with your goals and life stage.
• Be with people who matter most: At any age, you can change your path—you can leave limiting environments and choose healthier relationships. Not everyone deserves your effort. You can’t please everyone, and you don’t need to carry every responsibility. Sometimes the most disciplined move is to step back and choose quality over quantity.
Positive attitude: Self-belief and outgrowing your old self
You can follow the best workout plan and eat the cleanest diet, but without believing in yourself, consistency won’t just happen. Having a positive attitude doesn’t mean pretending everything is perfect—it means trusting that you can handle challenges, keep improving, and see setbacks as lessons, not as a reflection of who you are.
The only person you should be competing with is who you were yesterday, so keep taking small steps forward.
• Focus on the process—results will follow: Instead of obsessing over weight, steps, or calories, focus on small daily wins: choosing whole foods and practicing mindful eating, moving more even in shorter sessions, and prioritizing a bit more sleep. When these habits improve consistently, the metrics naturally follow (weight, strength, energy, and overall health) because progress comes from repeated actions over time.
• Stay humble and keep learning: Seek new experiences, listen to others, and challenge yourself regularly. Humility is staying open to improvement, even when you’ve already achieved a lot. Every lesson adds to your resilience and confidence.
• Stop comparing and understand yourself: Let others’ progress inspire, not intimidate you. Many people waste energy measuring themselves against others. Your only real competition is who you were yesterday. Tracking your own habits, energy, mindset, and small wins builds momentum and confidence.
• Expect setbacks and learn from them: Setbacks happen to everyone; they don’t define you. Each challenge is a chance to see what’s working, what isn’t, and what you can adjust. Let go of chasing perfection and focus on becoming a better version of yourself.
• Seek support when needed: Reinforce your positivity by reaching out to someone you trust. Share your struggles openly; once they understand, the guidance and encouragement you receive can help you take new actions, stay consistent, and sustain meaningful change.
