Last weekend my sister sent me this picture about what it means to be a ‘Vaghela’.

My reply was pretty blunt, ‘I don’t believe it – it’s a myth’.

During every morning walk since I’ve been thinking about the concept of ‘discipline’, and whether it’s actually the driving force behind success (in any field) that we are duped into believing.

And I stick by my initial reaction to the debate. I really do think it’s a myth.

Instead, it’s more about what you choose to embrace, struggle and suffer through.

While we can talk about this in the context of business, relationships, etc., let’s relate this to body transformations, and why some people will succeed, and why others will never reach their goals.

Is it because the latter group aren’t disciplined enough? Or is it because they don’t want it bad enough?

Or is it because they’re not willing to go through the journey it requires to get the six pack, the shaped curves, the bikini body, the V-taper and so on…

Maybe it’s because they just want the end result, and fall in love with the imagination of having it all, but don’t quite appreciate the struggle required to get there?

If you’re someone who’s been spinning your wheels month after month, and still look the same, maybe ‘that’ body isn’t what you really want. Maybe you just enjoy wanting it? And you’re just in love with the fantasy of it?

As Mark Manson writes in his brilliant book ‘The Subtle Art Of Not Giving A F*ck’ (which inspired this piece), these people want the reward and not the struggle. They want the result without going through the process. And they’re in love with the victory, not the fight.

Having trained hundreds of clients now through body transformations, I can categorically say that the clients who achieve the best results are those who are most in love with the process.

It’s never about the perfect diet, or the optimal training program, or the magic supplement stack. Or even genetics.

It’s always the clients who love every minute of the process of what goes into a body transformation that are successful.

The 4am cardio sessions, the meal prepping, the brutal training sessions, skipping the breadbaskets and desserts at restaurants, etc.

The clients who get sh*t done without a second thought, no matter what. The clients who never complain about an additional cardio session. Or another low carb day.

These are the clients who love the journey of what it takes to get in shape. And that’s why these clients do so well. They love the grind of getting in shape.

Anyone who’s pushed their body to the extreme knows it isn’t easy. Which is why if you don’t enjoy the process, you’ll fail.

You’ll be the one who hits snooze on the alarm because you’re tired, it’s dark outside, and you’d rather have an extra 20 minutes of sleep than get 20 minutes of fasted cardio in.

You’ll be the one who says f*ck it, I’m ordering pizza tonight because I feel depleted and hungry.

You’ll be the one who skips the gym session because you’d rather ‘take it easy’ today and go tomorrow instead.

It’s all about choices, and making the choice you love most.

If you can’t deal with the pain of the process, you’ll settle, and look the same.

If you want the physique you’ve got in your mind, you’ve got to appreciate the hours needed to build it. It doesn’t happen overnight. Or in a week. Or in a month. It takes time, patience, persistence, consistency and making the right daily choices in accordance with what you really want.

Do you want the result without the process?

If so, this isn’t for you.

It’s not about ‘no pain, no gain’. It’s not about willpower.

It’s about choosing what you want to struggle through, and then embracing it with everything you’ve got.

The clichéd saying couldn’t be truer; the joy really is in the climb itself.