2 min read

Almost two weeks ago, I sprained my ankle on a trail run. I briefly felt sorry for myself, got over that, and have been spending time trying to properly rehab it.

I’ve used RICE (Rest Ice Compression Elevation) and have been trying to stretch it to regain the strength and mobility.

But since the injury, I have gotten zero exercise. I’ve adopted the narrative that because my ankle is injured and I cannot run, that means I can’t work out. I’ve watched as I gained weight, lost muscle mass, and unwound much of the work I’ve done to get to the physical condition I was in pre-injury.

Of course writing that out, it’s obvious that I’m making an excuse. I can’t run, but I could bike. I may even be able to do an elliptical at this point.

If we took cardio out of it, I could still weight train too.

But I used the injury to give myself license to de-prioritize working out entirely. It’s overflowed into my diet too as I find myself eating more poorly.

As more time goes by, and I see more and more progress lost, I lose even more motivation to get back into the gym and work back towards my peak.

This happens with our work all the time – especially in creative work. We let a setback impact other areas of our work or creativity, take fewer chances, put ideas or initiatives on a shelf, and as more time passes, it’s harder to dust them back off.

This is one of the major benefits of Unreal Collective. By surrounding you with others who are actively and quickly working towards their goals, and making weekly check-ins with each other, you’re much less likely to let a setback hold you back.

I go to the gym alone – and if I had someone else keeping me accountable, I’d still be weight training or biking every day. Unreal Collective provides that accountability and support.

Our next 12-week program starts in January, and there are already two dozen people on the waiting list. If you’re serious about your idea, project, or business, we can help.