What to Do When Progress is Slow and You Want to Quit

The other day, I watched a segment of the Netflix show “Chelsea” where she interviewed Melissa Arnot who, about a month ago, became the first American woman to both climb Mount Everest and descend it (which is harder than climbing it) without supplemental oxygen.

At the time of the interview she had just returned from her climb two weeks earlier, so she was still in full recovery. She said it takes about a month to recover, which basically involves a ton of rest in order to build back all your strength. Can you imagine what climbing 29,035 feet up a mountain (and back down) WITHOUT supplemental oxygen is like? Honestly, I can’t, and I’m not going to try…

But this was not Arnot’s first rodeo. In fact, she is an avid climber who trains for this. She shared in the interview that there is A LOT of preparation involved – not just physically, but mentally as well. A short video was shown of Melissa climbing as she almost reaches the top. You can see her take each step, extremely slowly, which is as fast as her body is allowing her to go. As the video is shown, she gives the “play-by-play” and chuckles as she says, “No, the video is not on pause. Each step is really that slow.”

She was asked if she ever feels like quitting on the way up because it’s not only painful, but the progress and distance she makes in one day is so slow.

She said of course she feels like quitting while she’s out there, so that’s why the mental preparation ahead of time is so important.

As I heard her words, I immediately thought of you. While you’re struggling, it’s easy to want to quit and many do. However, if you make the commitment to yourself ahead of time and prepare yourself mentally to keep going even when your body wants to quit, that’s what keeps you putting one step in front of the other no matter how hard it may be or how slow your progress is.

As you make healthy changes in your life, it may seem like you’re climbing Mount Everest without supplemental oxygen. Progress is slow, the journey is tough, and it’s so easy to throw in the towel and give up.

I understand. I’ve been there. I’m there now and will always be because I’m like you – I want to be the best that I can be and that isn’t easy.

Like Arnot said, the most important preparation you can do is work on your mental game. Expect that it will be really hard and you’ll want to quit, but prepare your mind for those times.

I came up with a few important questions to think about BEFORE you get started pursuing your healthy goals:

“What is my deep purpose for pursuing this? How will I remind myself of this when the going gets tough?

“What are some quotes, verses, mantras, songs, etc. that will motivate me when I feel like quitting?”

“How will I feel about myself when I reach my goal? How will I remind myself of this feeling when I want to give up?”

Feel free to come up with more of your own questions, but I hope these are good ones you can start with.

Again, the mental preparation before you pursue your goal is extremely important. It’s the foundation on which your day-to-day progress, however slow that may be, will depend on.

Arnot said, “This has been an emotional journey, to say the least. Climbing Everest without supplemental oxygen has been a goal of mine for a long time. When you succeed at reaching your goal, it makes you reflect on the hard days, the work, and lessons I’ve learned along the way.”

Your goal doesn’t have to be as big as climbing Mount Everest, but the lesson is the same: It’s an awesome feeling to reach a goal that takes your absolute best. Your absolute best means preparing your mind before you even take your first step.

Wishing you joyful health in your 50s,

Kim