Mindset- Action divorced from outcome.

Lets talk mindset. In today's blog I'm going to argue that the best way to find good physical and mental health and reach your goals is to take action and remain totally divorced from outcome. I'll explain what I mean by that below.

When starting a new endeavor, an exercise program, a new sport, hobby or a job most of us start with a mindset of humility. Surely no one when first dribbling a basketball feels confident they'll be the next Michael Jordan. We typically start something because we think we'd enjoy it, we want to play with friends, we want to learn a skill, build a healthy habit, to be more productive, provide for our family or ourselves, to serve others, etc.

Somewhere along the way we start measuring ourselves against others, comparing our skills or results against those around us. Its a natural inclination. In modern times we extend this to the truly elite, we're a couple clicks away from seeing the best in sport train on youtube or Instagram. I can quickly check what Saquon Barkley's max squat is, how much Tia-Clair-Toomey lifts or runs a mile in, or how much money the best in a given profession is bringing in.

This is when the devil often creeps in, in the form of pride. The ego can start calculating. "I'm this far off from so and so in this regard, maybe i could be the best." "If I only train this many hours for this many months, maybe I could be the fittest." On its face this doesn't sound like a bad thing. It definitely is.

Remember the "why we started" topic? What were the reasons? Humble ones. To become more healthy, to have fun with friends, to learn a skill, because we think we'd enjoy it, to provide for others, to serve others. . None of these are ego driven. None of these are about placing ourselves in a hierarchy over others. The act(present moment-"action") of practicing(a sport, a skill, a task, a job) or learning is present moment. It's being immersed in doing, being, accomplishing the thing. I go on the run because its good for me. I head to work because its important to serve others and to provide for my family.

The ego driven mindset is future tense, "If I do this I can be the best", "I'm working hard so that I can gain respect, fame, and notoriety" "I'm doubling up my hustle so that I can get promoted" Much like a child looking for a gold star. This motivation is unsustainable, counting on things that are totally out of your control. There are external factors that can derail you from achieving your aim here. Genetics, finances, time, luck, workplace politics, nepotism. I could keep going, the list is endless.

There was a very brief time where I thought maybe I could become a CrossFit Regionals(now Semifinals) competitor. This is a feat less than.5% of CrossFit competitors achieve. Truly an accomplishment only attained by the elite. I studied the best of the best as much as I could and doubled up my hustle. I trained once or twice a day, 6 days a week. The more I learned I quickly realized this was an unrealistic goal. No matter how much I trained I wasn't going to deadlift 600lbs, I wasn't going to snatch 315lbs, for those not familiar with the sport I'm saying I wasn't going to make the NBA as a 5'9 slow twitch middle distance runner. I was honest with myself about this and I had competitors state that this was actually a mental defect. "You gotta believe you can do it Jon, cmon" I assure you, no amount of belief will allow me to snatch 315lbs or dunk from the free throw line.

In my time competing in and coaching CrossFit, I've probably met 75-100 people who stated "I'm going to make Regionals" or "I'm going to make the Games" out of that group of lets say 100, two of them accomplished that goal. More importantly almost every single one of them is completely out of the sport now. The vast majority are not fit in any measurable way. Not only did they not reach the goal of being in the top half of a percent in competition, if tested most would fail to be in the top 25%. That is many orders of magnitude lower than the stated goal. As they progressed in their pursuit toward the hierarchical, ego driven goal that depended upon external factors they lost steam, became demoralized and deflated. The goal didn't motivate the same way it used to. I assume this is because they realized it wasn't going to happen for them.

To be clear, I think its great to have massive goals. To be curious as to how far you can make it, to leave room for the possibility of great things happening. There's nothing wrong with that, but the driving force behind your action should be because it is right, because it is good. This is sustainable motivation. When I run the miles because it is good for me, because I enjoy the process I don't get deflated when I get beat in a race. I continue running, I set a good example, I motivate my local community, my family, I maintain my weight and my cardiovascular health.

When one does it for glory, for fame, for attention or notoriety and those things don't come or don't come in the sum or the way that had been desired people tend to become deflated. The foundation for action was external, out of your control, ego driven, shaky and unsustainable. You never had possession of the gold stars and you're crushed that you didn't get one- so you quit. Harsh? If you say so. True? Certainly.

Furthermore the reality of life is that only one person can be the best at any given pursuit. What in the hell are the rest of us supposed to do? Should we all quit squatting because Hafthor or whomever squats 1,000lbs and that is completely out of reach for almost everyone?

If I’m not going to be the fittest in the world should I stop exercising and become a couch potato?

If I’m not going to win the promotion over a competing coworker should I stop working? Stop serving the public? Stop providing for myself or my family? You get the point.

