Essays · Jan 6, 2026 · 5 min read
Beyond New Year's Resolutions: Ending the Inner Battle
How showing up differently, in and out of the gym, changes everything.
There are excellent resources to achieve physical fitness goals. But what if the gains were emotional and spiritual too? Under the noise of pop-psychology tweets is still an innocent part of you that needed you long before you ever picked up a barbell.
The Exercise
- Imagine your 5-year-old self. Really visualize them.
- Before each set, close your eyes and imagine your five-year-old self occupying the same physical space.
- Breathe in deeply, exhale fully.
- Whisper, "I love you." Stay in that moment.
- Start your first rep.
What I've found is that he's beaming. Proud. He says: "I'm so happy to be here. I love you." He felt honored when I included him in the very place where I once exiled him.
The Battlefield Becomes Home
Like many men, I believed I had to dominate my own vulnerability. After yet another muscle tear, a mentor said: "You're treating the gym like a battlefield." He was right. I used to think of the gym as going to war with myself. Now I see it as an avenue to come home.
The courage to embrace the most vulnerable parts of yourself will unlock the strongest version of you.