The Quote That Exposes Our Blind Spot

"Most people overestimate what they can do in a year, and underestimate what they can do in a decade."

This quote from Bill Gates points to a fundamental error in human judgement — we are often looking at the wrong time frames.

We think that we can move mountains with short bursts of intense effort and completely dismiss the compound interest of consistent action over time.

Fitness is no different.

While Bill Gates was talking about business building, the same fundamental truth holds up for fitness, just with a different time line.

I’d say that when it comes to fitness, most people overestimate what they can do in a month and underestimate what they can do in a year.

The Fallacy of “All In”

Why is this though?

I see it all the time: it’s the fantasy of how “once things clear up, I’ll be able to go all in.”

We tell ourselves there’s no point in getting started now, because we wouldn’t be able to fully commit… but man once we do commit… it’ll be lights out in a month.

The issue is… things never “clear up.” Life keeps happening. Sure, some seasons are busier than others, but there will never be a day when you have an abundance of time and you are looking for ways to fill it.

Our time is our most valuable resource, and it’s also our most scarce. It’s naive to think there will be a day we no longer have to be proactive about how we spend it.

Once we accept this truth, and it is a tough pill to swallow… then we can address the next piece of flawed thinking:

"There’s no point in wasting effort if I can’t go all in and get maximal results."

Brother, almost no one goes all in. That’s a fallacy.

Nothing is wasted.

First of all, going “all in” is not required for progress. It’s not all or nothing. You can make progress, and build on that progress, with whatever amount of effort you have to give.

Secondly — it’s impossible to flip a switch and be at maximal level of intensity. All-in efforts are built on a long, slow base of consistency.

If you look at any sort of athletic preparation, whether it’s for a trail race or powerlifting meet… the intensity/peaking phase is usually very short.

Marathon training, for example, is generally 16–20 weeks — of which only around 3 of those weeks account for the peaking phase. There’s usually 12 weeks of base building before the peak, and then a week or two of taper after.

But the deeper reason we fall for the all-in fantasy isn’t just poor planning—it’s fear.

The Real Problem: Fear of Looking Dumb

I’m going to be real with you for a minute — if you’re falling prey to the fallacy of “there’s no point in trying if I can’t go all in” — it’s actually your unconscious mind protecting your ego.

Let me explain.

You’re scared of looking dumb. We can call it perfectionism, or high standards, or whatever, but at the end of the day, we’re terrified of “failing” by not executing “perfectly.” We simply can’t handle failure.

We’d rather not try than try, fail, and feel dumb.

Yet, we all know (consciously at least) that we’re not going to be perfect ever, let alone on our first attempt at something.

In other words, we know that the only way to learn and grow is to take imperfect action, learn from that, and get better at our next iteration—yet our unconscious fear keeps us from ever taking that first step.

The Reframe: Imperfect Action Compounds

My goal for today is to help you release the pressure you put on yourself to be perfect so that you begin building a base of consistent action rather than waiting for the “right time.”

Once we learn to take imperfect action and course correct, we can embody the idea that failure is part of the growth process.

Consistency compounds. Perfection paralyzes.

(We all know this logically, but likely struggle actually believing it.)

To embody this knowledge has two big benefits:

• Internal alignment (our conscious and unconscious minds are no long pulling in different directions).
  

• Speed in getting results (we can dive in without the fear of failure).
  

My Own Struggle With Consistency

And I want to point out that I’m constantly working through this myself, as well.

Sure, I’ve got a decent base of consistency at the gym, but one area I struggle in is being consistent with posting content on social media. For a virtual business that coaches clients all over the country, this is the most effective way to gain visibility with potential customers.

Yet… over the years I’ve struggled to stay consistent, allowing myself to coast off of referrals, telling myself that there’s no point in posting if I don’t get thousands of views and likes on every post.

And of course, that’s a fallacy. Posting consistently keeps momentum alive, keeps my writing skills sharp, and keeps my “virtual business card” updated.

Most of the time, I just get in my own way, worrying about looking dumb on Instagram (which sounds ridiculous to type out, but I’m being real with you).

And I know a lot of you are the same way with your workouts.

You want to avoid the discomfort of not being good at something. You don’t want to “waste” your time if you don’t think you can have the “perfect” workout due to lack of time or energy. And I get that.

But there’s no way around the base-building phase — you have to go through it.

It’s always clumsy at first, whether you’re brand new to the gym or trying to get back into it, or hell, even if you’re already doing something but want to take it to the next level.

The fact remains: growth and failure go hand in hand.

You’ve gotta stumble around a bit before you find your footing — that’s just the way it is.

Adjusting The Timeline

One of the first things I do with my clients is help them adjust their timelines.

The process often feels slow at first…but if we adhere to it…we end up going faster and further than we ever could have imagined.

To give you an idea what this looks like in practice—here’s how I break it down for my clients:

Step 1: Protein and Lifting

We start with the most impactful, lowest-friction habits: getting enough protein and lifting weights.

Protein is an easy entry point to nutrition. It doesn’t require restriction—just the discipline to get enough.

Lifting doesn’t have to be perfect. Just show up. Get familiar with the training process and my coaching style.

The questions that come up along the way? That’s where the coaching conversations happen. That’s where you learn.

Step 2: Calorie Ceiling and Steps

Once protein and lifting are rolling, we layer in the next two pieces.

A calorie ceiling builds on what you’re already tracking. No new skills—just a little more restraint.

A daily step goal requires a bit more time—but the effort is low. Just move your body more.

Step 3: Zone 2 Cardio

Now that walking is part of your routine, we elevate the intensity slightly.

A couple times per week, we shift those walks into low-intensity cardio sessions. No more time needed—just a little more intention.

This is how the basics—when followed properly—can completely transform your body in just a few months.

No overwhelm. No overhaul. Just smart progression.

Now—you can imagine how just simply eating protein and lifting 3x/week feels WAY slower and less intense than most extreme 90-day transformations.

Yet if we adjust our timeline to 6 months? It would take maybe 3 months tops to move through these stair steps…and then another 3 months of consistently executing, slowly ratcheting up intensity in the weight room and cardio.

Do you think you’d look and feel better?

What about adding another 6 months to that, bringing us to the one-year mark?

Your appearance, capabilities, habits and mindset would be completely transformed… and it never would have even felt that hard!

Bringing It Back Around

Most people overestimate what they can do in a month and underestimate what they can do in a year.

But you don’t have to fall into that trap.

The goal isn’t to go “all in.” The goal is to go “all the time.”

One workout. One walk. One meal with protein. One imperfect rep at a time. That’s how you build the base. That’s how momentum grows. That’s how you transform.

Because here’s the truth:

Consistency compounds. Perfection paralyzes.

So don’t wait for the perfect moment—make this moment the one you build on.

To Your Consistency,