Now if you are truly one of those who could ascend to that fraction of a fraction with the talent, work ethic, resilience and luck to be the best or close to it, should your motivations change? Should the elite think differently? No.

Even for the elite, there will be moments in the journey when you are tempted to project into the future, when things get hard and you start to feel sorry for yourself, you start to feel your goal slipping away and you are tempted to quit. I'm arguing that the answer to this is to stay present minded. Focus on the task that you're doing, the rep or task that you are completing and give it your best because that is what is right. Because its good for you, because its a good example to others, because quitting isn't the example you want to set for others. This is controlling what you can control, this is giving your best, and this will lead to the best outcome.

On GLP-1’s. An argument for the human spirit.

In this article we’ll cover GLP-1 drugs. We’ll start by discussing their popularity, projected increased use and what they are prescribed for. Then I’ll argue for a more traditional weight loss route while highlighting a part of this process that is almost always overlooked-the spiritual development that comes with mastering our desires.

GLP-1 drugs are all the rage. “The global GLP-1 receptor agonist market size was estimated at USD 66.38 billion in 2025 and is projected to reach USD 185.32 billion by 2033, growing at a CAGR of 12.4% from 2026 to 2033. GLP-1 receptor agonists have become an important therapeutic class for managing type 2 diabetes and obesity through mechanisms that enhance insulin secretion, suppress glucagon release, delay gastric emptying, and promote satiety.”- GRANDVIEW RESEARCH

Novo Nordisk who released the fantastically popular Wegovy is the largest company by market cap in Denmark and is the 8th largest by the same measure in all of the European Union. This is big business.

What are GLP-1 agonists?

“GLP-1 agonists are a class of medications that mainly help manage blood sugar (glucose) levels in people with Type 2 diabetes. Some GLP-1 agonists can also help treat obesity.

GLP-1 agonists are most often injectable medications, meaning you inject a liquid medication with a needle and syringe. You give the shots in the fatty tissue just under your skin (subcutaneous injection). Areas of your body you can give the injections include your belly, outer thighs, upper buttocks and the backs of your arms.”- Cleveland Clinic

Do they work?

In short-yes. Clinical research has shown that patients may lose 10-15% of their bodyweight over several months. Many of these medications have been approved for weight management in addition to diabetes treatment.

Are they safe?

Like most medications they can cause side effects. These are reported particularly often when starting treatment. 

Common side effects include- Nausea, vomiting, constipation and abdominal discomfort. In rare cases more serious complications can occur, according to Harvard Health Publishing these may include- Pancreatitis, Gastroparesis-freezing of the stomach, bowel obstruction- blocking food from moving through the intestines, and gallstone attacks or bile duct blockage.

Ethereal over material

I understand why one would take one of these drugs. It seems like simple arithmetic. I'm overweight, I can take this pill or shot to lose weight. Viola. I'd argue that this is a reductive materialist solution to a deeper issue.                                                                                                      This perspective disregards the human spirit. It ignores the innate need for humans to overcome their more primitive nature. Church Fathers would call it our "passions" like gluttony, lust, laziness etc. In the Buddhist tradition temptations are often personified as Māra(demon)— the “Lord of Death” or “Tempter” — who represents the forces that hinder enlightenment. 

Modernity is selling to us that our passions, our temptations are our genetic destiny. Telling us that we couldn’t possibly defeat this disposition weaved into our very nature. My message is the opposite. That as Ryan Holliday famously covered in his best selling book “The Obstacle is the Way”.

Managing your weight and blood sugar through diet and exercise is indeed an obstacle, and there is massive personal, physical and spiritual growth on the other side of that obstacle. The lessons absorbed into your being while mastering this discipline are nearly endless and have a fractal like cascading effect on all aspects of your life. Developing the discipline to get up as soon as your alarm rings to hit a 6am workout when you don’t want to can and likely will lead to you making more money. Being in control of your diet and body will make the dating market open up for you. Sharpening your determination and will via consistent daily practice can make you a force of nature. Your will and discipline shaping your daily life around you, instead of your passions or temptations shaping and shortening the future of your existence.

I’ve helped people defeat these demons for 15 years. It was never easy. It took early mornings, there were sacrifices made in diet, time spent in the gym early and late, and along the way there were often questioning voices, is it working? Am I always going to be this way? Maybe I’m a non-responder, maybe being this way is my destiny. But with persistence many of those who kept showing up ended up losing over 50lbs, found that healthy eating and exercise was actually an incredibly fun journey for them, made lifelong friends, even found romantic partners at gym in the process. These stand in stark contrast to the side effects of GLP-1 drugs.

To me you are not just material, not just a bag of bones and flesh. There is a will, an animating spirit, an ethereal being that wants to be challenged, wants to be disciplined, wants to master its nature. Technology cannot and will never be able to deliver you through this rite. It is a path you must carve the old fashioned way.