You’re scrolling your phone late at night, watching Instagram reels of other people’s events, their headlamps glowing in the dark, or sweat-smeared selfies with hard-earned patches.
Maybe there’s a flicker of something inside you: Could I do that?
You think about signing up for a training plan, or joining something structured. But the spark fades when you realize… you’re just not feeling it right now. You’re waiting for motivation to show up and drag you into action.
The truth?
Motivation is fickle.
It’s not what gets you to the event finish; the handshake; the patch; the "job well done." It doesn't get you to the ultimate goal - proving to yourself you can do something truly difficult.
What does? Structure. Reps. And a training plan that fits your life.
Most people think that big goals need big energy. That you have to be fired up every day or you’re doing something wrong.
But real athletes - the ones who stick with it, who finish the hard events, who get stronger every cycle - know something different.
They know that success isn’t about hype.
It’s about creating habits and reinforcing the discipline to get up and get it done, even when other aspects of life may be calling to them - like a comfy bed at 5AM.
It starts with structure.
Structure gives you a place to begin when everything feels chaotic.
It lets you train even when your schedule isn’t perfect.
It keeps your body moving even when your brain is tired.
When motivation fades, identity takes over.
"I'm the kind of person who..."
We do a lot of that kind of identity work in PATHFINDER Nutrition and XP Personal Training. "I'm the kind of person who...gets up first thing for the gym. Prioritizes protein at each meal. Drinks plenty of water. Trusts active recovery days actually make you stronger."
At PATHFINDER, we don’t build training plans around discipline and guilt.
We build them around who you want to become, and the process it takes to get there.
That’s why our programs are:
-
Self-paced, so they flex around your schedule
-
Based on real milestones: miles, workouts, and Challenges to create consistency
-
Guided by experienced athletes who know exactly what it’s like to start from scratch, come back from injury, or juggle training with a full-time life
The truth is, the person you want to become doesn’t need to feel ready.
They just need to start.
Success isn’t about hype. It’s about habits.
Small successes build a rhythm that’s strong enough to carry you on the hard days.
Creating frictionless, repeatable actions move you forward, even if only by an inch.
I've often said the best things I've ever done come from a conscious decision to change. The changes don't start with luck, and they certainly don't become a habit without effort. But these changes - whatever they are - doesn't have to be a deeply thought-out and overextended plan, either. It can truly be as simple as, "I want to do this. So I'm going to."
And you don't let yourself forget it.
When we promise ourselves change, it's an excellent opportunity to prove our word is good. I've found over my years of coaching that people struggle with trusting themselves to follow through with their best intentions. They get in the habit of letting themselves down and ... accept it. They get in the habit of not trusting their minds to follow through with what their heart wants, or that their bodies will even behave in the way they want. They expect a massive change to be effortless, instead of gradual.
PATHFINDER builds gradually - because you complete it at your pace. You can give yourself time to get up to speed, learn, and build your endurance and strength.
This Class cycle starts August 1.
If now feels like a strange time to jump in, that probably means it’s the right time.
Not when everything is perfect.
Not when motivation hits.
But now. When you’re ready for something better.
Your structure.
Your plan.
Your next finish line.
Let’s go.
Amy Petersen is PATHFINDER Ruck Training's Director of Programming, an ACE-CPT, PN-1 and PN-SSR. Email her at amy@pathfinderrucktraining.com