Effort Over Ability (A Christmas Story)

When I was training to become a personal trainer, a coach once said to me, “Oh, you aren’t very athletic, are you?” He was right. I wasn’t. I’m not. And that’s been a gift.

Many of us will go into January with uncertainty and hesitation. The gym can be a daunting place in the beginning, and the heaviest weight you will ever push may be opening the door for the first time. But remember, no one at PHAROS is judging you. Everyone wants you to win, and you don’t have to be “good at this” to start the journey and see real results.

It helps to remember this: the body is designed to conserve energy; it wants to stay the same. The only way it will change is if you apply a stress that makes it uncomfortable. And since everything is a stress in the beginning, change happens on a large scale. We call it “newbie gains,” and though starting may feel like a hurdle, the benefits will be quickly apparent, broad, and life-changing. You just have to take the first step. It doesn’t require skill; it just requires commitment.

In the pursuit of results, especially when it comes to body composition, effort matters more than ability. When I coach, my eyes are drawn to the hardest worker and not necessarily the most talented. Now, of course, you can have both, but if it’s change you seek, then the struggle will matter more than the mastery. You are simply at war with comfort. You don’t need talent to be in that war; you just need the right mindset.

That mindset needs to be one of patience and pursuit. Go into 2026 saying, “I’m giving myself a year.” Not three weeks. Not three months. A year to change. Because that’s how long it takes to enact meaningful change. Give yourself that grace. It’s a harder story to sell to your consciousness, but a more nourishing one. The timeline may be longer than you want, but it is in that time that you will find new truths about yourself. So allow it. Invite it. Experience it to the full.

This is a journey of acceptance and belief. You need to accept that it’s hard and uncomfortable and challenging and relentless. You also have to believe that these are all good things. You will find the best parts of yourself in the hardest places. You are capable of it. You are built for it. You just need to overcome the old stories you have told yourself.

So wherever you are at right now, and wherever you want to go, just remember: getting there is not about what you have been given, but what you are willing to go out and get. We will be here to help you through it, and by next Christmas, we will be telling a different story. Believe that.

Merry Christmas,

See you in the gym,

PV