I used to lie to myself.

From the end of my college days in 2016, I ignored the fact that I was becoming overweight. I spent most of my life with the identity of an athlete. That was over, and I had graduated. My ego clung to this identity. It was a protective mechanism.

I maintained this false identity for years. It hurt me. I packed on the pounds. 200, 220, 240, 260. Guess what? I still considered myself an athlete. Deep down I knew that was bullshit.

During the summer of 2020, I spent much time alone due to the COVID quarantine. One sunny Wednesday afternoon, I was following a yoga class on YouTube in my apartment and attempted to do a seated side bend to stretch my lower back.

Something struck me...

I couldn't even reach my opposite foot because my gut was in the way.

At this moment, I became livid with myself.

I knew I was overweight.

I knew I was pathetic.

But I was ignoring the truth.

I realized if I kept lying to myself and going down this path, I would end up old, fat, bitter, and disillusioned.

I decided from that day forward, I would only be brutally honest with myself.

I would endure the pain of truth.

This one mindset shift has transformed my entire physique, and it will do the same for you. 

Stop lying to yourself.

Lying to yourself is harmful to your personal development.

When you lie to yourself, your integrity and self-respect erode into dust.

Lying to yourself is the worst form of self-disrespect. How do you feel when someone you love has lied to you? Why don’t you feel the same when you lie to yourself? Unfortunately, most people’s internal lives are one big continuous lie. This manifests itself in unhappiness, physical ailments, and relationship issues.

A lie will always push you in the wrong direction.

The truth will always push you in the right direction.

When I finally understood this, I put myself under attack. I was at war with myself. The weaker version of myself, full of self-taught lies, would die on the battlefield.

To become a better person, you must sacrifice your current self.

Personal transformation is a zero-sum game.

For something new to be born, something old must die.

Here are the 3 basic truths that will transform your mind and body.

#1. Your body is a reflection of your mind.

I have never met a mentally weak person with a physically fit body.

It’s impossible.

Your body is a reflection of how you feel about yourself.

Mind and body are deeply interconnected.

If your body is unfit, you have unaddressed weaknesses in your mind. There is something you are hiding from. There is a problem you are unwilling to solve. There is a pain you are afraid to feel. There is suffering you are afraid to endure. There is a wrongdoing you are afraid to undo. There is an excuse you are unwilling to let go of. There is a responsibility you have yet to claim.

Unaddressed mental weakness manifests itself as physical weakness. One day, this will harm your health. You must get ahead of this. Address it yourself, while it’s still within your control.

What is it in your mind, that prevents you from success? Is there an old injury you never fully corrected? Are you scared to see how weak certain joints and muscles truly are?  Pretending the problem isn't there will not solve it. This should be personal. Nobody needs to know but you. Target your weaknesses, and eliminate them. This will allow you to make serious progress in your life.

#2. Nobody is coming to save you.

“Doctors won’t make you healthy.

Nutritionists won’t make you lean.

Teachers won’t make you smart.

Gurus won’t make you calm.

Mentors won’t make you rich.

Trainers won’t make you fit.

Ultimately, you have to take responsibility.

Save yourself.”

-Naval

You can spend hours watching YouTube videos. You can spend months reading self-help books. You can spend years taking medicine. You can waste so much time avoiding the work that matters. The world is full of get-fit-quick solutions. These distract you from addressing the true root cause of your poor fitness, your mind. If you lie to yourself, by thinking someone else will save you, you will never achieve your goal. You will always look for a shortcut. Shortcuts are handed to you by someone else, and will always lead you in the wrong direction.

Handouts and shortcuts are never sustainable pathways to permanent success.

Nobody is coming to save you. Why would they?

It’s not their life. It’s yours.

Save yourself.

#3. Hard choices = easy life. Easy choices = hard life.

Most of the gains in life come from suffering in the short term, so you can be happy and free in the long term.

Almost everything in life is a choice.

If you are overweight, that was a choice you made, long ago (don't deny it, it's true). It was an easy choice. It was a lazy choice because you didn't need to care about anything. Food, training, sleep, mentality, etc. - none of it is a burden when you don’t care to be fit. You let yourself off the hook, thinking it would make life easier. You were wrong.

To neglect your physical well-being is to live a life void of meaning.

Everything in life is better when you are healthy and fit. Everything.

  • You are more relaxed.
  • You are more loveable.
  • You are more peaceful.
  • You are more attractive.
  • You are more energetic.
  • You are more persuasive.
  • You are more charismatic.
  • You are more respectable.
  • You are more. Period.

When you are fit, daily living becomes effortless.  When you train hard and treat your body well, you are rewarded with...

  • Vitality.
  • Energy.
  • Mobility.
  • Strength.
  • Longevity.
  • Endurance.
  • Youthfulness.
  • Clarity of mind.

Locked behind a door of short-term pain and suffering are life’s greatest rewards.

Make the hard choices. Consistently. Over time.

This will lead to an easy life in the long run.

Stay honest, stay strong.

- Jared Evans

P.S. - If you liked this newsletter and found it useful, please share it with others. Think to yourself, who could use this message? Mom? Dad? Brother? Sister? Wife? Husband? Friend? Co-worker?

My goal is to transform 100+ minds and bodies in the next year, through sharing the hard lessons I've learned on my fitness journey.

When you're ready to make some real changes, there are 2 ways I can help you (more to come):

1) If you want to know how to get lean with the simplest diet in the world, check out this post. 

2) If you want to improve your cardio and get in the best shape of your life, download my FREE eBook.