I received an email this week from someone who has been visiting my site since 2004. When I wrote back to the author I didn’t specifically address his concern, and instead asked if I could discuss what he said in one of my blogs. He agreed, with the restriction that I don’t mention his name or forum username.

The individual who wrote to me said that despite daily visits to JSF and the JSF Forums over the past 6+ years he was still struggling to reach his goals. He’d lose a little fat, become complacent, stop working out entirely and fall back into old habits. Eventually, after undoing the work he’d done, he’d force himself to get back to a solid diet and training program. He informed me that he’d repeated this cycle so many times that he lost count.

The author then went on to tell me that he had no interest in biking, and that my blogs that talked about biking were “…making it almost impossible to get back on track.”

Sorry, my friend, the problem is not me or what I choose to write about in my daily blogs. I could make the subject of every single blog I write about fat loss, motivation and weight training and I 100% guarantee that you’ll continue the cycle you’ve established for yourself over the past 6+ years. I’m not saying that to be mean, I’m saying it because it’s true. You’re not taking responsibility for your own actions, and I really dislike that.

So, let’s be productive here: How do you break out of that kind of pattern? It’s actually pretty simple. You’ve got to be passionate about what you do. One thing about me that I’m sure comes across in my blogs is that I’m fiercely passionate about everything I choose to do. I don’t care if I’m losing fat, gaining muscle, mountain biking, taking photographs, building a house, building a pond or cleaning the damn garage: I sink my teeth into each and every thing I do, and I try to love every minute of it.

I know this is a cliche, but I believe it with every fiber of my being: life is not about the destination, it’s about the journey. Be creative, find ways to make fitness fun and exciting. Enjoy the ride. And please don’t blame other people if you can’t figure it out. Sure, we all need a little boost from time to time, but if your progress stops and starts with these blogs then you’ve got some serious thinking to do.