The Climb of Life – Part 2: Turning Awareness Into Action
Featuring MHR Online
Last week, we talked about the climb.
How every lift, every early morning, every smart choice wasn’t just building your body-it was building you. We dug into why training shapes your mind just as much as your muscles.
But here’s the thing: awareness is just the first step.
Knowing the lessons are there is one thing.
Living them out every day? That’s where the real change happens.
I caught up with MHR Online again to dive even deeper into this. If there’s anyone who knows how to bridge the gap between knowing and doing, it’s them. One of the first things they said to me was simple, but it hit straight to the point:
"Motivation fades. Systems stay standing."
It’s true. We all have those days where the last thing we want to do is train, move, or even make the next right decision. If you’re relying on feeling motivated all the time, you’re setting yourself up for a rough climb. But if you’ve built systems—small, simple things that lock you into your goals-you can keep moving even when that inner fire feels like it’s gone out.
MHR talked about setting up your world to make those good decisions easier. Laying out your clothes the night before. Scheduling your workouts like meetings you wouldn’t dare miss. Prepping meals so you’re not scrambling when you’re tired. It’s about making the better choice the easier one. Because when life gets heavy (and it will), the small habits are what save you.
But it’s not just about fitness.
The same systems apply to the rest of life too.
Setting a reminder to check in on a goal.
Spending 10 minutes the night before organizing tomorrow’s tasks.
Choosing to have that tough conversation you’ve been avoiding.
These might not seem like big moments when they happen-but they stack up. They create a mindset where actionbecomes the default, not hesitation. And over time, those small wins turn into serious mind shift victories. Confidence isn’t built from one big success. It’s built from hundreds of quiet moments where you chose growth when it would’ve been easier to check out.
Another thing MHR said stuck with me:
"If you’re not making decisions in advance, you’re making them under pressure. And pressure decisions rarely move you forward."
If you don’t lead your day, your day leads you. When you’re tired, stressed, overwhelmed-that’s when the old patterns sneak back in. Planning isn’t about living a rigid life. It’s about giving yourself breathing room when the pressure hits. It’s the difference between reacting and responding-and that difference, over time, shapes the kind of person you become.
We also talked about non-negotiables -the little daily promises you make and actually keep. I asked MHR what separates people who really grow from the ones who stay stuck. Their answer wasn’t complicated:
"The ones who win build small standards they refuse to break. They don’t wait for the big wins. They stack the little ones daily."
It’s in the little things.
Waking up when you said you would.
Answering that uncomfortable email.
Eating the good meal when drive-thru would’ve been easier.
Choosing to get 1% better, even when no one’s clapping for you.
Growth doesn’t happen in those rare, perfect days. It happens when you show up through the messy ones.
At one point, I asked MHR how to measure real progress, because honestly, it’s easy to get caught only tracking the visible stuff—body composition, weight lifted, kilometers run.
"Real progress isn’t just physical," MHR said. "It’s emotional control, discipline, the speed you bounce back after setbacks. Those are the real wins."
And that’s where real life kicks in.
It’s getting through a workday that pushed every button you have-without losing your cool.
It’s dealing with unexpected bad news-and still choosing to show up for yourself.
It’s facing setbacks and frustrations-and bouncing back faster than you did last year.
That’s the kind of strength we’re really building. Not just strength for the gym. Strength for life.
Before we wrapped up, I asked MHR what they would say to someone who’s just starting-or feeling stuck halfway up their own climb. Their advice was gold:
"Don’t focus on being perfect. Focus on making the climb a little easier to start each day. Stack the odds in your favor. If you fall off for a day? Cool. Get back on. The climb doesn’t end because you tripped-it ends if you sit down and stay there."
You don’t lose the climb when you stumble.
You lose it when you stop believing you can keep moving.
If there’s one thing I want you to take from this week, it’s this:
Awareness is your tool.
But deliberate, simple, consistent action is your ladder.
Build the systems. Make the habits easy. Stack the wins.
Because every early alarm, every conversation you didn’t want to have, every bit of prep you did even when you were tired-it all matters.
This is how you shift your mindset.
This is how you build real confidence.
This is how you change your life.
Massive thanks again to MHR Online for backing up the message with the methods-and for reminding us that the climb isn’t just physical. It’s mental. It’s emotional. It’s daily.
Evotion Apparel – Inspired by the climb.
Built for every moment you feel like quitting.
Built for every time you choose not to.